BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team used key plays in each of the three phases of the game to defeat Ohio Wesleyan University, 45-21, at Tucci Stadium Saturday afternoon, Sept. 10. With the victory, Illinois Wesleyan (1-0) won its season opener for the first time since 2017. Meanwhile, OWU dipped to 0-2 on the year.
In addition to a barrage of touchdowns on the offensive end, IWU recorded a defensive touchdown and a TD on special teams to blow by the Bishops.
The Titans compiled 305 yards of total offense, with 135 yards coming on the ground and another 170 coming through the air. The balanced showing saw the Green and White finish 15-for-21 in the passing game. Sophomore Ryan Saxe (Palatine, Ill.-Fremd) went 13-for-18 for 162 yards and a touchdown. Saxe also added a game-high 55 rushing yards. Sophomore
Myles Kee (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis Priory) hauled in a team-best seven catches for 59 yards, including a TD.
Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan stymied the OWU rushing game. The Bishops finished with 282 total yards of offense, 76 of which came on the ground. Junior Joshua Klein (Glen Carbon, Ill.-Edwardsville) led the way with eight tackles, including 0.5 for loss. Junior
Joel Baer (Eureka, Ill.-Eureka) made six stops with 0.5 for loss, while sophomore
Zach McNees (Hillsboro, Mo.-Hillsboro) tallied five tackles. McNees led the Green and White with two TFLs, including a sack.
In the secondary, senior Anthony Wachal Jr. (Elk Grove Village, Ill.-Conant) and sophomore
Artist Benjamin (Wilmette, Ill.-Loyola Academy) notched interceptions, with Benjamin returning his for a TD.
Ohio Wesleyan struck first, scampering into the endzone on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The big play capped a five-play, 46-yard drive for OWU and put the visitor's on top, 7-0, with two minutes to go in the first quarter.
The Green and White responded on its ensuing drive, chewing up more than seven minutes of game time. The 13-play drive saw sophomore Melchizedek Woodson (St. Louis, Mo.-Ladue Horton) and senior
Ian Kroemer (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) get the ground game going before Saxe broke loose for a 12-yard run to set up first and 10 from the Ohio Wesleyan 49-yard-line. Saxe then found Kee for a nine-yard snag, and two-plays later connected with senior
Kevin Graham (St. Johns, Ind.-Shepard) for a 26-yard strike. Graham's catch deep over the middle was good for a first down at the OWU 11-yard line, setting up for a two-yard touchdown run from senior
Seth Albin (Midlothian, Ill.-Oak Forest).
The long touchdown-scoring drive by the Green and White proved to be just the spark head coach Norm Eash's team needed as momentum began to swing in favor of the home team.
After a three-yard tackle for loss by Josh Hlavacek (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North), Benjamin intercepted an OWU pass and took it 27-yards for a touchdown. The pick-six gave IWU its first lead of the afternoon, 14-7.
Illinois Wesleyan tacked on two more scores before the half, both of which came on the ground. First, Saxe ran in from five-yards out for the first touchdown of his career. Then, after the defense forced a three-and-out by IWU senior captain Zach Bozarth (Worden Ill.-Metro-East Lutheran) scampered in from four yards out. The rushing TDs sent the Green and White into halftime up, 28-7.
The Titan special teams group showed off in the third period, piling onto the IWU lead. An interception by Wachal Jr. led to a 42-yard field goal from fellow senior Andrew Stange (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich).
With the Bishops threatening in the redzone, Benjamin broke up a third-down pass to force an Ohio Wesleyan field goal attempt. The 21-yard kick was blocked by sophomore Frank Roti (Orland Hills, Ill.-Andrew) and quickly scooped up by Wachal Jr., who took it 85-yards for a touchdown. The score gave Illinois Wesleyan a touchdown in each aspect of the game and extended IWU's stronghold to 38-7.
In the fourth, Saxe connected with sophomore Myles Kee (St. Louis, Mo.-St. Louis Priory) for an 11-yard touchdown. The TD marked IWU's final points of the day, while OWU would go on to score twice to trim into the Titans' margin of victory, 45-21.
Illinois Wesleyan will hit the road next weekend for its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener at Wheaton College. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
