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October 2, 2021 | College Football: Elmhurst at Illinois Wesleyan
Kodiak Creative
3
Elmhurst ELM 0-4 , 0-4
52
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-3 , 1-2
Elmhurst ELM
0-4 , 0-4
3
Final
52
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-3 , 1-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ELM Elmhurst 3 0 0 0 3
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 14 17 21 0 52

Game Recap: Football |

Football Blows Out Bluejays on Homecoming

Titans pick up first win of year

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team blasted Elmhurst University 52-3 on Homecoming at Tucci Stadium Saturday, Oct. 2. IWU picked up its first win of the season and moved to 1-3 overall (1-2 CCIW), while EU dipped to 0-4 on the year. 

Illinois Wesleyan controlled the game from the jump, as sophomore Seth Albin (Midlothian, Ill.-Oak Forest) took the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to put IWU on top just 18 seconds into the game.

After a three-and-out by the defense, anchored by an eight yard sack from freshman Josh Hlavacek (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) and sophomore Connor Nigro (Lisle, Ill.-Lisle) the offense went back to work. 

The Titans put together an eight-play, 57-yard drive with 18-yard and 16-yard catches to senior Wesley Watson (Carmel, Ind.-Carmel) and freshman Jonas Capek (Berwyn, Ill.-Fenwick), respectively. Senior Hamid Bullie (Chicago, Ill.-Loyola Academy) capped the drive with a 19-yard TD scamper to double the Illinois Wesleyan advantage to 14-0.

Elmhurst got on the board with a field goal late in the opening period, but IWU responded with 17 unanswered points. 

A 21-yard first down run from Albin was followed by a 46-yard reception by Bullie, setting the Titans up with first and goal from the Elmhurst two-yard line. The Green and White turned to the running game once again, as Albin found the endzone for his second touchdown of the day.

After another short offensive series from the Bluejays ended in a five yard punt, the Titans reached into their bag of tricks on first and 10 from the EU 34. Senior Anthony Marre (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Glenbard North) aired out a 34-yard touchdown pass to sophomore quarterback Sage Shindler (Chicago, Ill.-Walter Payton Prep) to extend IWU's lead to 28-3.

Feeding off the energy of a fourth-down sack by junior Conor Murphy (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) and senior Zach McNees (Hillsboro, Mo.-Hillsboro), the Titans got the ball back with 26 seconds to go in the first half. Capek hauled in a 15-yard reception and sophomore Charlie Hamilton (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) snagged a 13-yard catch to set IWU up at the Elmhurst 27-yard line. With 0.6 ticks left on the clock, junior Andrew Stange (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) split the uprights on a 44-yard field goal attempt to up the Titan lead to 31-3.Stange went on to finish the game 7-for-7 in extra point attempts.

IWU's three-headed monster of Bullie, Marre, and Albin piled it on in the third quarter. Bullie had a 52-yard rushing TD, while Marre scampered in from 22 yards out. Albin finished off the scoring with a 67-yard TD to wrap up the 52-3 victory. 

Illinois Wesleyan finished with 422 yards of total offense, while the defense held Elmhurst to 104 yards. Shindler went 11-for-14 for 149 yards, while senior Caleb Robinson (Brighton, Ill.-Southwestern) went 4-for-5 for 46 yards. A balanced effort saw 11 receivers record a catch, led by Hamilton's three grabs. 

On the ground, IWU went for 190 yards. Albin led the way with five carries for 94 yards and two TDs. Bullie went for 85 yards on 12 carries with two scores. 

Defensively, the Titans more than doubled their season sack total with a season-high eight quarterback takedowns. IWU held the Bluejays to 3-of-17 on third down conversions and 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions. 

Senior Skyler Metzger (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) led the way with a career-high 14 stops. Metzger tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks. Murphy tallied five tackles, three for loss, and was credited with 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and three QB hurries. Senior Nicholas DeGregorio (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) added seven tackles, 1.5 for loss, with Nigro adding six stops.

Illinois Wesleyan heads to St. Louis, Mo. next weekend, Oct. 9, to take on Washington University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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