BLOOMINGTON, Ill - For the second straight Saturday, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team travels to Wisconsin for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash. The Titans will battle Carthage College at Art Keller Field Saturday, Sept. 25, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan enters the CCIW battle 0-2 on the season and 0-1 in league play. The Titans were defeated in heartbreaking fashion, 34-33, at Carroll, Sept. 18. The Firebirds evened up their season record to 1-1 and 1-0 in the CCIW with a 34-17 victory at Elmhurst, Sept. 18.
Fans can tune into an audio broadcast with Eric Stock calling the action on the field alongside Joel Swanson. The game will be live streamed courtesy of Carthage athletics, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
FACING THE FIREBIRDS: Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage will faceoff on the gridiron for the 64th time Saturday, Sept. 25. The Titans own a 45-19 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1926, and have won five straight against the Firebirds.
Most recently, IWU took down Carthage 31-7 in Kenosha, Wis., Oct. 12, 2019. Johnny Dicanio threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start, while Jack Healy hauled in 10 receptions for 123 yards. Hamid Bullie led the ground game with 16 carries for 109 yards, including a 51-yard rush. Defensively, Dave Lux paved the way with eight tackles, four TFLs, and a sack.
HAVE A DAY, ZACK!: Senior tight end Zack Tencza turned in a career performance in IWU's CCIW opener at Carroll, Sept. 18. Tencza made a career-high six catches, including the first TD of his career, for a career-best 85 yards.
ALBIN MAKES IT COUNT: Running back Seth Albin made it official Saturday, Sept. 18, as he found the endzone twice in IWU's clash with Carroll. The sophomore back scored three touchdowns in an exhibition at Elmhurst last spring, but officially recorded his first collegiate touchdowns against the Pioneers.
BETTER WITH AGE: In his third season with the Titans, senior running back Hamid Bullie has proven to get better with age. Bullie, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in IWU's season opener against Franklin, Sept. 4, is averaging 163.5 yards per game in 2021. As a sophomore, Bullie totalled 659 yards on 144 carries, good for 4.6 yards per rush and 65.9 yards per game. This season, he is blowing those numbers out of the water. The Chicago native has 327 yards on 46 carries through two games and is on pace to surpass his 2019 totals by game six.
THE FIRST VERSUS THE THIRD: Illinois Wesleyan has played some of its best football in the first quarter this season. In fact, the Titans are outscoring opponents 33-14 in the opening frame and putting up an average of 182.5 yards of offense in the 15-minute period. Meanwhile, opponents are mustering 105.5 yards in the quarter.
Conversely, the third quarter has been a thorn in the sides of the Titans this fall. The Green and White have yet to score in Q3 and has seen opponents compile a 20-0 scoring advantage in the period. IWU is averaging 76 yards of offense in the third compared to the opponent's average of 226 yards.
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 57 starts in 25 games.
YEAR 130: In its 130th season, IWU has an overall 1,063-game record of 602-419-42 (.586 winning percentage). Of the 1,063 games, head coach Norm Eash has been involved in 365 of them (328 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).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Titans have historically been consistent on the road, especially in conference matchups. Over the past 10 seasons, the Green and White boast a .723 win percentage (34-13) in road games. In conference road games, IWU is 23-14 in the previous 10 seasons.
