BLOOMINGTON, Ill - The 2024 Illinois Wesleyan University football season officially gets underway Saturday, Sept. 7, in Pella, Iowa. Kickoff between IWU and Central College is set for 1 p.m. at Schipper Stadium.
    Illinois Wesleyan travels to Iowa with eyes on a much-improved 2024 campaign after finishing 3-7 a season ago.  The Titans posted a 3-6 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record, highlighted by a senior day win over Elmhurst in their season finale, Nov. 11. Central, which will also begins its season Saturday, is coming off an 8-2 mark a year ago. The Dutch went 6-2 in the grueling American Rivers Conference.
    Fans can tune into a radio broadcast with Eric Stock 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.

TIP OF THE CAP: As the Titans travel to Pella for a clash with Central Saturday, Sept. 7, it will mark the first Dutch football game without Larry Happel serving as the director of Central's athletic communications efforts since 1979. Happel, who works in a part-time capacity following his retirement last spring, is a member of the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame. He accrued numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career including CSC's Warren Berg Award and 18 CSC writing awards.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face roaming the Central sideline Saturday, as IWU veteran head coach Norm Eash goes toe-to-toe with one of his former assistants. The Dutch are led by Jeff McMartin, who served as IWU's defensive line coach for the 1992 and 1993 seasons. He was also the interim head track and field coach for IWU in 1994.
    McMartin is not the only common bond between the two institutions, as two members of the Titan athletic department are former Dutch student-athletes. Asisstant director of athletic communications Meredith Mahoney was a four-year member of the Central softball team, while IWU men's basketball assistant coach Bobby Wheet was a kicker on the Dutch football team.

CLASHING WITH CENTRAL: Saturday will mark the second meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Central all-time. The initial bout between the Titans and Dutch came at Tucci Stadium in last year's season opener, Sept. 9, where Central  topped IWU, 38-13. Seth Albin registered a 99-yard kickoff return in the setback, while Cole Pradel notched a career-high 15 tackles. Sam Schott added 12 tackles with one for loss, and Josh Klein tacked on 10 stops with two TFLs and a sack.

CROSSING THE BORDER: Saturday will mark Illinois Wesleyan's first game in the state of Iowa since the 2007 season, when the Green and White opened the year at Coe. IWU dropped the game, 24-6, but went on to finish the year 7-3 overall and 6-1 in CCIW play.

OPENING ON THE ROAD: For the first time since the 2019 season, the Green and White will begin its season on the road. In 2019, IWU kicked off the year with back-to-back road games. The season began at UW-La Crosse, where the Titans fell in overtime, before dropping their CCIW opener at Wheaton, Sept. 21.
The last time Illinois Wesleyan won its season opener on the road came during the 2016 campaign, when the Titans edged past Nebraska Wesleyan, 17-13, Sept. 10, in Lincoln, Neb. After trailing by 10 points at halftime, Jack Donegan threw touchdown passes to Austin Wagner and Austin Harrell to lead the Green and White comeback. Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore ran for a game-high 120 yards, while Kyle Venhuizen notched seven tackles with three TFLs and a pair of sacks in the triumph.

WITH A WIN…: With a win, Illinois Wesleyan will win its season opener for the first time since 2022. In the last 15 full seasons, IWU boasts a 11-4 record in lid lifters with a 5-2 mark when opening on the road. The Titans are in search of their first non-conference road win since the 2016 season.

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 tied fourth trailing LSU's Brian Kelly (283), North Carolina's Mack Brown (282), and Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (262). He is tied with South Dakota's Bob Neilson with 228 career victories.

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.

McNEES THE BEAST: Illinois Wesleyan senior defensive lineman Zach McNees enters the 2024 season as one of the top lineman in the country. In fact, McNees is ranked tied for 11th on the active tackles for loss per game list with 1.50 per contest, and slotted 16th with 0.73 sacks per game for his career. A First Team All-CCIW pick a season ago, McNees led the Green and White with 20.5 TFLs and 9.0 sacks, as well as a team-high two forced fumbles. The Hillsboro, Mo. native's numbers from last season were good for fifth-most in all of Division III with 2.1 tackles for loss a game.

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.

CAPTAINS CALL: IWU heads into the 2024 season with six captains, as voted by the team during the spring season. Serving in the role for the Titans this season are Artist Benjamin, Josh Hlavacek, Dylan Meyer, Frank Roti, Sam Schott, and Jahari Scott.

ON THE HORIZON: After a bye week, Illinois Wesleyan will return to the field for its CCIW opener at Elmhurst Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.