BLOOMINGTON, Ill - After a two-game homestand, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team hits the road again for an afternoon date with Augustana College Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff between the Titans and Vikings is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Rock Island, Ill.
The Titans enter the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup fresh off a commanding shutout victory over Carthage on Oct. 22. With the 55-0 victory, Illinois Wesleyan moved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Meanwhile, Augustana is also coming off a 56-34 victory, as the Vikings defeated North Park University, Oct. 22. Augie sits at a 4-3 overall mark on the season, including a 3-3 record in the league. The Vikings three losses came at the hands of two nationally ranked teams, No. 11 Wheaton and No. 24 WashU, as well as a double overtime defeat at Carroll.
Fans can tune into a video broadcast with Eric Stock calling the action on the field alongside Joel Swanson, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
VERSUS THE VIKINGS: Saturday's showdown will be the 88th 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 48-38-1, including a 24-18 mark at home. The Titans have won 6 of the last 7 matchups with Augie. Most recently, the Vikings spoiled the Titans senior day, 38-14, Nov. 13, 2021.
THREE PICKS, ONE GAME: In Saturday's game against Carthage, the Titan defense forced three Firebird interceptions. Frank Roti snagged an interception in the 3rd quarter and brought it back for a touchdown, with Jimmy Capecci and Artist Benjamin also grabbing picks. The last time the Titans defense forced three or more interceptions was in the 2019 season in a 40-12 victory over Millikin. IWU's defense forced Millikin quarterback Cal Pohrte to throw it away four times.
NO SOUP FOR YOU!: For the first time this season, the Titans defense shut out the opposing Carthage offense. The last time IWU shut out an opposing team was in the 2021 season, where the Titans defeated Millikin on home turf 14-0. Before that, the last time IWU visited Rock Island, Ill. for a matchup with the Vikings was during the shortened 2020 season where the Titans shutout Augie 12-0. The Titans look to continue that shutout magic in Rock Island this weekend.
HAVE A DAY, JAY!: QB1 Jay Lemenager threw a career high four touchdown passes in Saturday's win over Carthage. Lemenager also rushed for the first touchdown of the game, which was the second rushing TD of his career. The sophomore transfer completed 17-of-23 passing attempts for a total of 241 yards.
GERB'S THE WORD: In absence of standout wide receiver Myles Kee, senior Payton Gerberding stepped up and had a career day, Oct. 22. The Bourbonnais native caught four passes for a career-high 126 yards and had two touchdowns, including a 79-yard TD to begin the second quarter. The 79-yard strike tied Myles Kee for the longest touchdown reception of the season, when Lemenger hit Kee for a touchdown against WashU, Oct. 8.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: The Titans 55-point blowout of Carthage on Saturday was the largest margin of victory in over 25 years. On Oct. 19, 1996, IWU shutout North Central at home, 60-0. Furthermore, the margin is the 10th-largest in school history.
BREAK THE STREAK: Tucci Stadium has proven to be quite the home field advantage for IWU, as the Titans have amassed a 125-49 record at home over Norm Eash's tenure. Illinois Wesleyan is 99-70-1 away from Bloomington under Eash, but has struggled on the road as of late. IWU's last road win came during the shortened "2020" season when the Green and White defeated Augustana on the Viking's turf, 12-0, March 27, 2021. The Titans look to snap their six-game road losing streak in none other than Viking country this Saturday.
DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST HIM: 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.
CHUCK LOVES CHEESE?: Senior wide receiver Charlie Hamilton has put up video-game numbers against Wisconsin-based teams in his IWU career, and that was no different Saturday, Oct. 22, against Carthage. The Springfield, Ill. native torched the Firebirds for 106 yards on nine catches and three TDs.
Throughout his IWU career, Hamilton has fared well against Wisconsin-based competition. In four games, he is averaging 8.3 catches, 126.5 yards, and 2.0 touchdown catches per contest. Overall, he has tallied 33 catches for 506 yards and eight scores against teams from Wisconsin.
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 102-53 (.658) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, in the past five seasons, IWU is 25-6 in October.
NO FLY ZONE: Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Artist Benjamin finds himself amid a breakout season for the Titans in the secondary. Benjamin has already set career-highs in just about every statistical category with three games remaining. Nationally, Benjamin is second in passes defended, averaging 2.0 breakups per game.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: The Titans are the only team in the CCIW with four players in the top-15 in the tackles for the loss category. Zach McNees ranks tied for third in the conference with an average of 1.71 TFLs per game, while Josh Hlavacek ranks ninth with 1.29 per game. Joshua Klein sits tied for 10th with 1.14 tackles for loss per contest and Fernando Chavez is slotted tied for 13th at 1.07 per game.
A WIN IS A WIN: Illinois Wesleyan secured its fourth win of the season Saturday, Oct. 15, albeit in dramatic fashion. With IWU's 43-34 win over North Park, the Titans surpassed their win total from a season ago. With three games to play, the Green and White are one win shy of its 2019 mark (6-4).
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans will close out their six-game home schedule next weekend, Nov. 5, with a Senior Day showdown against No. 1 ranked North Central College. Illinois Wesleyan will recognize its 21-man senior class prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff at Tucci Stadium.
