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Story Photo 11-15-25 from vs. Wheaton 10-11-25
Kodiak Creative
7
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-6 , 4-5
24
Winner North Central (IL) NCC 10-0 , 9-0
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-6 , 4-5
7
Final
24
North Central (IL) NCC
10-0 , 9-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 0 7 0 0 7
NCC North Central (IL) 7 7 3 7 24

Game Recap: Football |

Football Challenges No. 1 North Central

Titans hold NCC to lowest scoring total since 2021

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team gave top-ranked North Central College its tightest game of the season in the final contest of the regular season Saturday, Nov. 15, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Titans (4-6, 4-5 CCIW), which trailed by just seven at halftime, fell to the No. 1 Cardinals (10-0, 9-0 CCIW), 24-7.

A stout defensive effort saw the Green and White limit NCC to its lowest point total in 50 games. The Cardinals, who entered the day averaging 57.6 points per contest, were held to their lowest scoring output since falling to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the 2021 national title game, 57-24, Dec. 17, 2021.

Senior Jack Nevins (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville) led the strong defensive showing with a career-high 15 tackles in his final game donning the Green and White. Junior Ian Whitaker (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) followed with 12 stops. Freshman Clint Teater (Morton, Ill.-Morton) tallied four tackles, including a nine-yard strip sack.

Junior Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) returned to action at quarterback, completing 17-of-36 passes for 161 yards. Junior Jimmy Deacy (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) hauled in four passes for a team-high 63 yards, while sophomore Will Nazha (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) notched eight catches for 58 yards. 

In all, IWU finished with 231 yards of total offense. The Titans threw for 161 yards and rushed for 70, with Smyth churning out a team-high 59 yards on 12 carries. The Cardinals collected 473 total yards of offense, doing most of their damage on the ground. NCC rushed for 334 yards on 46 carries, while adding 139 passing yards.

North Central used two drives of 80+ yards to climb ahead 14-0 late into the second quarter. An eight-play, 98-yard drive gave the top-ranked Cardinals a 7-0 edge after 15 minutes of action. NCC tacked on another score to cap off a nine-play, 80-yard drive midway through the second quarter before IWU's offense found points.

Smyth hit Nazha for a seven-yard pickup on first down to get things rolling before scrambling for an eight-yard gain on his own. Freshman Cade Danko (Bloomington, Ill.-Tri-Valley) hauled in a three-yard pass, the first reception of his career, and Nazha snagged another catch to move Illinois Wesleyan across midfield with a fresh set of downs. After Smyth scampered for seven yards, a pass interference call drawn by Deacy continued the drive down to the North Central 21-yard line. A pair of big runs by Smyth took the Titans down to the NCC one-yard line, but saw the junior quarterback head to the sideline with first-and-goal. Entering in his place, junior Chase Mackey (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) dove into the endzone to cut the Cardinal lead in half, 14-7, into halftime.

North Central received the opening kickoff of the second half and used a 16-yard rush to move into the red zone. The Titan defense locked in as junior Marcheon Griffin (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) wrapped up the Cardinals for a seven-yard loss on first down. Sophomore Gavin LaDere (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) followed with a stop and sophomore Lucas Lappin (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) came up with a timely pass breakup on third down to limit NCC to a 42-yard field goal. 

Trailing 17-7 into the fourth quarter, Illinois Wesleyan put together a 14-play drive to march all the way down to the NCC four-yard line. The drive, which featured big catches by Deacy, Nazha, and sophomore Michael Barnes Jr. (Lyons, Ill.-Morton West) stalled as IWU was bottled up on fourth down to turn things over to NCC.

The Cardinals tacked on a touchdown with 4:49 to play to bolster their lead, 24-7, before a three-and-out ended the Titans' upset effort. 

The loss completes the 2025 season for Illinois Wesleyan at 4-6 overall in Jared Williamson's first year at the helm. The Titans will lose 11 seniors to graduation, while many key contributors are slated to return in 2026. North Central's season continues into the NCAA Division III Football Tournament as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's automatic bid.

 
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