WHEATON, Ill. – Another top-25 clash is on tap for the No. 18-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University football team this weekend, Saturday, Sept 21, as the Titans travel up to Wheaton College. Kickoff of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener between IWU and the Thunder is slated for 6 p.m. at McCully Stadium.
Links on how to follow along with Saturday night's game can be found on the football schedule page of IWUsports.com or by clicking here.
TWO TITANS EARN CCIW WEEKLY HONORS: Sophomore running back Hamid Bullie and senior defensive back Trevor Koepke were named CCIW Players of the Week, Sept. 16. Bullie garnered CCIW Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Koepke was tabbed the CCIW Defensive Player of the Week.
Bullie turned in a strong debut at No. 23 UW-La Crosse, Sept. 14, racking up 177 rushing yards on 37 carries. His 177 yards are the most by a CCIW player this season.
Koepke reeled in defensive player of the week honors following a seven-tackle performance at UWL. Koepke tied for the team lead in stops, while also adding a fumble recovery, two pass breakups, and an interception.
ALL-TIME AGAINST WHEATON: Saturday night's battle on the gridiron will makr the 65th all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton in a series that dates back to 1922.
IWU won the first meeting, silencing the Thunder 24-0, but trail in the series by a 29-33-2 tally. The Titans have won the past two meetings, including a 24-14 triumph at Tucci Stadium, Sept. 15, 2018. A win would give Illinois Wesleyan its first three-game winning streak against Wheaton since winning four in-a-row from 1979-82.
HOMECOMING OF SORTS: IWU'S trip up to Wheaton, Ill. marks a return home for three Titans. Seniors Jake Kapp and Nico Gubenko's are Wheaton natives, while Robert Neidballa attended Wheaton North High School prior to coming to Illinois Wesleyan.
CCIW OPENERS: The Titans are 22-10 in CCIW openers under head coach Norm Eash, including a 10-game winning streak 1995-2004.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: The No. 17th-ranked Thunder boast a 1-0 record as they welcome the Titans to town this weekend. Wheaton shutout Monmouth 38-0 in its season-opener, Sept. 7, and enter the CCIW clash coming off a bye.
Wheaton used a balanced offense against Monmouth, racking up 224 yards on the ground and 177 through the air. Quarterback Luke Anthony went 13-for-23 for 150 yards and two touchdowns in Wheaton's season-opener. Ethan Williams led the way on the ground, racking up 124 yards on 17 carries.
Defensively, the Thunder held Monmouth to just 54 yards of total offense. As a unit, Wheaton nabbed three interceptions and recorded 10 TFLs, including a sack. Dallas McRae leads the Thunder with nine tackles, while Jack Holaday has a team-best 3.5 TFLs to his credit and Corey Kennedy leads the team with two picks.
ON THE ROAD: Illinois Wesleyan has seen plenty of success away from Tucci Stadium under head coach Norm Eash. The Titans are 96-60-1 (.615) on the road under Eash all-time.
POLLING PLACE: The Titans check in at No. 18 nationally in the D3Football.com Poll, while Wheaton sits on slot ahead of IWU at No. 17.
Wheaton is one of four ranked opponents on IWU's schedule, joining No. 16 UW-La Crosse as well as CCIW foes No. 5 North Central and No. 25 WashU.
200-WIN CLUB: Thirty three-year veteran Norm Eash is one of just seven coaches nationally in NCAA Division III with 200-or-more career wins. Eash, who has won 208 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks seventh in the country among active head coaches.
TITANS IN SEPTEMBER: The Titans are 71-23-1 (.753) in the Norm Eash coaching era in the month, including a 3-1 mark in 2018, and is currently riding a three-game win streak in September.
The Titans had a 22-game September winning streak ended with the loss at Simpson in 2014. The last loss before that was on Sept. 15, 2007 to Mt. St. Joseph. IWU won 11 straight September games (all non-league) from 1995 (loss at Simpson) until 2001 (loss to Washington U.).
ALL-CCIW RETURNERS: The 2019 Illinois Wesleyan roster features seven players who have earned All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin accolades, the most the Titans have returned since 2013. The all-league picks include Brandon Bauer, Jake Buhe, Jack Healy, Trevor Koepke, Ryan Swift, Michael Norwood, and Zach Walsh.
ON THE HORIZON: After two weeks away from Tucci Stadium, the Titans return home for a CCIW battle against Augustana Saturday, Sept. 28. IWU's home opener is set for a 1p.m. kickoff.
