BLOOMINGTON, Ill - Hitting the road for the first time this season, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team will make the 204-mile trek to Schneider Stadium Saturday, Sept. 23, for a clash with Carroll University. Kickoff between the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foes is slated for 1 p.m.
The Titans (0-2) head into the road game eyeing their first win of the season. Illinois Wesleyan enters the week on the heels of a 47-16 loss to 11th-ranked Wheaton College, Sept. 16. The Green and White will look to spoil Carroll's unblemished 2-0 record Saturday when the teams square off. The Pioneers intercepted North Park University four times in a 41-27 victory in their CCIW opener, Sept. 16.
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.
PLAYING THE PIONEERS: The Titans and Pioneers have squared off on the gridiron 46 times since the series began in 1935. Illinois Wesleyan heads into Saturday's showdown with a 28-18 lead in the all-time series and winners of seven of the last eight against Carroll. The series, which began with a 12-6 IWU win in 1935, took place each season from 1955 to 1991. Following a 25-year hiatus, the series picked back up when Carroll rejoined the CCIW in 2016.
Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan overcame a 21-0 second-half deficit to upend Carroll, 26-21, Sept. 24, 2022 at Tucci Stadium. The game, which served as IWU's Homecoming, saw the Titans score four times over the final 23 minutes. Seth Albin ran for 120 yards on 25 carries, while Myles Kee, Kevin Graham, and Charlie Hamilton hauled in touchdown passes in the win.
BACK IN WAUKESHA: Illinois Wesleyan will take on Carroll in Waukesha, Wis. for the first time since Sept. 18, 2021. That game saw IWU charge ahead 19-7, only to have Carroll score three times in the second half. An IWU field goal with three seconds left missed the mark as the Pios stunned the Titans, 34-33.
HINDSIGHT: After limited playing time in 2022, sophomore Zach Hinds has seized his opportunities through IWU's first two games this season. Thrust into action for one play in Illinois Wesleyan's opener, Hinds tossed a TD pass to Kevin Graham. Most recently, the Riverton, Ill. native completed 9-of-13 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns against 11th-ranked Wheaton. He boasts a completion percentage of 71.4 percent.
EFFICIENT: The quarterback duo of Jay Lemenager and Zach Hinds have combined to make the Titans one of the top nationally in terms of completion percentage. IWU is completing 67.6 percent of its passes on the year, good for 29th-best in Division III and third-best in the CCIW. Individually, Lemenager is 44th nationally and fourth in the league with a 66.1 clip.
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 sixth trailing Alabama's Nick Saban (282), North Carolina's Mack Brown (277), LSU's Brian Kelly (275), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (259), and Bethel's Steve Johnson (245).
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.
TEAM AWARDS - WEEK TWO: Zach Hinds, Kaden Junge and Matthew Noguez were IWU's week two team MVPs as voted by the team. Hinds was named Offensive MVP, with Junge and Noguez garnering Co-Special Teams MVP honors. Matt Hayland (co-offense), Jimmy Deacy (co-offense), Nygel Cohen (co-defense), and Marcheon Griffin (co-defense) were voted scout players of the week. Dylan Meyer was the recipient of the Titan Award.
ON THE HORIZON: The Titans remain on the road next week, Sept. 30, as IWU travels to Decatur, Ill. for a matchup with Millikin University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
