Sat., Sept. 28 • 1 p.m. • Amos Alonzo Stagg Field
Chicago, Ill.
LAST WEEK: IWU came from behind for the second straight week and won a 31-24 home field decision over Washington U. in overtime Saturday night. WU went ahead 24-17 with 1:09 to play, but the Titans marched 70 yards on 12 plays and senior QB Josh Akin (Naperville, Benet Academy) scored on a five-yard run as time expired to make it 24-23. Brian Klesath (Peoria, Notre Dame HS) kicked the extra point to send the game to overtime, the first-ever for IWU. With the ball first, IWU made it 31-24 as Eric White (Antioch HS) caught a five-yard TD pass from Akin for the game-winner. Akin completed 20 of 38 passes for 168 yards, 65 of which came on the game-tying drive, and two scores. He also ran for 42 yards and the game-tying touchdown. White caught eight passes for 76 yards and two TDs. Senior Chris Ross (Chatham, Glenwood HS) ran for 73 yards on 20 carries. IWU was outgained, 401-299, but the Titans blocked a punt, a 24-yard field goal and an extra point. Defensively, senior LB Mike Clark (Joliet, West HS) had 11 total tackles and recovered a fumble and junior LB Solomon Jones (Kankakee HS) registered eight tackles. Senior DB Kevin Kaplan (Cary, Cary-Grove HS) had 10 total tackles and knocked away three passes.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Chosen by Titan coaches to honor top players in the week’s game
and practices.
OFFENSE: Eric White, sophomore, receiver, Antioch (HS)
DEFENSE: Travis Wieland, senior, end, Catlin (HS)
SPECIAL TEAMS: Brian Klesath, junior, kicker, Peoria (Notre Dame HS);
Randy Green, senior, receiver, Urbana (HS)
SCOUT (Offense): Ryan Spellman, freshman, back, Wilmette (New Trier
HS); Matt Ross, freshman, back, Chatham (Glenwood HS)
SCOUT (Defense): David Choi, freshman, linebacker, Lisle (Naperville
North HS); William Gaitros, sophomore, line, Cerro Gordo (HS).
SCOUTING THE MAROONS: Jim Raptis caught his third TD pass of the day with 1:37 left to give Chicago a 46-40 come-from-behind win over Elmhurst last week. Raptis' catch, a 10-yard strike from senior QB Josh Dunn, capped a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Raptis finished the day with 17 catches for 270 yards, both Chicago modern era (since 1969) records. Dunn completed 28 of 47 attempts for a school-record 440 yards and three TDs. Junior TB Aaron Carlock gained 97 yards on 21 carries with two TDs. Chicago and Elmhurst combined for 1,100 yards of total offense (563 for the Maroons and 537 for the Bluejays)...UC is 2-0 vs. CCIW schools as they earned a 33-9 win vs. North Park in their opener. Dunn threw for 311 yards and two TDs, and freshman Michael Morzenti kicked a school-record four field goals. Chicago had 436 yards of total offense to 242 for North Park.
ADDING THEM UP: IWU's head coach Norm Eash celebrated his 49th birthday on Sept. 24.
RANKINGS: IWU stayed at No. 23 in the second weekly poll of the season (Sept. 24) and remains at No. 37 (second week in a row) in this week’s . The Titans were picked to finish second in the preseason CCIW coaches’ poll.
FOR THE RECORD: IWU teams are 30-9-1 in September in the Norm Eash era and, last year at Washington U., lost in September for the first time since 1995...That loss also snapped a string of 11 straight regular season non-league wins, dating back to a 24-21 loss to Simpson in 1995...Since 1995, IWU has won 53 of its last 64 games (.828) and has been over the .500-mark for eight straight years and 12 of the last 13 years. The 11 losses have come to Wheaton (4), Millikin (3), Augustana (2), Washington U. and Mount Union (1 each)...The Titans are 54-15 (.783) at home and 47-25-1 on the road (.651) under Eash...IWU is 43-8 (.843) at Wilder Field in the last 11 years (1991-2001).
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Running back Randal Baker of Carthage and Elmhurst quarterback Don Demma were the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin “Offensive Players of the Week” while North Central LB Gary Kmiec won the defnsive honor. IWU’s Josh Akin (Naperville, Benet Academy) was CCIW “Offensive Player of the Week” on Sept. 14.
ALL-TIME: IWU is 486-348-42 (.578) in 110 years of football. Before the season, IWU was tied for 16th among Division III schools (with St. John’s [Minn.], 484-211-24 in 91 seasons).
FOR KICKS: Junior Brian Klesath (Peoria, Notre Dame HS) had a 36-yard field goal vs. Washington U. and is 16-of-25 in his career. That is second all-time at IWU, behind Dave Pearce, who kicked 29 field goals from 1979-82. Klesath had a career-long 44 yarder in the win over UW-LaCrosse.
THE SERIES, A.A. STAGG: This is the first meeting between the U. of Chicago and Illinois Wesleyan in football since 1901. The Maroons, coached by legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg and playing in the Big Ten Conference, shutout IWU, 22-0. In 1901, Stagg was in his 10th year as head coach and went on to spend 30 more at Chicago, retiring in 1932. Among the innovations in football credited to Stagg are the tackling dummy, the huddle, the reverse and man in motion plays, the lateral pass, uniform numbers, and awarding varsity letters. After retiring from Chicago, Stagg served as head coach at Pacific from 1932 to 1946, then was an assistant coach to his son at Susquehanna until 1952. He passed away in 1965 at the age of 102. Stagg was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as both a player and coach. The NCAA recognized Stagg’s contributions by designating the Division III championship game the Stagg Bowl.
ON THE AIR: The IWU/Chicago game will be broadcast via streaming audio on the Internet on WJBC Radio. Art Kimball and Greg Halbleib will provide the commentary.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Titans open their conference season and defense of their league title when they host North Park on Oct. 5 in Illinois Wesleyan’s 2002 Homecoming game. In a 27-8 win over Eureka, sophomore Josh Gruenewald rushed 25 times for 198 yards as the Vikings (1-1) totaled 341 yards of offense. Jon Harris caught five passes for 69 yards. North Park, coached by Illinois Wesleyan 1975 graduate Robin Cooper, also scored on one of their four interceptions.
NOTE TIME CHANGE: To accommodate IWU Homecoming activities, the North Park game will be played at 1:30 p.m. Most earlier printed schedules list the game as a 1 p.m. start.
UNDER THE LIGHTS: On Sept. 21, 2002, IWU won the first home night
football game played at IWU’s Wilder Field since 1971. The Titans were
to have played Aurora at night on Sept. 15, 2001, but the game was cancelled
in light of the national tragedies of Sept. 11. The last home night game
was on Oct. 2, 1971, when Carthage downed the Titans, 22-19. Home night
game results from 1965-2002:
Sept. 24, 2002 - IWU 31, Washington U. 24 (OT)
Oct. 2, 1971 - Carthage 22, IWU 19
Sept. 19, 1970 - IWU 21, Wheaton 21
Oct. 5, 1968 - Carthage 20, IWU 13
Sept. 30, 1967 - IWU 17, Augustana 3
Oct. 1, 1966 - IWU 20, North Park 0
Sept. 25, 1965 - IWU 34, Illinois State 7
MEDIA GUIDE: The 2002 Illinois Wesleyan football media guide, complete with player and coach profiles and all-time records, is available for $5 via mail. Send a check to: Sports Information Director, Illinois Wesleyan, P.O. Box 2900, Bloomington, IL 61702-2900.
HONORS: Four players return that were first team all-CCIW choices last season - senior defensive back and punt returner Kevin Kaplan (Cary, Cary-Grove HS) (20 tackles, five interceptions, led league in punt returns); senior linebacker Mike Clark (Joliet, West HS) (82 tackles, 45 solo, 13 tackles for loss); senior offensive tackle Adam Miller (Elgin, Larkin HS); and junior wide receiver Tim Snyder (Glen Ellyn, Glenbard South HS) (27 catches for 396 yards). Kaplan is also a third team preseason All-American (Don Hansen Football Gazette).