BLOOMINGTON, Ill - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team closes out the 2021 season Saturday, Nov. 13, when the Titans play host to Augustana College. Kickoff of the Senior Day game is set for 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium.
Illinois Wesleyan heads into its regular season finale with a 3-6 overall record and a 3-5 mark in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin games. The Titans most recently fell at No. 6 Wheaton College, 72-7, Nov. 6. The Green and White have won three straight home games, including a 56-6 thumping of North Park, Oct. 30. Eyeing its third straight victory, Augustana will come into Tucci with a 4-5 record, including a 3-5 record in CCIW play. The Vikings most recently toppled Elmhurst University, 48-7, Nov. 6. Prior to that, Augie snapped a three-game losing skid with a 42-14 triumph over Carthage, Oct. 30.
Fans can tune into a 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.
SENIOR SEND OFF: Illinois Wesleyan will recognize its 25-man senior class prior to Saturday's game. The Titans will celebrate the careers of seniors Hamid Bullie, Jack Dawson, Caleb Robinson, Nicholas DeGregorio, Jacob Potthoff, Derrick Derr, Ryan Pomeroy, Anthony Marre, Tyler Maple, Daniel Gibbons, Nico Rendina, Nicholas McLawhorn, Robert Neidballa, Jonathan Baptist, Jake Tencza, Skyler Metzger, Jacob Finfer, Jake Buhe, Nicholas Cyze, Phillip Taylor, AJ Lust, Wesley Watson, Zack Tencza, James Rott, Noah Stuart, and Thomas Mulhall.
AGAINST AUGIE ALL-TIME: Saturday's showdown will be the 87th all-time meeting between IWU and Augustana in a series that dates back to 1917. The Titans are the only team in the CCIW with a winning record versus the Vikings, as IWU leads the series 48-37-1, including a 24-17 mark at home. Illinois Wesleyan won the inaugural meeting 12-3 more than 100 years ago. Most recently, the Titans blanked the Vikings 12-0, March 27, 2021, for their sixth straight win over Augie.
COMMON BOND: Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner is the lone common link between the two conference foes. Wagner, a 1992 Augie graduate, played football for the Vikings for four seasons. A Honorable Mention All-American by Dan Hansen's Football Gazette, Wagner was an All-CCIW linebacker for the Vikings. He led Augie to three NCAA Division III Playoff appearances during his playing career.
YEAR 130: In its 130th season, IWU has an overall 1,070-game record of 605-423-42 (.585 winning percentage). Of the 1,070 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 372 of them (336 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 92 starts in 32 games.
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 219 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks sixth in the country among active head coaches.
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).
