BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Nearly one year to the day from seeing its season end at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, the Illinois Wesleyan University football team will return to Naperville, Ill. for its regular season finale against fourth-ranked North Central College. The game, which carries significant postseason implications for both squads, is slated for a noon kickoff.
Illinois Wesleyan travels into Saturday's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest with a 7-2 standing overall. The Titans are 5-2 in league play. IWU secured a postseason berth, its first since 2017, with a 59-20 rout of North Park University, Nov. 7. North Central holds an 8-1 record ahead of Saturday, sitting at 6-1 in CCIW action. The Cardinals have won four straight since a narrow defeat to Wheaton College last month, most recently blasting Millikin University, 62-12, Nov. 7.
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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Playing past this weekend
Illinois Wesleyan secured its first postseason berth since the 2017 season with its 59-20 win over North Park, Nov. 7. The Titans are in position to represent the CCIW in the Culver's Isthmus Bowl in Madison, Wis., Nov. 21, as of today. With a win over North Central this weekend, the Green and White would put themselves on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Frank garners national honors
A fake punt led Nathan Frank to the first national honor of his career as he was included on the D3football.com Team of the Week, Nov. 10. Frank took a handoff on the fake 44 yards for a rushing touchdown in IWU's win over North Park, Nov. 7.
Frank is the fifth Titan to garner D3football recognition this season, joining Joey DeMaio (Sept. 15), Will Nazha (Oct. 6), Matt Worthington (Oct. 13), and Bryce Reese (Oct. 27). This year's five honorees tie the program record for most in a season (2021). Overall, he represents the program's 22nd all-time selection.
Clashes with the Cardinals
Illinois Wesleyan and North Central have met on the gridiron 75 times ahead of Saturday's showdown, with the Titans owning a 37-35-3 edge in the all-time tally. NCC has had the upper hand as of late, winning the past 15 matchups. IWU holds a 6-13 record against the Cardinals at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium since 1987.
Last win over the Cardinals
IWU's last win over North Central came via a 28-22 overtime thriller on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2009. It was just the second OT game in IWU history.
North Central had the ball first in overtime but missed a 42-yard field goal on fourth down. On the Titans' possession, which consisted of five plays, Kraig Ladd hit Michael Sloboda with his first catch of the day for a 10-yard score to give IWU the 28-22 win.
Smyth runs up the list
Senior quarterback Dermot Smyth totaled four touchdowns in the Titans' win over North Park, with three coming on the ground. Smyth's three rushing touchdowns catapulted him into sole possession of second place on Illinois Wesleyan's all-time career rushing touchdown list. Smyth's 25 scores are second to only Maury Parker, who found the endzone 27 times from 1989 to 1992. Smyth is sixth among active Division III quarterbacks in career rushing scores, trailing WashU's Levi Moore, Merchant Marine's Bubba Mustain, Eastern's Brett Nabb, and Salisbury's SyRus McGowan.
Take your pick
With one week left in the regular season, Illinois Wesleyan is led by a strong wide receiver core on the offensive side. The Titans rank second in the league in total offense (438.4 ypg), highlighted by the CCIW's top passing offense. IWU averages 284.7 yards per game in league play and is the only school in the league with three WRs ranked inside the top-12. Will Nazha leads the league at 100.6 yards per game, while Cade Danko and Jimmy Deacy are slotted sixth and eighth, respectively. Danko is hauling in 72.3 yards per game with Deacy just behind at 61.1 ypg.
Ball hawks
The Titans have recorded 12 interceptions on the season with Lucas Lappin leading the team with four. Nate Frank follows with three and Clint Teater has two, while Joey DeMaio, Murphy Brennan, and Ian Whitaker have added one pick apiece. IWU's INT total is second in the CCIW and is slotted 35th-most across Division III as of Nov. 10.
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 22nd in the country with 3.00 team sacks per game, while their 7.4 tackles for loss are 34th-most. The heavy and consistent pressure in the backfield has opponents limited to a .300 third-down conversion percentage, the second-best mark in the CCIW and 28th 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+ yards. He finished the game with five touchdown passes, one shy of the program record, and added a rushing TD. More recently, Smyth became one of five Titans in program history to throw for 6000+ career yards.
The veteran signal caller sits inside the program's top-10 in several categories including rushing touchdowns (second), passing touchdowns (third), passing completions (tied for third), and passing yards (fifth).
On repeat
Junior wide receiver Will Nazha has established himself as one of the premiere receivers across Division III. After a breakout season in 2025, the Barrington, Ill. native has built on that this year. Through nine games, he is 10th nationally in receiving yards (968) and all-purpose yards per game (167.78), 10th in receiving yards per game (107.6), 13th in receptions per game (7.33), and 40th nationally in receiving touchdowns with eight.
With one game to go in the regular season, Nazha needs just 32 yards to become IWU's first 1000-yard receiver since 2018 (Jack Healy - 1137 yards).
With a win…
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 8-2 and, according to Logan Hansen Ratings, give them a 68 percent chance at making the NCAA field.
On the horizon
The Green and White's postseason fate will be solidified Sunday, Nov. 15. The NCAA selection show is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ncaa.com, while the Culver's Isthmus Bowl will be announced sometime Sunday.
