CHICAGO - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team saw a second-half lead slip away as it dropped a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game, 28-24, at North Park University Saturday, Oct. 26. The loss sent the Titans' record to 3-4 overall and 3-3 in the CCIW, while the Vikings jumped to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in league play.

An 18-play, 77-yard drive chewed up over eight minutes as North Park took its first lead of the day on a one-yard touchdown run with five minutes to play. 

Trailing 28-24, the IWU defense stopped NPU on third down to give the offense another opportunity with 1:18 remaining in the game. Sophomore quarterback Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) connected with senior Myles Kee (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) for 15 yards on first down. Junior Jahari Scott (Lake Bluff, Ill.-Lake Forest) and sophomore Jimmy Deacy (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) followed with nine-yard pickups, before Deacy hauled in a 10-yard grab to get IWU near midfield. 

Working with a fresh set of downs, Scott caught a seven-yard pass before scampering out of bounds. Senior Tre Moore's (Cool Valley, Mo.-Ritenour) nine-yard catch pushed the Titans towards the red zone, but an incomplete pass and interception as time expired halted the drive and ended the game, 28-24, in favor of NPU.

Illinois Wesleyan finished with 392 yards of total offense, including 273 passing yards. North Park was not far behind, accruing 339 yards of offense with 274 coming through the air. IWU's defense limited NPU to 65 rushing yards, while the Titans recorded 119 yards in the ground game.

Smyth finished the day 19-for-41 with 273 yards passing, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also led IWU's rushing attack, carrying the ball 14 times for 49 yards and a score. Kee registered 127 receiving yards on six catches, while Deacy made a team-high seven grabs for 85 yards. 

Senior Cole Pradel (Oswego, Ill.-Oswego) collected a team-best eight tackles, including one for loss. Senior Sam Schott (West Lafayette, Ind.-West Lafayette) added seven stops, while sophomore Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont Township) and John Gavin (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Mt. Prospect) along with senior Josh Hlavacek (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) tallied six apiece. Hlavacek led the team with 1.5 tackles for loss, while senior Zach McNees (Hillsboro, Mo.-Hillsboro) notched a sack and a QB hurry in the backfield.

Freshman Owen Owens (Mt. Zion, Ill.-Mt. Zion) and sophomore Kaden Junge (Mattoon, Ill.-Mattoon) were key on special teams as Owens booted the ball four times for an average of 42 yards per punt. The freshman recorded a game-long kick of 56 yards. Junge finished 3-for-3 in extra points and added a 28-yard field goal.

Receiving the ball to start the game, Illinois Wesleyan needed just three plays to find the endzone as the Green and White took full advantage of Scott's 34-yard kickoff return. Smyth ran on back-to-back plays, taking off for a 12-yard pickup on his second carry, before throwing a 51-yard dart to Kee for a touchdown. The big play gave the Titans a 7-0 lead less than a minute and a half into the game, while Kee hauled in his third TD of the season. 

The Green and White defense stopped North Park on third-and-six as Gavin stopped the Vikings just shy of midfield to force a punt. Rushes by junior Danny Kent (Addison, Ill.-Fenwick) and Kee carried the Titans back to midfield with a fresh set of downs. A screen pass out to Kee turned into a 52-yard touchdown reception as the senior burst through a gap in the Vikings defense for his second score of the day.

Illinois Wesleyan's lead stood at 14-0 into the second quarter, where North Park used a 36-yard reception to set up a 16-yard TD. The score cut IWU's lead in half, 14-7, with 14:19 left until halftime.

North Park attempted to fool the Titan defense with a few laterals before chucking a ball downfield towards the endzone, but senior Artist Benjamin (Wilmette, Ill.-Loyola Academy) read the play the whole way and picked off the pass. The interception, Benjamin's sixth of his career, gave the Titan offense the ball back with six and a half minutes left in the quarter. Smyth connected with Deacy on a route across the middle of the field, but the drive stalled as IWU was forced to punt it away.

Hlavacek and Klein combined for a sack on third down, forcing the Vikings to punt. With sophomore Ryan Umbarger (Eureka, Ill.-Eureka) and fifth-year Joshua Klein (Glen Carbon, Ill.-Edwardsville) barreling through the line, NPU's punter was flushed from the backfield where he was met by senior Joe Gaskill (Elk Grove, Ill.-Elk Grove) for a two-yard loss. The play behind the line of scrimmage gave the Titans the ball back inside the redzone. Using the turnover on downs as an opportunity to tack onto their lead, Junge split the uprights on a 29-yard field goal to up the score to 17-7 heading into halftime.

North Park drove 79 yards on nine plays on its opening drive of the second half as a 44-yard reception by Jereme Ombogo pushed the Vikings into the red zone. NPU trimmed IWU's lead to three, 17-14, with a 15-yard touchdown reception just over four minutes into the period.

A 31-yard grab down the NPU sideline by Moore and a key catch by Deacy made way for an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Smyth. The Titans' response extended the lead to double-digits, 24-14, but only temporarily as an 80-yard TD catch pulled the Vikings back within a field goal, 24-21.

Illinois Wesleyan could not find a response to North Park's late score, falling by a final score of 28-24.

The Titans are back home at Tucci Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 2, to take on Augustana College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.