By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
Norm Eash wanted to make it clear that Illinois Wesleyan is not a fluke, or some Johnnie-come-lately in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin race this year. The Titans are in it to win it and have the history to prove it.
“In the 1990s we had a pretty good run and we won the conference in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2001,” Eash said this week. “Our goal every year is to be in the conference race and win the conference championship. We hit a dry spell and it seemed like we were always one step away.”
Illinois Wesleyan (5-2 overall), tied with No. 5-ranked Wheaton (7-0) for the top spot in the CCIW race at 4-0 with three conference games remaining, is attempting to break out of that dry spell. The Titans continued their winning ways with a 28-14 victory over Elmhurst last week.
“The biggest change this year is that we got that confidence back,” Eash said. “It takes a special group of kids to get your confidence back. Our senior class has really done a great job for us. We have 16 seniors, seven of them starting on defense, who has really helped us. They have led us on and off the field.”
Eash said his defensive front anchored by down linemen Tim Wilkins, Brock Collins and Rob Hoyland have helped control the line of scrimmage for Illinois Wesleyan this season. Senior defensive backs Brian Smith, Bo Osburn and Andrew Delaney have played pivotal roles as well.
Senior linebacker Charlie Welke, Eash said, has helped influence the team’s two leading tacklers, linebackers Nick Nikolich and Dan Souder. Eash said the play of his two underclassmen linebackers have been “simply outstanding” so far this year, both ranking near the top of the CCIW tackles list.
Eash said while he knew he had a veteran defensive squad returning, he offense was very young and has been a pleasant surprise. Starting quarterback Kraig Ladd played on the junior varsity last year but was one of the Titans best baseball players in the spring.
“He was doing double duty for us in the spring (between baseball and spring football),” Eash said. “He did a great job in satisfying both sports. He knew if he wanted to be in the mix at quarterback he had to throw some.
“Kraig is a big kid at 6-4, 201 pounds and he can sling the ball. He came from a small school but he’s getting better and better each year and I think he can really be an outstanding quarterback in the CCIW. He’s still getting better at reading coverages.”
The exciting point about the emergence of the Illinois Wesleyan’s offense for Eash is that he will virtually have the entire unit back next season with only one senior in the group.
“We have one freshman and three sophomores playing on the offensive line,” Eash said. “I’ve been here for 21 years and I’ve never had a young group like this, but they are getting better and better and I’m really pleased with that.”
Eash said his team has not had a game where it has all come together yet. He said if the Titans want to accomplish their title goal, it will have to happen before the season ends, especially with Wheaton (Nov. 10 at home) and North Central (Nov. 3 on the road) waiting in the wings.
“We’ve had games where the defense was great but the offense was okay and other games where the offensive was great but the defense was okay,” Eash said. “If we can ever have that game where both sides of the ball are making plays, we can beat anybody. This week, though, we have to take care of North Park and we’re not thinking about anyone else. We’re putting ourselves in a great position.”
Eash said the Sept. 29 victory over Augustana 22-19, one of the CCIW favorites this season, uplifted the team’s spirits.
“Augustana has a great program and we’ve had some great games with them in the past,” Eash said. “Anytime you can open up the CCIW with a win is big, but if you can open up with win against a team that’s near the top, it could put you in the driver’s seat.”
The Titans, with their hands firmly behind the wheel, will try to stay on that rocky road to the CCIW championship.
Title, playoff picture clearing up
While the presence of Illinois Wesleyan keeps the CCIW title race in suspense, some other races in the Midwest are a little more clear.
In the Midwest Conference, St. Norbert has assured itself of a share of the conference title and the automatic playoff bid with two games to go. The Green Knights (8-0, 7-0) have won 24 consecutive regular season games. Carroll, Ripon, and Monmouth, all St. Norbert victims already this season, are two games back with two to play. Even if St. Norbert loses its last two games against Beloit (0-8, 0-7 in MWC) and Illinois College (4-4, 4-3 in MWC), head-to-head wins would give the edge to St. Norbert.
In the Illini-Badger Conference, Concordia (Wis.) scored a 35-28 victory over Lakeland, giving them control of the IBC (6-2, 5-0) with two games to play. If Concordia beats Greeneville (2-3, 3-4 in IBC), it should clinch the playoff spot because it would be one game ahead of Lakeland (4-4, 4-1) with one game left in the season with the head-to-head game advantage. Concordia wraps up the season the following week against Benedictine (4-4, 3-2 in IBC).
In the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, pesky Defiance (5-2, 4-0 HCAC) stands in the way of Franklin (6-1, 4-0 in HCAC) walking off with its first HCAC title. Defiance, though, has to still worry about three-time defending conference champions Mount St. Joseph (6-1, 4-1 in HCAC). The Yellow Jackets travel into the Lions’ den with Mount still hoping to get a share of the title.
Mount St. Joseph hopes to beat Defiance and then become Yellow Jacket fans when Defiance travels to Franklin to following week in hopes of an upset and turning the conference into a three-way knot. That would turn the playoff representative over to a nasty tie-breaker system that could go down to opponents conference losses among other things. In short, bring in the math majors to figure it out.
In the University Athletic Association, Washington U. continues to play well, beating Chicago 31-10 last week and will take on Carnegie Mellon (3-4) this Saturday. A victory by the Bears (6-1, 1-0 in UAA) would set up a showdown against Case Western Reserve (7-0, 1-0 in UAA) in Cleveland for the league title. Washington’s only loss this season came at the hands of No. 5-ranked Wheaton 55-14.
