BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team will take on No. 1 ranked North Central College this Saturday, Nov. 4, in the teams final road game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
    IWU enters the weekend after dropping a home game to Augustana, Oct. 28, by a final score of 44-14. Illinois Wesleyan is now 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. NCC remains unbeaten on the year, sitting at 8-0 (7-0 CCIW) entering the weekend. The Cardinals blanked North Park, 56-0, Oct. 28.
    Eric Stock and Matt Sosler will call the action on the field for the IWU live stream as well as the radio broadcast, while live stats will also be available. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.

HOUSE CALL: The Titans hauled in their second CCIW Special Teams Player of the Week honor of the season Monday, Oct. 30, as Jahari Scott was recognized. Scott housed a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in IWU's battle with Augustana, Oct. 28. It was the second kickoff return TD of the season for the Green and White, as Seth Albin accomplished the feat earlier in the year.

TRIO WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT STOPS: Illinois Wesleyan saw three players accrue double-digit tackles against Augustana, Oct. 28. Arthur Chatt led the defense with 16 stops, while Sam Schott and Shea Gaffney added a dozen apiece. It is the first time three-or-more Titans have finished with 10+ tackles since Oct. 8, 2022 when Anthony Wachal Jr. (16), Joshua Klein (13), and Artist Benjamin (11) did so at WashU.

CLASHES WITH THE CARDINALS: Illinois Wesleyan and North Central have met on the gridiron 72 times ahead of Saturday's showdown, with the Titans owning a 37-32-3 edge in the all-time tally. NCC has had the upper hand as of late however, winning the past 12 matchups. IWU holds a 13-16-2 record against the Cardinals in Naperville, Ill.

TITANS AGAINST NO. 1: Since the D3football.com poll began in 2003, the Titans have only played a No. 1 ranked team twice, as IWU has played a top-ranked North Central squad in each of the past two seasons. The Cardinals bested the Titans, 55-7, Oct. 23, 2021 and then 68-3 a season ago, Nov. 5, 2022.

LAST WIN OVER THE CARDINALS: Illinois Wesleyan's last win over North Central came via a 28-22 overtime thriller on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2009. It was just the second OT game in IWU history.
    North Central had the ball first in overtime but missed a 42-yard field goal on fourth down. On the Titans' possession, which consisted of five plays, Kraig Ladd hit Michael Sloboda with his first catch of the day for a 10-yard score to give IWU the 28-22 win.

TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 103-57 (.644) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, over the past six seasons, IWU is 27-8 in October.

WINNING TRADITION: Veteran head coach Norm Eash is one of just three active coaches nationally in NCAA Division III with 200-or-more career wins. Eash, who has won 227 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 (287), North Carolina's Mack Brown (280),  LSU's Brian Kelly (279), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (259), and Bethel's Steve Johnson (250), Harvard's Tim Murphy (230).

TEAM AWARDS - WEEK EIGHT: Jahari Scott, Arthur Chatt, Campbell Brinkman, Dylan Meyer, Connor Sweeney, Caleb Heims, and Peyton Feldman were IWU's week eight team MVPs as voted by the team. Scott was named Special Teams MVP, with Chatt garnering Defensive MVP honors. The offensive line received the nod for Offensive MVP. Matt Gordon (co-offense), Nathan Kelly (co-offense), Nathan Schmidt (co-defense), and John Gavin (co-defense) were voted scout players of the week. Sam Schott and Josh McMillin were the recipients 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.

HOME COOKING: The Titans are 125-54 (.698) at home since Norm Eash became head coach in 1987. IWU has won 24 of its past 34 home games dating back to the 2016 season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Titans wrap up the 2023 campaign at home Saturday, Nov. 10, with Senior Day against Elmhurst University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.