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Football Stumbles at Augie

Smyth reaches 5000 career passing yards

11/1/2025 4:17:00 PM

Box Score

NOTE: Statistics are still being corrected. This story will be updated once complete statistics are available.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team dropped a road College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest, 42-21, at Augustana College Saturday, Nov. 1. The Titans dipped to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in CCIW action with the loss, while the Vikings jumped to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in league play.

Augustana scored on the game's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, but after coming up empty on its initial possession, the IWU defense locked down the Vikings for a punt. Augie's second drive of the game saw two big plays early to move the chains, but costly penalties backed the Vikings up as the Titans forced a punt.

After junior Malik Gray (Chicago, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) picked up four yards on first down, junior Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) completed a 30-yard strike to sophomore Will Nazha (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) to inch the Green and White towards midfield. The deep pass pushed Smyth across the 5000 career passing yard mark, becoming just the eighth player in program history to eclipse the milestone. Junior Jimmy Deacy (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) converted third down with a nine-yard catch to set up first-and-10 from the Augie 40-yard line. Moments later, IWU faced third-and-long, but Smyth rolled out of the pocket and slung a 21-yard pass to junior Cooper King (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) on the final play of the opening quarter.

The catch by King closed out the first quarter with Illinois Wesleyan trailing, 7-0, but the deficit evaporated as Smyth capped the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown. Freshman Lach Sullivan (Rochester, Ill.-Rochester) split the uprights on the PAT to level the game at seven all.

Augustana wasted no time, marching 70 yards in eight plays over 3:33 of game time to retake the lead, 14-7.

Illinois Wesleyan appeared poised for a scoring drive of their own as Nazha hauled in catches of 13 and 12 yards to get IWU near the redzone. An 11-yard rush down the Augie sideline from Gray, and a 14-yard catch by Deacy gave IWU a fresh set of downs at the Augustana 11. Smyth's first-down run brought the Titans down to the three-yard line, but the drive stalled there with three straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs.

Backed up against their own endzone, the Vikings used nearly the remainder of the clock to drive 97 yards over 13 plays. A seven-yard touchdown pass across the middle from Jimmy Makuh to Jake Miller propelled AC ahead, 21-7, at halftime.

IWU needed just six plays to march 63 yards on its first drive of the second half to make it a one-score game. Smyth found Nazha for a nine-yard pickup and Gray rattled off back-to-back rushes to move the ball to midfield. Taking a gamble on fourth-and-three from the Augie 44-yard line, Smyth hit Nazha for a 44-yard touchdown pass despite a roughing the passer call against the Vikings. The fourth-down TD along with Sullivan's point after pulled the Titans within a score, 21-14, with 9:37 to play in the third quarter.

AC answered with a 75-yard scoring drive to bolster its lead, 28-14, with 5:15 left in the third period as Makuh connected with Miller once again. Augie intercepted IWU's first play of its next drive, but the Titan defense stepped up with a three-and-out. Junior Ian Whitaker (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) took down the Vikings for a five-yard loss on first down to set the tone as Augie's punt eventually set IWU with first-and-10 from inside midfield.

Leaning on the run game early on, Deacy came up with back-to-back catches with his 11-yard grab moving IWU inside Augie's 20-yard line. The Titans stared down third-and-21 after an 11-yard sack on second down, but Smyth went to Deacy again, this time for a 15-yard reception. The junior QB then connected with Nazha for a six-yard gain to convert on fourth down before two straight runs from Gray had IWU on the one-yard line.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Illinois Wesleyan went right back to Gray for a one-yard score. The touchdown marked the fourth of the season for the junior running back and trimmed the deficit to seven, 28-21.

The Vikings scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to down the Titans, 42-21.

The Green and White finished with 385 yards of total offense, with 287 coming through the air, while Augie totaled 427 yards with 168 yards coming on the ground and 259 added in the passing game. Smyth completed 22-of-47 pass attempts to finish with 287 yards and one touchdown. Nazha led the way with 127 receiving yards on eight catches, including a touchdown, while Deacy brought in a game-high nine catches for 97 yards.

Defensively, Whitaker turned in an outstanding all-around effort as he notched a career-high 14 tackles. The junior was credited with five tackles for loss and forced a fumble. Junior Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont) added nine stops, including the 100th of his career.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to Tucci Stadium Saturday, Nov. 8, for the Titans fifth and final home game of the 2025 campaign. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and will serve as IWU's Military & First Responder Appreciation game. The first 100 first responders or military veterans will receive a custom IWU athletics hat with valid identification.

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