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Charlie Hamilton vs North Park University
34
North Park NPU 0-6 , 0-5
43
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-2 , 3-2
North Park NPU
0-6 , 0-5
34
Final
43
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-2 , 3-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NPU North Park 20 7 7 0 34
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 7 14 0 22 43

Game Recap: Football |

Football Escapes with Win Over North Park

Titans trailed by as many as 20

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat North Park University Saturday afternoon, Oct. 15, at Tucci Stadium. The Titans (4-2, 3-2 CCIW) used a 22-point fourth quarter to take down the Vikings (0-6, 0-5 CCIW) 43-34 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play.

Illinois Wesleyan trailed by 20 early in the second quarter, but scored twice before the half to cut NPU's lead to six. The Titans then held off the Vikings in the second half, using a pair of rushing touchdowns and an interception to escape with a victory.

North Park out-gained Illinois Wesleyan 393 to 342 offensively, with NPU tallying 277 yards through the air and 116 on the ground. IWU manufactured 118 rushing yards and 224 passing yards in the game. 

Sophomore Jay Lemenager (Clfiton, Ill.-Clifton) finished 19-for-34 with two touchdown passes. Senior Charlie Hamilton (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin), his top target, hauled in a game-high 10 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. It marked Hamilton's second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the sixth of his career.

Senior Seth Albin (Midlothian, Ill.-Oak Forest) led IWU's rushing attack with 71 yards on 19 carries, including a pair of TDs. Lemenager added 34 yards rushing, highlighted by a two-yard touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore Frank Roti (Orland Hills, Ill.-Andrew) put together an impressive game as he finished with a team-high eight tackles, one for loss, and a 70-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Junior Joshua Klein (Glen Carbon, Ill.-Edwardsville) added seven stops, one sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss, while senior Anthony Wachal Jr. (Elk Grove Village, Ill.-Conant) added six tackles.

The Titans began the game with a big return from freshman Danny Kent (Addison, Ill.-Fenwick) on the opening kick, which set IWU up inside NPU territory right away. The Green and White used a balanced attack of three rushes and three passes to take a 7-0 lead on Albin's short scamper with 11:24 to go in the first quarter.

North Park responded quickly, needing less than two minutes to even the score at seven all before using a strip sack to reclaim possession at the Illinois Wesleyan 15-yard line. The Vikings punched it in from there to take their first lead of the game, 13-7. 

Sophomore Josh Hlavacek (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) blocked the ensuing point after attempt, but NPU tacked on a 23-yard rushing touchdown and a 14-yard TD catch to stake a 27-7 advantage with 11:49 remaining in the second period. 

A key third-down stop by Wachal Jr. forced North Park's first punt with 6:51 in the first half and ultimately led to a 13-yard touchdown grab by Hamilton. 

Lemenager went right back to Hamitlon on IWU's next drive, this time for a 23-yard score to cap a three-play, 43-yard drive. The touchdown, Hamilton's fifth of the year, pulled the Titans within six, 27-21, at the half. 

After a strong stance by the Illinois Wesleyan defense to start the third quarter, North Park blocked a Titan punt. The big special teams play led to a 26-yard Viking touchdown pass, upping the visitor's lead to 34-21.

The 13-point margin stood into the fourth quarter, where Lemenager connected with senior Payton Gerberding (Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bishop McNamara) for a 45-yard catch in the early goings of the fourth quarter. The chunk play over the middle set IWU up at the NPU 12-yard line. A two-yard touchdown run by Lemenager capped the nine-play, 80-yard drive and pulled the Green and White within a score, 34-28, with 12:04 remaining.

Lemenager, known more as a pocket passer, used his legs once again on IWU's next drive as his 19-yard scamper put the Titans in the red zone minutes later. The sophomore quarterback handed it off to Albin for a one-yard touchdown, his second of the day, with just under six minutes to play. With senior Andrew Stange's (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) point after, the Green and White reclaimed the lead, 35-34, its first advantage since the first quarter (7-0).

With North Park approaching the red zone itself, Roti picked off a fourth-down pass by Matt Eck and returned it 70 yards down the IWU sideline for a touchdown. The Titans tacked on a two-point conversion, as Lemenager connected with senior Kevin Graham (St. Johns, Ind.-Shepard) to finish off the scoring, 43-34. 

Illinois Wesleyan remains at home next weekend, Oct. 22, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Carthage College at Tucci Stadium. The game will serve as IWU's penultimate home game of the season.
 

 
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