BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A two-game roadtrip begins Saturday, Oct. 14, as the Illinois Wesleyan University football team travels to Chicago for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game at North Park University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan heads into the weekend after a 38-10 setback at the hands of Washington University in St. Louis. The Titans' record sits at 1-4 overall and 1-3 in league play. Meanwhile, NPU jumped its record north of .500 with a 35-20 road win at Carthage, Oct. 7. The Vikings now hold a 3-2 mark overall and are 2-2 in the CCIW.
Fans can tune into a video broadcast provided through NPU athletics, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
BACK IN THE WINDY CITY: Saturday marks the first time IWU plays at North Park since Nov. 10, 2018. The last four matchups between the Titans and Vikings have taken place at Tucci Stadium. The Green and White, winners of six straight against NPU, won the two most recent meetings in Chicago.
In IWU's last game in the Windy City, the Titans rode a 26-0 halftime advantage to a 40-13 victory. Brandon Bauer threw for 431 yards and five touchdowns. Jack Healy caught three touchdowns as he finished with six catches for 166 yards and Morgan Alexander added two TD catches. Keenan Scott made a team-high 16 tackles and added an interception to pace IWU's defense.
TALE OF THE TAPE: IWU holds an all-time record of 59-4 against North Park. The Titans have been even more dominant at home, owning a 34-0 record against the Vikings at Tucci Stadium and a 25-4 record away from Bloomington. IWU has won each of the past seven matchups.
Last season, the Titans erased a 20-point deficit to knock off North Park, 43-34, at Tucci Stadium. Charlie Hamilton hauled in 10 catches for 143 yards with two scores, while Seth Albin rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 102-55 (.650) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, in the past six seasons, IWU is 26-8 in October.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Junior defensive end Zach McNees has spent plenty of time in opponent's backfields this season, as evidence by his league-leading 12.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The Hillsboro, Mo. native has been one of the most effective defensive ends in the league this season. He currently leads the CCIW in tackles for loss (12.0), TFLs per game (2.4), sacks (4.5), and is second in sacks per game (0.90). Moreover, he is eighth across Division III in TFLs, 22nd in forced fumbles, and 38th in sacks.
D-LINE DELIGHT: Collectively, IWU's defensive line has been one of the most effective across the CCIW this season. In fact, the Titans lead the league in team sacks (3.00 per game) and tackles for loss (7.8 per game). Nationally, IWU is 23rd in sacks and 31st in TFLs.
WINNING TRADITION: Veteran head coach Norm Eash is one of just two active coaches nationally in NCAA Division III with 200-or-more career wins. Eash, who has won 225 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks second in the country among active Division III head coaches. Across all NCAA divisions, Eash is seventh trailing Alabama's Nick Saban (285), North Carolina's Mack Brown (279), LSU's Brian Kelly (277), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (259), and Bethel's Steve Johnson (247), Harvard's Tim Murphy (228).
TEAM AWARDS - WEEK FIVE: Seth Albin, Zach McNees, Josh Hlavacek, and Jahari Scott were IWU's week five team MVPs as voted by the team. Albin was named Offensive MVP, with Scott garnering Special Teams MVP honors. McNees picked up his fourth team MVP award of the year alongside Hlavacek. Malik Gray (co-offense), Kevontae Vignaude (co-offense), Bryce Reese (co-defense), and Ian Whitaker (co-defense) were voted scout players of the week. Zach McNees was the recipient of the Titan Award.
LONGEVITY IN LEADERSHIP: Illinois Wesleyan Head Coach Norm Eash is one of the longest tenured head coaches in all of college football across the NCAA. Now in his 36th season at the helm of the Titans, Eash is the second-longest tenured head coach in the nation behind only Al Bagnoli (Columbia - 40 seasons). Notably, of the most experienced coaches nationally, Eash is the only one with 34+ years of experience coming at one institution.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans' brief roadtrip continues next weekend, Oct. 21, as the Green and White travels to Kenosha, Wis. for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Carthage.
