BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The final home game of the 2025 Illinois Wesleyan University football season pits the Titans against Carroll University Saturday, Nov. 8, at Tucci Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and will serve as the program's Military & First Responder Appreciation game.
    Illinois Wesleyan looks to get back on track and secure a winning record at home as it returns to the gridiron Saturday. IWU holds a 4-4 record overall and sits at 4-3 in conference play following a 42-21 defeat at Augustana College, Nov. 1. Carroll, which carries a 3-5 record and 3-4 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standing into Bloomington, is eyeing a bounce back. The Pios were topped at No. 1 North Central College, 64-7, Nov. 1.
    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.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE: The contest will serve as the program's Military & First Responders Appreication game. The first 100 veterans, active duty military, or first responders, in uniform or with a current ID, will receive a special edition Titan athletics hat.
GETTIN' WITTY WHIT IT: Junior linebacker Ian Whitaker notched a career-high 11 tackles in Illinois Wesleyan's game at Augustana, Nov. 1. His career day was highlighted by four tackles for loss and a strip sack. Whitaker's 4.0 tackles for loss are the most by a Titan this season, while they are the most by a player in the CCIW since Oct. 28, 2023. Whitaker's menacing performance earned the junior CCIW Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. Whitaker is the first Titan to earn the league's weekly defensive honor since Zach McNees did so Sept. 30, 2024.
PLAYING THE PIOS: The Titans and Pioneers have squared off on the gridiron 48 times since the series began in 1935. Illinois Wesleyan heads into Saturday's showdown with a 29-19 lead in the all-time series but has dropped two of the past three matchups with Carroll. The series, which began with a 12-6 IWU win in 1935, took place each season from 1955 to 1991. Following a 25-year hiatus, the series picked back up when Carroll rejoined the CCIW in 2016.
    Most recently, Illinois Wesleyan downed CU, 24-21, in Waukesha, Wis. The Titans trailed 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Kaden Junge split the uprights from 36 yards out with 13:27 to play to cut the deficit to four, 21-17. A 33-yard catch by Myles Kee put the Green and White on the edge of the redzone as time winded under two minutes. Rushes by Dermot Smyth and Jahari Scott got IWU all the way down to the Carroll one-yard line as the Titans called a timeout with 23 seconds to play. Sticking to the ground game, IWU turned to Danny Kent to punch it in. Frank Roti intercepted a last second heave by the Pios to seal the win, 24-21, and snap a two-game losing skid against Carroll.
PROTECT OUR HOUSE: Illinois Wesleyan is looking to secure its eighth winning record at Tucci Stadium since 2017. IWU enters Saturday 2-2 inside the friendly confines of its home stadium.
WITH A WIN...: The Titans would lock up a record of at least 5-5 with a win Saturday, Nov. 8. In doing so, Jared Williamson would be the first IWU head football coach to notch a record of .500-or-better in their first year leading the Green and White since Don Larson led the Titans to a 5-3 mark in 1954.
RISING THE RANKS: Amid the best season of his career to date, Dermot Smyth is climbing Illinois Wesleyan's career ranks. Over 26 games donning the Green and White, Smyth has thrown for 5259 yards and 49 touchdowns. He has added 856 rushing yards and 21 TDs on the ground.
    Smyth eclipsed the 5000 career passing yards mark at Augustana, Nov. 1, becoming just the eighth Titan to do so in program history. He is listed throughout the IWU record book midway through his junior year as Smyth is tied for seventh all-time in passing touchdowns (49) alongside Tom Monke, while he is also tied for fourth with Kurt Swearingen in rushing scores (21). His 417 completions are eighth-most all-time.
ESTABLISHING HIMSELF: Will Nazha has put together a breakout year through eight games this season, establishing himself as one of the top wide receivers in the CCIW. Nazha leads the conference and is eighth nationally with 167.38 all-purpose yards per game. The Barrington, Ill. native leads the conference in receptions per game (7.38 - 16th nationally), receiving yards per game (109.0 - 13th nationally), and total receiving yards (872 - 47th nationally). He is third in the CCIW with seven TDs.
DISCIPLINED: Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the more disciplined teams around Division III this season. The Titans 41 penalties are the 76th-fewest across the country, while IWU is also top-75 in fewest penalty yards per game (40.38 - 45th), fewest penalty yards (323 yards - 49th), and fewest penalties per game (5.13 - 72nd).
RIDE ON: Illinois Wesleyan's season comes to a close with a trip to No. 1 North Central College Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
