BLOOMINGTON, Ill - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team returns to Tucci Stadium Saturday, Oct. 16, as the Titans play host to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Millikin University for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Illinois Wesleyan heads into the CCIW clash looking to improve upon its 1-4 (1-3 CCIW) record. IWU most recently dropped a road game at WashU, Oct. 9, by a 38-22 final score. Meanwhile, Millikin is 2-3 overall and 2-2 in league games. The Big Blue have fallen in back-to-back weeks, dropping a 63-42 shootout to Carthage, Oct. 2, before being stymied by Elmhurst, 28-7, Oct. 9.
Fans can tune into a live stream broadcast with Eric Stock calling the action on the field alongside Joel Swanson. Live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
BATTLES WITH THE BIG BLUE: Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin's 113-game history dates back to 1904. Millikin holds a slim edge 55-51-7 all-time, but IWU has dominated the series as of late. In fact, the Titans have won 13 of the last 16 matchups. The Titans and the Big Blue each have 27 wins when the teams have met in Bloomington, Ill.
In their most recent clash, the Titans and Big Blue met in Decatur, Ill. March 20, 2020. Millikin handed the Titans their only loss of the 2020 season with a 38-28 Big Blue victory. In his collegiate debut, Sage Shindler completed 25-of-27 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
OFFENSE, OFFENSE… AND MORE OFFENSE: Both the Titans and the Big Blue are towards the top of the conference in multiple offensive categories. Illinois Wesleyan ranks fourth in the conference in points per game with 32.6, while Millikin ranks fifth averaging 28.2 points per game. In rushing yards, the Titans sit in third in the CCIW with 170 yards per game, while the Big Blue average 145.8.
IWU senior running back Hamid Bullie ranks second in the conference in rushing yards with 111 per game.
TWO TITANS EARN TEAM OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS: The senior duo of Zack Tencza and Skyler Metzger earned national recognition following their outstanding performances against WashU, Oct. 9. For the first time in each of their careers, Tencza and Metzger earned spots on D3football.com's Team of the Week. It marks just the second time IWU has had multiple student-athletes recognized in the same week, while they are each the first Titans to receive the accolade at their respective positions.
Tencza hauled in a career-high eight catches for 113 yards and a seven-yard touchdown catch. Meanwhile, Metzger tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, nine solo, and a career-high four tackles for loss. He also added a seven-yard sack.
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 97-50 (.660) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, in the past five seasons, IWU is 20-2 in October.
YEAR 130: In its 130th season, IWU has an overall 1,066-game record of 603-421-42 (.585 winning percentage). Of the 1,066 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 368 of them (331 as a coach, 36 as a player from 1971-74).
Illinois Wesleyan's 35-27 win at Albion on Sept. 13, 2014 was the 1,000th game in Illinois Wesleyan football history. The Titans notched the 600th win in program history with a 12-0 shutout of Augustana last season (March 27, 2021).
EXPERIENCED O-LINE: Illinois Wesleyan is slated to start five seniors across the offensive line in Jake Buhe, Nicholas Cyze, Jacob Finfer, AJ Lust, and Jake Tencza. One of the most experienced offensive line units in the country, the group has combined for 72 starts in 28 games.
LONGEVITY IN LEADERSHIP: Illinois Wesleyan Head Coach Norm Eash is one of the longest tenured head coaches in all of Division III. Now in his 35th season at the helm of the Titans, Eash is the third-longest tenured head coach in the nation behind only Rick Giancola (Montclair St. - 39 seasons) and Rich Lackner (Carnegie Mellon - 36 seasons).
200-WIN CLUB: Thirty five-year veteran Norm Eash is one of just nine coaches nationally in NCAA Division III with 200-or-more career wins. Eash, who has won 217 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks sixth in the country among active head coaches.
ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan will trek to North Central next week, Oct. 23, for a Saturday night date with the No. 1 team in the nation. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
