Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Zach McNees and the Titan celebrate after a game-winning sack
Ashtin Elder
21
Augustana (IL) AUG 3-5 , 2-5
29
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-4 , 4-3
Augustana (IL) AUG
3-5 , 2-5
21
Final
29
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-4 , 4-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
AUG Augustana (IL) 7 7 7 0 21
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 3 9 10 7 29

Game Recap: Football |

Football Wins Thriller Over Augie

Football Wins Thriller Over Augie

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A sack by senior Zach McNees (Hillsboro, Mo.-Hillsboro) with 11 seconds to play finished off the Illinois Wesleyan University football team's thrilling, 29-21, comeback win over Augustana College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Saturday, Nov. 2, at Tucci Stadium. The Titans (4-4, 4-3 CCIW) trailed by double-digits in the game before using a strong second half to top the Vikings (3-5, 2-5 CCIW).

Illinois Wesleyan churned out 435 yards of total offense, including 234 yards on the ground. Junior Danny Kent (Addison, Ill.-Fenwick) ran the ball 10 times and finished with a game-high 100 yards, while senior Jahari Scott (Lake Bluff, Ill.-Lake Forest) added 88 yards on 19 carries. Kent and sophomore quarterback Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) recorded rushing touchdowns.

In the air, Smyth completed 14-of-26 passes with a touchdown and 201 passing yards. Sophomore Jimmy Deacy (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) was his top wideout, hauling in six catches for a career-high 103 yards. Senior Myles Kee (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) made six catches for 71 yards with a score.

Sophomore Kaden Junge (Mattoon, Ill.-Mattoon) kept the Titans in the game early, hitting three field goals as IWU remained within striking distance. 

Defensively, McNees put an exclamation point on an effort that saw IWU limit Augie to 336 yards of offense with just 81 rushing yards and 255 through the air. Illinois Wesleyan collected four sacks, eight tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and nine QB hurries. 

Sophomore Matt Hansen (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) led the Titans with 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries in a five-tackle showing. Senior Sam Schott (West Lafayette, Ind.-West Lafayette) led the Titans with 10 tackles, including one for loss and part of a sack. Seniors Cole Pradel (Oswego, Ill.-Oswego), Frank Roti (Orland Hills, Ill.-Andrew), and sophomore Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont Township) added seven stops apiece. 

After Augie took the lead early on a 21-yard touchdown pass, Illinois Wesleyan used an 11-play, 65-yard drive to get on the scoreboard. The drive, which was extended by a pass interference call against the Vikings and a key catch by Deacy, saw Junge split the uprights from 27 yards out.

The Titans reached midfield as the game entered the second quarter, but a fumble on the first play of the second stanza stalled the drive and turned it over to the Vikings. Augie capitalized on the misuse, using eight plays to cap off a 45-yard scoring drive with a touchdown pass to grab a 14-3 advantage.

Junge converted his second field goal of the day, this one a 34-yarder, with around nine minutes left in the opening half. 

Illinois Wesleyan's defense stopped Augustana, forcing a punt, to put the ball back in the hands of the Titans. IWU put together one of its longest drives of the season to cut into the Augie lead. Deacy hauled in receptions of 27 and 14 yards on the drive, while Kee made a nine-yard touchdown catch to trim the deficit to two, 14-12, at half.

The Green and White carried over its momentum into the second half, as Junge nailed a 27-yard field goal to give the Titans their first lead of the day, 15-14.

After Augie responded with an eight-play, 72-yard drive, the Titans reclaimed the lead with a Kent one-yard score on fourth down. The touchdown gave IWU a one-point, 22-21, edge with 2:25 left in the third. 

Senior Josh Hlavacek (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) disrupted the Vikings in the backfield as Augustana looked to answer Illinois Wesleyan's scoring drive, but DeMaio followed with a timely pass breakup to force the visitor's to settle for a 26-yard field goal attempt. Ultimately, the kick hooked wide left, turning the ball over on downs with 10:41 on the clock. 

Taking full advantage, the Green and White used big 14 and 11-yard grabs by Kee alongside runs by Kent and Scott to barrel into the endzone. The 12-play, 80-yard drive ate up more than seven minutes of game time before Smyth broke through on a 15-yard rush up the middle. The touchdown pushed the Titan lead to eight, 29-21, with 3:16 to go. 

With the ball and a full allotment of timeouts as well as the two-minute stoppage, Augustana utilized three completions to move towards midfield. A 12-yard pickup drove the VIkings into Titan territory, before an eight yard catch set up Augie with first-and-10 from the IWU 28-yard line. The Vikings continued marching down field, earning another fresh set of downs with just over 30 seconds to play. Senior Josh Davis (Channahon, Ill.-Minooka) swatted away a pass on first down and DeMaio carried a receiver out of the back of the endzone to keep Augie at bay. With time ticking down and the Vikings facing fourth down, McNees broke loose for the game-sealing sack. 

Illinois Wesleyan hits the road for the final time this season next Saturday, Nov. 9, with a trip to Waukesha, Wis. to face Carroll University. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Print Friendly Version