BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Coming off a convincing victory, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team will look to continue rolling as it travels to North Park University this Saturday, Oct. 26, for a key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago.
    Illinois Wesleyan most recently rolled past Millikin University, 51-8, at Tucci Stadium this past Saturday, Oct. 19. IWU jumped its record back to .500 at 3-3 overall, while the Titans boosted their league mark to 3-2 in CCIW play. Meanwhile, NPU is looking to bounce back from a lopsided loss to No. 1 ranked North Central College. Amid one of its best seasons in recent memory, North Park holds a 4-2 overall standing and a 3-2 conference mark.
    A live stream as well as live stats for Saturday's game will be available through links on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.

SCOTT'S BIG DAY: Junior captain Jahari Scott churned out nearly 200 yards of offense to lead the Green and White past the Big Blue, Oct. 19. Scott collected the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, as he ran for 122 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns. He added three receptions for 59 yards to finish with 181 total yards. Scott's 122 yards rushing are the fourth-most in the CCIW this season, while his two rushing scores are tied for second-most in the league in a game.

TRIPLE PICKS: A dominating defensive effort against Millikin, saw the Titans haul in three interceptions for the first time since the 2022 campaign. That year, IWU accomplished the feat against Carthage, Oct. 22. Frank Roti, Artist Benjamin, and Jimmy Capecci notched INTs, with Roti's serving as a 35-yard pick-six. This go around, Roti, Paul Zunkel, and Ryan Saxe registered interceptions for the Titans.

TRICK AND TREAT: In the spirit of Halloween, the Titans reached into their bag of tricks against Millikin. Lining up for a PAT, IWU quickly snapped the ball to holder Ryan Saxe, who shovel-passed it to kicker Kaden Junge. Bulldozing through a defender at the two-yard line, Junge powered his way into the endzone for a two-point conversion.

IT'S GOOD, IT'S GOOD, IT'S GOOD: With field goals from 33, 31, and 28 yards in IWU's win, Kaden Junge converted a career-high three field goal attempts. Junge's 15 points in the game are tied for the second-most by a CCIW play this season. Additionally, his three made field goals are the most by a Titan kicker since Patrick Tata hit 27, 30, 33, and 37-yard  boots in IWU's 40-34 triumph over Carthage Oct. 6, 2018.

RARE AIR: Ryan Saxe joined an elusive club Saturday, Oct. 19, as the senior snagged his first career interception. In his four-year Titan career, Saxe has now thrown for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown, and registered an interception at defensive back.

TALE OF THE TAPE: IWU holds an all-time record of 59-5 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 25-5 record away from Bloomington. IWU has won seven of the past eight matchups.
    Last season, the Titans were stunned, 20-18, as a 12-point lead was erased with 20 unanswered points by the Vikings. Trailing 20-12 with less than 13 minutes to play, Seth Albin capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive to pull the Titans within a field goal, 20-18. However, Albin's nine-yard TD run proved to be the final score by either side as IWU turned the ball over on downs with 1:14 to play. The setback snapped Illinois Wesleyan's seven-game win streak against North Park.

50-PIECE: With its 51-8 rout of Millikin, Oct. 19, Illinois Wesleyan topped 50 points for the second time this season. The Titans previously beat Elmhurst by a score of 55-7, Sept. 21. It is the first time IWU has put up 50+ points in multiple games in a season since 2021 when the Green and White defeated Elmhurst, 52-3, and North Park, 56-6.
    Furthermore, Illinois Wesleyan is averaging 33.17 points per game through six games this season. It is the highest scoring average for the Titans since the 2018 team put up 34.4 points per game. On the flipside, IWU's defense is holding opponents to 23.17 points per game - the fewest since 2019 when the defense limited opponents to 20.3 points per game.

QBS BEWARE: The Titans' ferocious defense has wreaked havoc in the backfield through the first six games of the 2024 season. The Green and White is averaging 2.83 sacks per game, the 32nd-most in all of Division III and the second-most of any team in the CCIW. The effort is led by Zach McNees, Matt Hansen, and Josh Hlavacek, all of whom rank in the top-150 individually. McNees, the conference leader, is averaging 1.20 QB takedowns per contest, while Hansen and Hlavacek are tied for 148th with 0.50 sacks per game.
    In conference games only, IWU is the only school in the CCIW with three players ranked in the top-10 in total sacks. McNees paces the conference with six QB takedowns, 2.5 more than WashU's Jack Middleton's second-ranking mark of 3.5. Hlavacek and Hansen are tied for third with three apiece.

TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 104-59 (.638) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, in the past seven seasons, IWU is 28-11 in October.

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 231 games as the head man at his alma mater, ranks first in the country among active Division III head coaches. Across all NCAA divisions, Eash is fifth trailing LSU's Brian Kelly (289), North Carolina's Mack Brown (285), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (267), and South Dakota's Bob Neilson (234).

LONGEVITY IN LEADERSHIP: Illinois Wesleyan Head Coach Norm Eash enters the 2024 season, his 38th at the helm of the Titans, as the longest tenured head coaches in all of college football across the NCAA. Notably, of the most experienced coaches nationally, Eash is the only one with 33+ years of experience coming at one institution.

WORK OF ART: A returning All-CCIW selection, Artist Benjamin was credited with a career-high five pass breakups in IWU's battle with WashU, Oct. 5. Benjamin's career pass breakup total sits at 32. Among active players across NCAA Division I, II, and III football, Benjamin's 32 PBUs are tied for 17th-most nationally. Futhermore, he is tied for eighth-most in Division III and is one of three CCIW student-athletes in the top-50.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan returns to the gridiron next Saturday, Nov. 2, for its second straight battle with a Viking foe as IWU welcomes Augustana College to Tucci Stadium for a 1 p.m. kick.