BLOOMINGTON, Ill - The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin slate gets underway for the Illinois Wesleyan University football team Saturday, Sept. 21, as the Titans travel to Langhorst Field for a bout with Elmhurst University. Kickoff of the league opener is slated for 6 p.m. under the lights.
    Both teams will head into the Saturday night clash with eyes on their first win of the season after dropping their respective season lid lifters. Illinois Wesleyan fell behind early and could not mount a comeback in a 49-14 loss to Central College in Pella, Iowa, Sept. 7. Meanwhile, Elmhurst was upended by Adrian College as the Bluejays scored the game's first 20 points before falling, 55-20.
    Fans can tune into a radio broadcast with Matt Sosler calling the action on the field alongside Joel Swanson, while live stats and a broadcast will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.

BATTLIN' THE BLUEJAYS: The Titans have an overall 58-12-1 record against the Bluejays. The first meeting between these two teams was in 1930 in Bloomington, Ill., which saw a 13-7 IWU victory. The Titans have won the past nine matchups with the Bluejays and 15 of the past 17 meetings between to the two foes.
Illinois Wesleyan rolled past Elmhurst, 49-13, last season inside Tucci Stadium, Nov. 11. The Green and White scored 42 unanswered points to jolt ahead, 49-6, before the Bluejays scored a late touchdown. Dermot Smyth rushed for three TDs and threw for another as the Titans secured the senior day win. Defensively, Zach McNees wreaked havoc with three sacks and a blocked kick in an eight-tackle performance. Artist Benjamin added seven stops, a 35-yard pick six, and three pass breakups in the victory.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: A pair of former Titan assistant coaches will be donning Elmhurst blue across the field Saturday night, when IWU takes on the Bluejays.
Second-year EU Head Coach Mike Murray, a 1984 IWU graduate, was a four-year letterwinner in football and baseball for the Titans. He was a two-time All-CCIW pick in baseball and received All-CCIW Honorable Mention status in 1983. After his playing days, Murray began his coaching career as the Titans' defensive coordinator from 1987-96, helping IWU to conference titles in 1992 and 1996. Murray returned to Illinois Wesleyan again first serving as offensive coordinator before returning to the defensive side of the ball.
Elmhurst defensive coordinator, Dru Richardson, will also go up against his former team. Richardson served as IWU's defensive backs coach for the 2022 season.

TWO PICKS ARE BETTER THAN ONE: Seniors Artist Benjamin and Cole Pradel picked off Central passes in the season opener, Sept. 7. It is the second straight game, dating back to last season, that two Titans recorded interceptions. Benjamin and Shea Gaffney did so with pick-sixes in IWU's rout of Elmhurst last season Nov. 11, 2023. Benjamin recorded his fifth career pick, while Pradel hauled in the first of his career.

THAT'S A FIRST: Illinois Wesleyan's season opener saw junior tight end Collin Elledge haul in the first touchdown catch of his career. Elledge caught a seven-yard pass in the endzone in the second quarter of the Titans' game against the Dutch. It also marked the first touchdown of the year for IWU.

SMYTH DROPS BACK: The Titans leaned on the passing game in their season opener at Central, Sept. 7, resulting in a career-high 44 passing attempts by sophomore Dermot Smyth. With 44 passing attempts, Smyth threw the ball the most times in a game by a Titan quarterback since Brandon Bauer tossed it 55 times Sept. 14, 2019. Smyth competed 50 percent of his passes, connecting with seven different targets. Additionally, Smyth's 44 passing attempts are the most by a QB in the CCIW this season.

A PUNT FOR MILES: Making his Green and White debut, Johnny Miles was a game changer in the field position effort. Miles booted the ball nine times for an average of 36.2 yards per punt with four fair catches. He blasted his first punt in an IWU uniform 60 yards, the second-longest punt in the conference this season. It also marks the second straight season IWU has recorded a punt of 60-or-more yards, as Matthew Noguez had a 69-yard boot last season.

STOP!: Three Titans posted double-digit tackles at Central, Sept. 7, with Cole Pradel's career-high 17 stops leading the way. John Gavin added a career-best 14 stops, while Sam Schott racked up 11 tackles. The trio is ranked in the top-40 of all of Division III in tackles per game. Pradel is second nationally, with Gavin slotted seventh. Schott checks in at 33rd.
IWU last saw three players record 10+ tackles in a game against Augustana Oct. 28, 2023. Schott was part of that group as well, tallying 12, alongside Arthur Chatt (16) and Shea Gaffney (12).

IWU AT LANGHORST: Illinois Wesleyan's last trip to Langhorst was a nailbiter as the game entered the fourth quarter tied, 14-14. Aided by the run game, the Titans took the lead early in the final period on a drive the spanned more than six minutes across the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. The 12-play 59-yard drive featured runs by Ian Kroemer, Seth Albin, Melchizidek Woodson, and Jay Lemenager. A 16-yard pass from Lemenager to Charlie Hamilton set IWU up with first and goal at the Elmhurst one-yard line, where Kroemer punched it in for the go-ahead score. The Bluejays responded with a 35-yard field goal but IWU held on for a 22-17 win.

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 228 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 (285), North Carolina's Mack Brown (285), Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (264), and South Dakota's Bob Neilson (229).
 

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.

CCIW PRESEASON POLL: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to finish sixth in the annual CCIW Preseason Coaches Poll. IWU's 42 points were behind North Central (80), Wheaton (74), WashU (65), Augustana (51), and Carroll (49). North Park sits seventh, one slot behind the Titans, with 38 points, while Elmhurst (17) and Millikin (10) round out the poll. Of the 10 first-place votes, NCC pulled in eight, while Wheaton snagged two.

ON THE HORIZON: Illinois Wesleyan will welcome Carthage College to Tucci Stadium Saturday, Sept. 28, for the team's home opener. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.