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Marcheon Griffin
© AshtinElder
10
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 7-3 , 5-3
20
Winner North Central (IL) NCC 9-1 , 7-1
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
7-3 , 5-3
10
Final
20
North Central (IL) NCC
9-1 , 7-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
IWU Ill. Wesleyan 0 3 0 7 10
NCC North Central (IL) 0 3 10 7 20

Game Recap: Football |

Football Falls in Tight Battle at No. 4 North Central

Titans finish regular season at 7-3

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team closed the regular season with a defensive battle at No. 4 North Central College Saturday, Nov. 14. The Titans (7-3, 5-3 CCIW) pulled within a field goal in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals (9-1, 7-1 CCIW) pulled away, 20-10. 

The Titan defense turned in one of its best performances of the season as IWU limited NCC to 337 yards of total offense. The Green and White racked up seven tackles for loss with two sacks. Senior John Gavin (Mt. Prospect, Ill.-Prospect) racked up a career-high 16 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Senior Joey DeMaio (Woodridge, Ill.-Lemont Township) and junior Lucas Lappin (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) tacked on 13 tackles each. 

Seniors Alex Jackson (Harvey, Ill.-Bremen) and Marcheon Griffin (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) were menaces at the line, notching nine and six tackles, respectively. Griffin led the Titans with three tackles for loss, including a 12-yard sack. 

Senior Dermot Smyth (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) moved within one of the program's all-time career rushing touchdown record with a fourth-quarter scamper. The touchdown was Smyth's 26th of his career and fifth of the season. He finished with 26 yards on nine carries. Sophomore Cade Danko (Downs, Ill.-Tri Valley) hauled in five catches for a team-best 83 yards receiving. 

Griffin and the IWU defense stalled the Cardinals on their opening drive, forcing a punt, starting off a stout showing.

Junior Will Nazha (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) pulled in a 12-yard catch, and Smyth and senior Malik Gray (Chicago, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) followed with rushes to get the Titans into NCC territory. Back-to-back tackles behind the line of scrimmage stalled the drive.

On second and six at the NCC 24, senior Austin Brown (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) provided a huge hit to force an incompletion after Gavin and sophomore Mathew Gasior (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) combined for TFL. The drive ended with the IWU field goal block unit forcing an NCC miss, keeping the game scoreless at the end of the first quarter. 

The following Titan drive stalled at their own 29. However, the third phase came through again when sophomore Dylan Hodges (Sycamore, Ill.-Sycamore) pounced on a muffed punt to set up first and 10 at NCC 35. A big catch down the IWU sideline by Nazha advanced the Titans into the red zone, but the opportunity came up empty with a missed 39-yard field goal.

Both teams traded field goals near the end of the half. IWU rattled off a 14-play, 50-yard drive that melted 5:38 off the clock, resulting in a 34-yard field goal from sophomore Lach Sullivan (Rochester, Ill.-Rochester). With 1:35 left in the second quarter, North Central almost gave the football back to the Titans on a forced fumble by senior Ian Whitaker (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic), but it was recovered by the Cardinals. Following the sack, a seven-yard rush got the Cardinals on the precipice of field goal range, where they converted a 50-yard attempt with 12 seconds left, evening the score at 3-3 halfway through. 

The Titans got the ball to begin the second half. Nazha rattled off a clutch third-down catch and run, advancing the ball to the IWU 38 yard line, but later in the drive, an interception was returned 70-yards for a NCC pick-six, vaulting the Cardinals ahead 10-3 less than four minutes into the third quarter. 

A three-and-out cued up the next NCC drive at its own 23-yard line, the 15-play, 68-yard march took nearly eight minutes off the clock and resulted in a field goal, growing the NCC advantage to two scores, 13-3 at the end of the third quarter.

The windy conditions forced another NCC field goal miss, setting up the Titans at their own 29 yard line with 10:25 to play. Two straight pass interference penalties including the second on a throw to Hodges in the end zone with Beaty under pressure set up first and goal from the two. On the next play, Smyth ran untouched into the endzone, cutting the gap to 13-10 midway through the fourth quarter. NCC salted the game away on the next drive, ending with an 11-yard touchdown to reclaim a two-score lead, 20-10.

The Titans await their postseason fate, which will be announced Sunday, Nov. 15. The 40-team NCAA Tournament field will be unveiled at 4 p.m. The matchup for the Culvers' Isthmus Bowl between the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will follow shortly after the tournament field is released. 
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