BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Eyeing a bounce back, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team will travel to Wheaton College Saturday, Oct. 12, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash with the 24th-ranked Thunder. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at McCully Stadium.
    The Titans hit the road off a crushing loss to Washington University in St. Louis this past Saturday, Oct. 5. IWU clawed its way back from an early deficit but ultimately fell to the Bears, 33-23, as the Green and White slipped to 2-2 on the season and 2-1 in the CCIW. Like the Titans, the Thunder enter Saturday with a 2-2 standing and a 2-1 CCIW record. Wheaton most recently fell to No. 1 North Central, Oct. 5, by a score of 55-27.
    Fans can tune into a live stream of the game  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.

POW POW POW: With Jahari Scott's selection as the CCIW's Special Teams Player of the Week, Oct. 7, IWU has now earned a conference weekly award in three straight weeks. Scott follows Zach McNees, who garnered the CCIW Defensive Player of the Week award Sept. 30, one week after Dermot Smyth was tabbed the offensive standout, Sept. 23.
    The three most recent CCIW players of the week mark the first time Illinois Wesleyan has garnered all three of the league's weekly honors (offense, defense, special teams) since the 2019 season. That year, Hamid Bullie and Johnny Dicanio were each selected as the CCIW's Offensive Player of the Week, while Trevor Koepke, Dave Lux, and Mike Murphy garnered the defensive honor. Dean Zigulich and Robert Neidballa reeled in accolades on special teams.
    Additionally, it is the first time a Titan has been recognized by the conference office in three straight weeks since 2017. IWU recorded seven weekly awards that season, with a span of five straight weeks of at least one honoree from Oct. 2-30.

ALL-TIME CLASHES WITH THE THUNDER: In a series dating back to 1922, Wheaton holds a 37-29-2 all-time advantage over the Green and White. The Titans last defeated the Thunder on Sept. 15, 2018 at Tucci Stadium, 24-14, while Wheaton has won the past four matchups.
    Illinois Wesleyan is in search of its first win at McCully Stadium since Sept. 30, 2017, when the Titans tripped up the Thunder, 14-10. The fourth-quarter thriller saw Brandon Bauer cap off a 13-play, 86-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Zach Walsh to give IWU a 14-10 lead with six seconds to play. Nico Gubenko pounced on a fumble to cap off the 21st-ranked Titans defeat of fourth-ranked Wheaton.

TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 103-58 (.640) record in the month of October under Norm Eash. More recently, in the past seven seasons, IWU is 27-10 in October.

COULD BE KEE: Turning in his best showing of the season, Myles Kee hauled in 12 catches for 147 yards, both of which were game-highs. Kee's 12 receptions tied his career-high, while his 147 yards receiving marked the sixth 100+ yard game of his career. He also grabbed his 11th career receiving TD in the loss.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Illinois Wesleyan blocked two PATs by WashU, Oct. 5. Matt Hansen blocked one and Nathan Schmidt denied the other. With three blocked kicks this season, IWU ranks 12th in Division III and is tied for the CCIW lead alongside Augustana. Individually, Hansen is tied for the conference lead and third nationally with two blocked kicks this season.

HOUSE CALLS, JAHARI ANSWERS: Proving why he is one of the top returners in the country, Jahari Scott scooped up a kickoff on a bounce and took it 88 yards for a touchdown against WashU, Oct. 5. The returning D3football.com All-American is one of two players in the CCIW with a kickoff return for a TD this season, while his 88-yard return is the second-longest in the conference. He added 14 carries for 67 rushing yards and caught two passes for eight yards.
    Scott's kickoff return for a touchdown is the first by a Titan since Scott ran one back 92 yards against Augustana Oct. 28, 2023. Scott is one of 31 players in all of Division III with a kickoff return for a touchdown this season.

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-high showing upped his career pass breakup total to 32. Among active players across NCAA DIvision I, II, and III football, Benjamin's 32 PBUs are tied for 11th-most nationally. Futhermore, he is tied for fourth-most in Division III and is one of three CCIW student-athletes in the top-50.

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 230 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 (287), North Carolina's Mack Brown (285), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (267), and South Dakota's Bob Neilson (232).

MAKING THEM WORK: The Titan defense has made its opponents work hard for points this season, especially in the red zone. In fact, IWU has the 24th-best red zone defense in all of Division III as the Titans are only allowing opponents to score on 58.3 percent of their trips inside the IWU 25.

ON THE HORIZON: After hitting the road to take on the nationally-ranked Thunder, Illinois Wesleyan returns home for a battle with the Big Blue of Millikin University, Oct. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium.