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Dermot Smyth vs. Elmhurst
© AshtinElder
6
Elmhurst ELM 1-1 , 0-1
42
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-1 , 1-0
Elmhurst ELM
1-1 , 0-1
6
Final
42
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-1 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ELM Elmhurst 6 0 0 0 6
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 0 21 21 0 42

Game Recap: Football |

Football Flies Past Bluejays in CCIW Opener

Smyth throws for five touchdowns

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Head coach Jared Williamson picked up his first win at the helm of the Illinois Wesleyan University football team Saturday, Sept. 20, as the Titans powered past Elmhurst University, 42-6, in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener at Tucci Stadium. 

Junior quarterback Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) recorded five passing touchdowns, the most by a Titan since Brandon Bauer did so Nov. 10, 2018. He finished 14-for-20 for 251 yards, hitting four different receivers on the day. Sophomore Will Nazha (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) was his top target, hauling in seven catches for a career-high 110 yards with two touchdowns. Sophomore GB Kruzick (Morton, Ill.-Morton) added two TDs on three catches for 24 yards. 

The running back tandem of senior Danny Kent (Addison, Ill.-Fenwick) and junior Malik Gray (Chicago, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) saw IWU churn out 233 rushing yards. Kent ran the ball 14 times for 81 yards, while Gray matched him with 81 yards on six carries. Gray found the endzone twice, once through the air and another on the ground, in a career day.

Defensively, the Titans pitched a shutout as IWU did not give up an offensive score. Junior Ian Whitaker (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) topped the Green and White with eight tackles, including one for loss, while sophomore Sebastian Thomas (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield South) tacked on six. Junior Nathan Schmidt (Chicago, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) led a disruptive defensive line effort with three stops, 1.5 going for loss, alongside a team-high three quarterback hurries. Sophomore Clint Teater (Morton, Ill.-Morton) also picked off the first pass of his career in the fourth quarter.

Illinois Wesleyan led the Bluejays in every offensive category, including total offense 484-175, rushing yards 233-29, and passing yards 251-146. The Titans manufactured an advantage in time of possession by over eight minutes by way of 6-of-12 successful third-down conversions. The Green and White defense held Elmhurst to a 1-of-10 third-down conversion rate. 

Elmhurst had the ball first, but after a 14-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage, the Illinois Wesleyan defense locked in. Senior Mo Khalil (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) combined with junior Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont Township) for a big stop on second down and Thomas followed with a tackle to force a Bluejay punt.

Taking over from its own 11-yard line, IWU saw a throw on second-down taken for a pick-six. With Elmhurst appearing to be in disarray as it prepared to kick a PAT, Whitaker read the snap and broke through the line to block the kick.

Trailing 6-0, the Titans fed Gray on back-to-back carries before finding the elusive back on a screen-pass. Hauling in Smyth's toss, Gray broke loose for a 26-yard pickup to put IWU on the edge of the red zone. Nazha followed with a seven-yard catch on third-and-long moments later, but EU stalled the drive with a fourth-down stop just as the game was disrupted with a weather delay.

Taking over on downs after a 30-minute delay, the Bluejays wasted no time marching down field with a 12-play, 72-yard drive. With Elmhurst staring down first-and-goal from the IWU-10, the Titan defense came up with key stops to keep the visitors out of the endzone. Junior Marcheon Griffin's (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) pressure in the backfield forced an incompletion and Lappin stopped the Bluejays on the catch five yards shy of a score. Electing to go for it on fourth down, EU was met by DeMaio and junior Ryan Umbarger (Eureka, Mo.-Eureka) on a stop to put the ball back into the hands of IWU.

After three chunk rushes by Kent, Illinois Wesleyan's offense slowed resulting in fourth-and-long from its own 31-yard line. Sophomore Matt Worthington (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) sold the trick play as he leaped into the air for what the EU defense believed was an errant snap while Umbarger ripped off a 28-yard gain down the IWU sideline to keep the drive alive. The Green and White capitalized on the momentum-shifting play as Smyth hit Kruzick for a five-yard TD. 

Leading 7-6, IWU tacked on two more scores before the break. Nazha hauled in a 54-yard touchdown reception, pushing him over 100 yards for the game, to up the lead to 14-6. The sophomore wideout hauled in another one moments later, this time for 14 yards, following a 43-yard reception by junior tight end Cooper King (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township).

Illinois Wesleyan came out of halftime with a 21-6 advantage and received the ball to start the third quarter. Kruzick caught an 11-yard pass and Kent added a 16-yard carry to give the Titans a fresh set of downs at the Elmhurst 39-yard line. Smyth later connected with Gray on a screen pass with space as he scampered 47 yards for the score. 

IWU used an eight-yard touchdown pass to Kruzick and a 59-yard rushing score from Gray to climb ahead, 42-6, into the final period and never looked back. 

Illinois Wesleyan will hit the road for the first time this season next Saturday, Sept. 27, as the Titans head to Kenosha, Wis. for a clash with Carthage College. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.


 
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