Sat., Nov. 9 • 1 p.m. • Illinois Wesleyan Stadium
Bloomington, Ill.
SENIOR DAY: Eighteen Titan seniors will be playing their final
home game against Elmhurst. The seniors are:
• Josh Akin, Naperville (Benet Academy)
• Nathan Bell, Mahomet (Mahomet-Seymour HS)
• Brad Burtnette, Woodridge (Downers Grove South)
• John Butler, Deerfield (HS)
• Joe Bzdyl, Mokena (Lincoln-Way HS)
• Willie Chandler, St. Louis, Mo. (Hazelwood East HS)
• Mike Clark, Joliet (West HS)
• Doug DePersia, Tinley Park (HS)
• Nathan Gavzer, Rolling Meadows (Palatine Fremd HS)
• Randy Green, Urbana (HS)
• Kevin Kaplan, Cary (Gary-Grove HS)
• Steve Messina, Chicago (Nazareth Academy)
• Adam Miller, Elgin (Larkin HS)
• Chris Ross, Chatham (Glenwood HS)
• Pat Spangler, Joliet (HS)
• John Spellman, Wilmette (New Trier HS)
• Tolley Steckel, Winchester (HS)
• Travis Wieland, Catlin (HS)
LAST WEEK: The Titans have lost two straight games for the first time since 1995 after falling at Carthage, 21-20. The last time IWU lost two in a row was to Washington U. and Simpson to begin the 1995 campaign and the last time an IWU team was under .500 in the CCIW was in 1993...IWU broke out to a 20-0 lead with 5:05 left in the first half, but it was all Carthage from then on as the Redmen scored the final 21 points of the game. IWU ran only 16 plays and managed just 48 yards and two first downs in the second half. Senior Josh Akin (Naperville, Benet Academy) completed 14 of 24 passes for 164 yards and six of those passes went to sophomore Eric White (Antioch HS) for 123 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Vince Heaton (Wheaton, Warrenville South HS) led the Titans with 14 total tackles and blocked a punt...The Titans are third in total offense (359.0) and fifth in defense (362.2) in CCIW play.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Chosen by Titan coaches to honor top players in the week’s game
and practices.
None selected this week
CATCHING UP: Sophomore Eric White (Antioch HS) has 861 receiving yards after the first eight games, good for ninth in an IWU single season. In his career White has 1173 yards, which is 13th all-time at IWU...On the passing end, Josh Akin (Naperville, Benet Academy) is 10th all-time in passing yards at IWU with 2706.
JUST FOR KICKS: Junior Brian Klesath (Peoria, Notre Dame HS) has 10 field goals this season, which ties him with Dave Pearce (1981) for the most in a single season in IWU records. Klesath, who tied the single-game record with four field goals vs. North Central, is 23-of-35 in his career, second all-time at IWU, behind Pearce (29 field goals from 1979-82). Klesath had a career-long 44 yarder in the win over UW-LaCrosse.
CHRIS ROSS: Senior running back Chris Ross (Chatham, Glenwood HS) has a partially or completely torn MCL in his right knee, suffered in practice last week. Ross was on a pace to becomd IWU’s all-time single-season rushing leader - for the season Ross has 871 rushing yards, eighth in an IWU season. That placed him only 209 yards behind Kurt Swearingen, who had 1079 in 1977. Against North Central Ross tied a school mark with 39 rushing attempts in a game, held by Swearingen (1977 vs. Augustana) and his 238 yards rushing is third best in a single game at IWU, behind Chris Humbles (273 vs. North Park, 1991) and Deon Hornsby (244 vs. Thomas More, 1996). At Chicago he ran for 206 yards and vs. North Park he ran for 187 yards and tied a school-record with four TD runs. Maury Parker ran for four TDs vs. Carthage in 1990. In his career Ross has 974 yards.
LEAGUE HONORS: Senior Chris Ross (Chatham, Glenwood HS) has been "Offensive Player of the Week" in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin three times this fall and Josh Akin (Naperville, Benet Academy) was CCIW “Offensive Player of the Week” on Sept. 14.
FOR THE RECORD: IWU needs one win in its last two games to finish over the .500 mark for the ninth straight year and for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons...Titan teams are 27-9 in November in the Norm Eash era... Since 1995, IWU has won 56 of its last 70 games (.800). The 14 losses have come to Wheaton (5), Millikin and Augustana (3 each), Mount Union, Washington U., and Carthage (1 each)... The Titans are 56-17 (.767) at home and 48-26-1 on the road (.638) under Eash...IWU is 45-9 (.833) at Wilder Field in the last 11 years (1991-2002).
ALL-TIME: IWU is 489-351-42 (.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).
THE COACHES: Norm Eash (Illinois Wesleyan, 1975) is in his 16th season as head coach at IWU and has an overall record of 104-43-1 (.706) and a CCIW mark of 79-35-1 (.691) with conference titles in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2001. Eash, the CCIW “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 1996 and 2001, is fourth in all-time CCIW coaching wins, behind IWU’s Don Larson (142 wins), Bob Reade of Augustana (112) and Carthage’s Art Keller (105). Eash is second in victories at IWU, behind Don Larson (166 wins in 33 years, 1954-86)...Paul Krohn is in his 10th season as the coach of the Bluejays and has a career mark of 21-69-1 (.239) and a record of 12-53-1 (.189) in the league. Krohn was an assistant at Mankato State (Minn.) for 12 years had helped the Mavericks to two Division II playoff appearances.
The Norm Eash Record - Year-by-Year
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SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS: Despite Juan Quesada setting a new Elmhurst season record for receptions, Augustana gained 652 yards of total offense en route to a 58-0 shutout of Elmhurst on Sat. (Nov. 2). Elmhurst was held to just seven first downs and 102 total yards on 49 plays. Elmhurst also turned the ball over five times. Individually for the Bluejays, Quesada caught five passes to give him 59 receptions on the season, surpassing the former mark of 55 set by Steven Finch in 1981. Quarterback Dom Demma was 10-for-23 for 89 yards. Chris Dembosz led the Elmhurst defense with 13 tackles while Chris Rydelski finished with 12 tackles...Elmhurst ranks last in total offense (203.8) and defense (490.0) in CCIW play.
THE SERIES: In a series that dates back to 1930, Illinois Wesleyan holds a 42-7-1 lead in games vs. Elmhurst. The Titans have won the last 16 meetings and 17 of the last 19 games between the two schools, including a come-from-behind 8-3 win on an extremely rainy day at Elmhurst last season.
LOOKING AHEAD: IWU plays its final game of the 2002 season next Saturday at Millikin. Gametime will be 1 p.m. at Frank Lindsay Field. Millikin is 6-2 (3-2 CCIW) after a 72-0 win over North Park last weekend.
ON THE AIR: The IWU/Elmhurst game will be broadcast live on the Internet at WJBC Radio.
IWU ALUM COACHES: Three of the CCIW coaches are Illinois Wesleyan graduates - the Titans’ Norm Eash and North Park’s Robin Cooper, both from the class of 1975, and North Central’s John Thorne, who graduated in 1969. Four other coaches are the head mentors at their own alma maters - Jim Barnes (Augustana), Doug Niebuhr (Millikin), Mike Swider (Wheaton), and Tim Rucks (Carthage), while Elmhurst’s Paul Krohn is a Mankato State graduate.
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).