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Illinois Wesleyan University at Elmhurst College Tyler Jones
Thomas D Dittmer
28
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 0-1 , 0-1
38
Winner Millikin MIL 1-0 , 1-0
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
0-1 , 0-1
28
Final
38
Millikin MIL
1-0 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 0 14 14 0 28
MIL Millikin 20 12 6 0 38

Game Recap: Football |

Football's Comeback Comes Up Short at Millikin

Titans outscored Big Blue 28-6 over final 40 minutes

DECATUR, Ill. - The  Illinois Wesleyan University football team's comeback push came up short at Millikin University Saturday, March 20, in the Titans season opener. IWU could not erase a 32-point deficit in a 38-28 defeat at Frank M. Lindsay Field.

Freshman Sage Shindler (Chicago, Ill.-Walter Payton) completed 25-of-27 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns in his collegiate debut. Lucas Segobiano (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) hauled in two TD passes and finished with 104 yards receiving, while he also added 16 yards rushing and threw a two-yard pass. Sophomore Charlie Hamilton (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) hauled in four catches for 61 yards and senior Tyler Jones (Herscher, Ill.-Herscher) tallied 46 yards receiving. Jones, who finished with three receptions, caught IWU's other touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore Fernando Chavez (Plainfield, Ill.-Joliet Catholic) led the Titans with eight tackles and two pass breakups. Junior Nicholas DeGregorio (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central) added seven tackles. Sophomore Max Forst (Berwyn, Ill.-Fenwick) and senior Mike Murphy (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) tallied a tackle for loss apiece, while Murphy added a quarterback hurry as well. Junior Tyler Maple (Plainfield, Ind.-Plainfield) added an interception.

As a team, IWU finished with 336 yards of total offense, 295 of which came through the air. MU registered 425 total offensive yards, 316 passing and 109 rushing.

Millikin scored the first 32 points of the game, giving the Big Blue a 32-0 head start with 10:31 to play in the second quarter.

Illinois Wesleyan broke the shutout on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Shindler to Segobiano, the first TD toss of Shindler's career. Stange's kick cut the deficit to 32-7 with just over five minutes to go in the half.

The Titans found the endzone once more before the break as Shindler connected with Jones for a four-yard score to bring the Big Blue lead to 32-14 at the break.

IWU went back to the Shindler-Segobiano connection in the third period, this time for a three-yard TD catch with eight minutes remaining in the quarter.

With IWU clawing its way back, Millikin ended the 21-0 Titan run with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a one-yard scamper to the endzone. 

Segobiano registered his third touchdown of the day with less than two minutes to go in the third, breaking loose for a 14-yard scamper to pull the Green and White within 10, 38-28.

The fourth quarter was a scoreless one, as Millikin closed out the game with a 13-play drive that spanned the final eight minutes of the game. 

Illinois Wesleyan looks to bounce back next weekend, March 27, when IWU travels to Rock Island, Ill. for a game against Augustana College. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

 
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