After a bye week, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team returns to the gridiron for its final home game of the 2026 season Saturday, Nov. 7, as North Park University travels to Tucci Stadium. Kickoff of the program's second annual Salute to Service game is set for 1 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan will take to Tucci with hopes of securing its best season since 2018. IWU sits at 6-2 on the year and 4-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a postseason berth within reach. The Titans most recently shut out Elmhurst University, 44-0, in Bloomington, Oct. 24. North Park travels south looking to ride the momentum of a 55-34 Homecoming win over Carroll University, Oct. 31. The Vikings, who have won two of their past three games, enter the week 2-6 on the year and 2-4 in league play.
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.
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Salute to Service
Saturday's game will serve as the program's second annual Salute to Service contest. Active and retired military, first responders, and nurses are all welcomed to attend the game and will receive a gift at entry.
No Soup for You!
The Illinois Wesleyan defense pitched a shutout against Elmhurst Oct. 24, besting the Bluejays 44-0. It marked the Titans' first shutout since a 35-0 win over Carthage Sept. 28, 2024. Additionally, IWU limited EU to 123 yards of total offense, the fewest since holding the Bluejays to 104 yards Oct. 2, 2021.
There goes Malik... again
Illinois Wesleyan's lopsided win over Elmhurst was powered by Malik Gray's second four-score game of the season. Gray scampered into the end zone four times, finishing the game with 76 yards on 16 carries. He is the only player in program history to score four or more touchdowns in a game multiple times in a career, let alone doing so in the same season.
For the season, Gray has registered 10 rushing touchdowns, good for the seventh-most in IWU football history alongside Nate Hilding (1994) and Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore (2015). His 10 touchdowns are the most by a Titan since Brandon Bauer rushed for 12 in 2018. Maury Parker holds the program record with 15 rushing touchdowns in 1990.
Reese reels in national honors
A second-half tackle on special teams to preserve IWU's shutout Oct. 24 landed Bryce Reese the first national honor of his career as he was included on the D3football.com Team of the Week Oct. 27.
Reese is the fourth Titan to garner D3football recognition this season, joining Joey DeMaio (Sept. 15), Will Nazha (Oct. 6), and Matt Worthington (Oct. 13). This year's four honorees are the most since the 2022 campaign when Kevin Graham, Frank Roti (twice), and Anthony Wachal Jr. combined for four selections. Overall, he represents the program's 21st all-time selection.
Tale of the tape
IWU holds an all-time record of 60-6 against North Park. The Titans have been even more dominant at home, owning a 35-0 record against the Vikings at Tucci Stadium and a 25-6 record away from Bloomington. IWU has won eight of the past 10 matchups.
Last season, Illinois Wesleyan never trailed in a 49-21 win over NPU. Now assistant coach Danny Kent broke a 14-14 tie with a three-yard scamper and Cooper King followed with a touchdown reception to catapult the Titans ahead, 28-14, midway through the third quarter. The Green and White never looked back, with Will Nazha housing a kickoff 91 yards alongside two more Dermot Smyth touchdown passes.
Take your pick
With two weeks left in the regular season, Illinois Wesleyan is led by a strong wide receiver corps on the offensive side. The Titans rank second in the league in total offense (430.5 yards per game), highlighted by the CCIW's top passing offense. IWU averages 290.3 yards per game in league play and is the only school in the league with three wide receivers ranked inside the top 12. Will Nazha leads the league at 102.0 yards per game, while Cade Danko and Jimmy Deacy are slotted sixth and seventh, respectively. Danko is hauling in 69.2 yards per game with Deacy just behind at 62.8 yards per game.
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 interception apiece. IWU's interception total is second in the CCIW and is slotted 34th-most across Division III as of Oct. 21.
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 20th in the country with 3.13 team sacks per game, while their 7.6 tackles for loss are 28th-most. The heavy and consistent pressure in the backfield has opponents limited to a .263 third-down conversion percentage, the second-best mark in the CCIW and 13th nationally.
A league of his own
With his 56-yard rushing touchdown to seal IWU's win Sept. 12, Dermot Smyth added another nugget to his illustrious career. Smyth eclipsed 1000 career rushing yards on the play, becoming the first Titan quarterback to clear the mark while also throwing for 5000-plus yards. He finished the game with five touchdown passes, one shy of the program record, and added a rushing touchdown. More recently, Smyth became one of five Titans in program history to throw for 6000-plus career yards.
The veteran signal-caller sits inside the program's top 10 in several categories including rushing touchdowns (fourth), passing touchdowns (sixth), passing yards (sixth), and passing completions (sixth).
On repeat
Junior wide receiver Will Nazha has established himself as one of the premier receivers across Division III. After a breakout season in 2025, the Barrington, Ill., native has built on that this year. Through eight games, he is 10th nationally in receiving yards (876) and receiving yards per game (109.5), 11th in receptions per game (7.38), and 44th nationally in receiving touchdowns with seven.
With two games to go in the regular season, Nazha needs just 114 yards to become IWU's first 1000-yard receiver since 2018 (Jack Healy – 1137 yards).
With a victory, Illinois Wesleyan will secure its most wins since 2018. That year, the Titans went 8-2 overall, 8-1 in CCIW play and narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament. A win Saturday would boost the Titans to 7-2 with one game to go in the regular season.
On the horizon
The Green and White closes the regular season with a battle at No. 5 North Central College Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill.
