BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A Saturday night showdown with Millikin University awaits the Illinois Wesleyan University football team as the grueling College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin slate continues with a trip to Decatur, Ill., Oct. 18. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will serve as MU's 'Real Men Wear Pink' contest.
The Titans enter the week with sights set on a bounce back after dropping their last two contests. Illinois Wesleyan carries a 2-3 overall record and sits level in league play at 2-2 following a loss to 19th-ranked Wheaton College, Oct. 11. Millikin has lost its past three games after starting out the season 2-0. The Big Blue stumbled to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in CCIW games after a 59-19 loss at No. 1 North Central College, Oct. 11. The Big Blue are 1-1 at home this season.
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. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: This season marks Illinois Wesleyan's first with multiple night games since the 2018 season. That year, IWU played four games under the lights, going 4-0 with one of the wins coming over 12th-ranked Wheaton. Overall, the Green and White is 7-6 in night games since 2015.
BATTLES WITH THE BIG BLUE: Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin's 117-game history dates back to 1904. The series sits even at 55-55-7 all-time, but IWU has dominated the series as of late. In fact, the Titans have won 17 of the last 21 matchups.
In 2024, Illinois Wesleyan rode a 38-0 halftime lead to a 51-8 victory at Tucci Stadium. Jahari Scott paced the Titans with two touchdown runs as he finished with 122 yards rushing. Kaden Junge converted three field goals from 28, 31, and 33 yards in the win, while Danny Kent added two scores. The IWU defense came away with three picks, with Ryan Saxe, Frank Roti, and Paul Zunkel registering interceptions.
TWO OVER 100: GB Kruzick and Jimmy Deacy each finished with 100+ receiving yards in Illinois Wesleyan's loss to Wheaton, Oct. 11, as Dermot Smyth threw for a season-high 323 yards. Kruzick finished with 113 yards receiving, a career-high, while Deacy added 111 yards through the air. It is the first time IWU has had multiple receivers in a game since the 2024 season finale, Nov. 16. Deacy finished with a whopping 153 yards receiving, while Myles Kee notched 101 yards on 11 receptions in a loss to eventual national champion, North Central.
OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: The Titans will go up against former assistant coach Jermaine Burket when they battle the Big Blue in Decatur, Ill. Burket is in his first season at Millikin, where he works with the defensive backs, the same position group he coached at IWU from 2023 to 2024.
TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 104-62 (.630) record in the month of October since 1987. More recently, in the past eight seasons, IWU is 28-15 in October including this year's 0-2 mark.
TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD: IWU has struggled away from home in recent years, as it has posted a 7-18 record on the road over the past five full seasons. The program's last winning record away from Tucci came during 2018, when it posted a 5-0 mark as part of an 8-2 overall record. This year, the Green and White is 1-1.
DISCIPLINED: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the more disciplined teams around Division III this season. The Titans 25 penalties are the 64th-fewest across the country, while IWU is also top-75 in fewest penalty yards (192 yards - 41st) and fewest penalties per game (5.00 - 69th).
RIDE ON: The Green and White's penultimate home game of the year comes after this weekend's trip to Decatur as IWU returns home Saturday, Oct. 25, to face off against North Park University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium.
