Illinois Wesleyan (7-1, 4-1) vs.
North Central (4-4. 2-3)
Sat., Nov. 4 • 1 p.m.
Cardinal Stadium, Naperville, Ill.

TITAN NOTES: IWU dropped Carthage last week, 44-13, snapping a 7-7 mid-second quarter tie to score 30 unanswered points and take a 37-7 lead. Senior quarterback Joel Castillo (Elgin, Larkin HS) completed 20 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three TDs, earning College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Offensive Player of the Week” honors. Senior Max Milinkovich (Elmhurst, York HS) rushed for 130 yards on 22 carries and senior Shawn Emerson (Zion, Zion-Benton HS) caught 11 passes for 116 yards. IWU was led defensively by junior Brad Andrekus (Carol Stream, Glenbard North HS), who had two interceptions; sophomore linebacker Joel Dodson (Pontiac HS) and senior Creighton Drescher (Palatine HS) with eight and seven tackles, respectively; and senior Dan Vosnos (Glenview, Glenbrook South HS) with five tackles and an interception. . .The Titans are fourth in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin offense with 334.2 yards per game and are third in the league in defense, allowing just 257.9 yards per game. IWU is second in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 12.6 points per game...The Titans return home for the regular season finale against Millikin next Saturday at 1 p.m.

LEAGUE HONORS: Senior quarterback Joel Castillo was named “Offensive Player of the Week” in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin for his play against Carthage. Castillo was 20 of 29 for 230 yards with three touchdown passes. This season Castillo ranks second in the league in both passing and total offense. He has completed 121 passes in 225 attempts (both league highs) for 1533 yards and has 1571 yards of total offense . . . Previously, senior lineman Jeff Heinzl (Palatine, Fremd HS) was been named “Defensive Player of the Week” in the CCIW for his play vs. Elmhurst and sophomore linebacker Joel Dodson (Pontiac HS) earned the league’s weekly defensive honor for his play in the win at Aurora.

THE RETURNS ARE IN: When sophomore Kevin Kaplan (Cary, Cary-Grove HS) returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter vs. Carthage, it was the first Titan punt return for a TD since Oct. 4, 1997, when Kevin Fahey brought one back 39 yards vs. North Park. Kaplan’s punt return is believed to be the longest for a TD in IWU history, topping the previous long of 78 yards by Chris Bisaillon vs. Augustana (Oct. 26, 1991). Nate Hilding returned three punts for scores in 1993.

CAREER MARKS: In his career, Shawn Emerson (Zion, Zion-Benton HS) has moved up to third all-time at IWU with 1,955 receiving yards. He is behind only Chris Bisaillon (3,798 from 1989-92) and Ed Brady (2,907 from 1981-84). He is tied with Zac Williams for No. 5 all-time at IWU with 139 catches and is No. 8 at the school with 18  TD catches. . . Max Milinkovich (Elmhurst, York HS) has 2,087 career rushing yards, good for No. 7 all-time at IWU. He is behind Britt Travis (2,094 yards from 1977-80). His 495 rushing attempts is the fourth most by an IWU player, behind Travis (604), Kurt Swearingen (589, 1975-78), and Dana Just (501, 1974-77). Milinkovich gains 4.2 yards per carry.

HISTORY LESSON: In IWU’s 108-year football history, only six other teams have won eight games or more. The seasons were 1951 (8-0), 1965 (8-0), 1974 (8-1), 1992 (10-1), 1994 (8-1) and 1996 (10-1).

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Chosen by Titan coaches to honor top players in the week’s game and practices.
OFFENSE: Max Milinkovich, senior, running back, Elmhurst (York HS); Shawn Emerson, senior, wide receiver, Zion (Zion-Benton HS)
DEFENSE: Brad Andrekus, junior, back, Carol Stream (Glenbard North HS); John Kovaka, senior, back, Chicago (Marist HS)
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kevin Kaplan, sophomore, back, Cary (Cary-Grove HS); Rick Tosch, junior, wide receiver, Park Ridge (Maine South HS); Steve Schilsky, sophomore, defensive end, Springfield (Sacred Heart Griffin HS)
SCOUT (Offense): Jacob Norris, freshman, line, Springfield (Sacred Heart Griffin HS); Jim Fransen, freshman, tight end, Poplar Grove (Rockford Lutheran HS)
SCOUT (Defense): Mark Coleman, freshman, linebacker, Chatsworth (Prairie Central HS); Jason Trotter, freshman, linebacker, Decatur (Meridian HS).

FOR THE RECORD: Dating back to 1995, IWU has won 42 of its last 51 games (.824) and is guaranteed a better-than-.500 season for the seventh straight year and for the 11th time in the last 12 years. Of those nine losses, four have been to Wheaton, three to Millikin, and one each to Augustana and Mount Union. . .IWU teams were 72-21-1 in the 1990s (.769) and, in the Eash era, are 23-8 in November (.742). The Titans are 49-14 (.778) at home and 41-24-1 on the road (.629) under Eash’s tutelage. . . IWU is 38-7 (.841) at Wilder Field in the last 10 years, including 2000...IWU has won 11 straight regular season non-league games, dating back to a 24-21 loss to Simpson in 1995...CCIW teams were 19-5 against non-conference foes in the league’s first 10-game schedule.

BOUNCING BACK: The last time the Titans lost two games in a row was in 1995 when IWU dropped their home opener to Washington U. (28-23) then fell at Simpson (24-21). Since then IWU has won 11 games immediately after losses, including three times last season and once this year, topping Carthage after falling at Wheaton.

THE COACHES: Norm Eash, a 1975 IWU graduate, is in his 14th season as head coach at Illinois Wesleyan. He has an overall record of 90-38-1 (.701) and a CCIW mark of 69-31-1 (.688) with conference titles in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Eash is sixth in all-time CCIW coaching wins and is second in victories at IWU, behind Don "Swede" Larson (166 wins in 33 years, 1954-86) . . .The Cardinals’ Joe DeGeorge has a 9-17 overall record (5-14 CCIW) in his third year. The 1988 Beloit College graduate was the defensive coordinator at North Central for five seasons before becoming head man in 1998. His father, Ed, is the head football coach at Beloit.

THE SERIES:  In a series that dates back to 1945, IWU leads North Central, 33-14-3. The Titans have won 11 in a row and 17 of the last 19 games vs. North Central since 1983, including a 14-6 verdict in Naperville last season.

RANKINGS: The Titans, who were picked to finish fourth in the CCIW preseason coaches’ poll, stayed at No. 24 for the second straight week (after two weeks at No. 14) in the American Football Coaches Association poll. IWU remained at 27th (second straight week) in Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. In the latest usafootball.com poll, IWU was No. 26 (after loss at Wheaton).

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: North Central, who lost 31-8 last week to Augustana, was behind 14-0 before they ran their first offensive play. The Cardinals have wins over Benedictine (6-0), Chicago (30-27), Carthage (33-24), and North Park (17-7). In addition to Augustana, they have lost to Franklin (13-6), Wheaton (38-10), and Millikin (57-0). . .Jeremy Walsh is seventh among CCIW passers, completing 77 of 174 for 823 yards and six scores. His favorite receiver is Matt Joseph, who has 28 grabs for 288 yards. Punter Ryan Jordan, a CCIW “Offensive Player of the Week” earlier this season, is fifth in the league with a 35.6 average...North Central has had three CCIW “Defensive Players of the Week” this season - linebacker Andy Petersen (at Benedictine) and defensive backs Justin Ring (at Wheaton) and Dan Taylor (vs. Chicago) . . . The Cardinals are last in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in team offense (187.3 yards per game), team defense (343.8 yards allowed), and scoring offense (13.8 points per game). North Central ranks fifth in the CCIW in scoring defense, allowing 24.6 points per game.