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Malik Gray rushing for one of his four touchdowns
Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative
44
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 5-1 , 3-1
7
Carroll (WI) CAR 4-2 , 3-1
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
5-1 , 3-1
44
Final
7
Carroll (WI) CAR
4-2 , 3-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 21 16 0 7 44
CAR Carroll (WI) 0 0 0 7 7

Game Recap: Football |

Football Leads Wire-to-Wire in Victory over Carroll

Titans move into a tie for second in CCIW

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team spoiled Carroll University's homecoming, riding a 37-point first half to a 44-7 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory, Saturday, Oct. 10. IWU improves to 5-1 and moves into second in the league with a 3-1 CCIW record. The Pios drop to 4-2 (3-1 CCIW) with the loss.

Illinois Wesleyan cashed in on its first six possessions to halt any Homecoming momentum the Pioneers may have had behind them. 

Sophomore Kyle Beaty (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) led the way, going 20-23 for 318 yards with two touchdown passes. On the ground, senior Malik Gray (Chicago, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) ran for 98 yards on 16 attempts, and cashed in with four touchdowns. Gray is the first Titan with four rushing scores since Jack Warner did so against North Park Nov. 15, 2014. Senior Jimmy Deacy (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) hauled in seven receptions for a season-high 129 yards and one touchdown. The IWU offensive line allowed zero sacks for the second straight game. 

Defensively, senior Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont Township) led with nine tackles. Junior Lucas Lappin (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) and freshman Murphy Brennan (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) each recorded an interception. Murphy Brennan also had a forced fumble.

The Titans ran for 191 yards and threw for 318 while the IWU defense allowed only 278 total yards. The Green and White held the Pios scoreless for 58 minutes before a late fourth-quarter score after a penalty.

A five-play, 75-yard drive saw the Titans strike first. After a first down run by Gray, Beaty connected with Deacy on big gains. A 24-yard toss to Nazha down the CU sideline set up first down at the Carroll 15-yard line. Sticking to the passing game, Beaty delivered a touchdown to Deacy for a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in.

The IWU defense forced a three-and-out to quickly put the ball back in the hands of the Green and White. Taking over in positive territory after a shanked punt, sophomore Cade Danko (Downs, Ill.-Tri-Valley) hauled in a 37-yard reception. Gray ran it in from there, doubling the road team's lead. 

Another stout stance for the Titan defense kept the game moving. Gray scored his second TD of the day, a two-yard scamper, to bump the advantage to 21-0. 

Making his first career start, Murphy Brennan made a splash with a pick across the middle. The INT thwarted Carroll's drive with IWU leading by three scores after one quarter. Illinois Wesleyan's 21 points were its most in a first quarter since Sept. 21, 2024 against Elmhurst.

The Titans tacked on 16 more points in the second quarter to soar to a 37-0 advantage. Gray found the end zone on the period's first play, this time on a one-yard run. Sullivan later hit a 29-yard field goal and Gray bulldozed his way to a 33-yard score.

A penalty gave CU life late in the half, turning fourth down into a first down in the red zone. The Titan defense held strong with immediate backfield pressure. After senior Marcheon Griffin (Elmhurst, Ill.- IC Catholic Prep) narrowly missed out on a sack, Lappin picked off a pass down towards the goal line to keep Carroll scoreless. 

The Titans totaled 391 yards of offense in the opening half, with 244 through the air. The IWU defense limited CU to 131 total yards and only 56 on the ground. 

IWU forced a punt on the opening CU drive of the half. On the ensuing IWU possession, Beaty found Nazha on third and two, but penalties led to the first stoppage by the Pioneers with 9:51 left in the third quarter. 

After a missed field goal by the Pios kept the shutout alive with just under five minutes left in the third, the score remained at 37-0 at the end of the period. 

On their first drive of the fourth quarter, Beaty manufactured an 11-play, 68-yard drive, capped off with an 11-yard pass to senior Cooper King (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township), increasing the lead to 44-0 with just over seven to play. The 6:23 long drive boosted Beaty to over 300 yards passing for the second time in the last three games.
 
The Pioneers cracked the scoreboard with 1:58 left, slicing the margin to 44-7, on the heels of a pass interference call near the goalline. The touchdown marked the end of the scoring, as freshman Wyatt Nordena (Skokie, Ill.-Niles West) ran the ball three straight times to run out the clock. 

The Titans remain on the road Saturday, Oct. 18 at Millikin University. Kickoff from Decatur is slated for 6 p.m.

 

 
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