BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team completes  its mini roadtrip with a short drive to Frank M. Lindsay Field in Decatur, Ill. Saturday, Oct. 17, for a battle with Millikin University. Kickoff between the Titans and Big Blue is slated for 6 p.m. and will serve as MU's Real Men Wear Pink game in honor and support of those affected by breast cancer.
    Illinois Wesleyan makes the 48-mile trip down US-51 with a 5-1 record, highlighted by a 3-1 standing in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. The Titans most recently blitzed Carroll University, 44-7, on the road, Oct. 10. Millikin returns home with a 2-4 overall record, 1-3 CCIW mark following a narrow defeat on the road. The Big Blue saw a comeback fall short, 49-41, at Augustana College, Oct. 10.
    Fans can tune into a live stream on the CCIW Network, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on iwusports.com.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: For the second straight season, IWU is scheduled to take on Millikin under the lights in Decatur. Last year's matchup was moved up as a result of weather. Overall, the Green and White is 7-6 in night games since 2015.

BATTLES WITH THE BIG BLUE: Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin's 118-game history dates back to 1904. The series sees IWU hold a slim 56-55-7 all-time lead. Illinois Wesleyan has dominated the series as of late. In fact, the Titans have won 18 of the last 22 matchups.
Last season, Illinois Wesleyan raced out to a 35-0 lead at half en route to leaving with a 42-27 triumph. Dermot Smyth threw for 392 yards and five scores in the win. Cooper King hauled in two touchdowns.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: The Titans will go up against former assistant coach Jermaine Burket when they battle the Big Blue in Decatur, Ill. Burket is in his second season at Millikin, where he works with the defensive backs, the same position group he coached at IWU from 2023 to 2024. He also serves as MU's defensive coordinator.

HE'S A FRESHMAN: Making his first career start, freshman linebacker Murphy Brennan made an immediate impact at Carroll, Oct. 10. Brennan finished the day with six tackles, third-most on the team, including one for loss. He was credited with two QB hurries alongside a forced fumble and an interception.

TOUCHDOWN MALIK GRAY: Fans at Schneider Stadium heard "Touchdown Malik Gray" on repeat at Caroll, Oct. 10, as the senior running back found the endzone four times. Gray finished with 98 yards on 16 carries and four scores. He is the first Titan to run for four TDs since Jack Warner did so against North Park Nov. 15, 2014.
For the season, Gray is slotted fifth in the CCIW with 55.0 rushing yards per game. His five touchdowns are tied for second-most.

WORTH IT: A key piece of Illinois Wesleyan's success this season is its ability to flip the field with the boot of junior punter Matt Worthington. Worthington came through again, Oct. 10, with two 60+ yards boots to earn CCIW Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He was also recognized on the D3football.com Team of the Week.
    Thanks in large part to the effectiveness of Worthington and its strong returners, IWU has an average drive start of the IWU 32-yard line, while opponents are starting drives at their own 21-yard line when taking over after a punt. Worthington is averaging 44.9 yards per punt, good for fourth-best across Division III. He also holds the two longest punts in the CCIW this season courtesy of his 67 and 66-yarders at Carroll, Oct. 10.

TAKE YOUR PICK: At the midpoint of the CCIW slate, Illinois Wesleyan is led by a strong wide receiver core on the offensive side. The Titans rank third in the league in total offense (399.8 ypg), highlighted by the CCIW's top passing offense. IWU averaged 272.8 yards per game in league play and is the only school in the conference with three receivers ranked inside th top-14. Will Nazha tops the league at 107.3 yards per game, while Jimmy Deacy and Cade Danko are slotted seventh and ninth, respectively. Deacy is hauling in 60 yards per game with Danko just behind at 54.8 ypg.

IT'S BUILDING: Illinois Wesleyan remains in the AFCA national poll, receiving votes in the organization's sixth poll. IWU, which garnered 28 points, was one of three CCIW programs in the conversation. Wheaton topped the poll, with North Central checking in at No. 4. Wheaton also leads the D3football.com poll, where NCC sits third.

BALL HAWKS: The Titans have recorded 11 interceptions on the season with Lucas Lappin leading the team with four. Clint Teater and Nate Frank have two each, while Joey DeMaio, Murphy Brennan, and Ian Whitaker have added one pick apiece. IWU's INT total leads the CCIW and is slotted fourth-most across Division III as of Oct. 14.

TITANS IN OCTOBER: The Titans have compiled a 108-62 record in the month of October since 1987. More recently, in the past eight seasons, IWU is 32-15 in October and went 2-2 in the month in 2025 and is 2-0 this season.

WINNING UP FRONT: The Green and White's defensive line has been one of the most disruptive units in the country. The Titans lead the conference and are 24th in the country with 3.33 team sacks per game, while their 7.3 tackles for loss are 49th-most. The heavy and consistent pressure in the backfield has opponents limited to a .284 third-down conversion percentage, the third-best mark in the CCIW and 36th nationally.

ON REPEAT: Junior wide receiver Will Nazha has established himself as one of the premiere receivers across Division III. After a breakout season in 2025, the Barrington, Ill. native has built on that this year. Through six games, he is sixth nationally in receiving yards (693), seventh in receptions per game (7.67), 10th in receiving yards per game (115.5), and 15th nationally in receiving touchdowns with six.
At the midpoint of the season, Nazha is on track to be IWU's first 1000-yard receiver since 2018 (Jack Healy - 1137 yards).

WITH A WIN…: With a win, Illinois Wesleyan will secure its first winning season since 2022. That year, the Titans went 6-4 overall, 5-4 in CCIW play. A win Saturday would boost the Titans to 6-1 with three games to go in the regular season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Green and White return to the friendly confines of Tucci Stadium for the first of two straight home games Saturday, Oct. 24. IWU will host Elmhurst University for a 1 p.m. start time before welcoming North Park University to Bloomington two weeks later (Nov. 7) following its bye.