/seasons/2017/contrib/20170930k7k1ir

No. 19 Titans upset No. 4 Wheaton 14-10 after long, late drive

More news about: Illinois Wesleyan

WHEATON, Ill. -- With 6 seconds left in the game, Brandon Bauer hit Zach Walsh on a 12-yard touchdown pass to cap a 13-play, 86-yard drive as the No. 19 Illinois Wesleyan football team upset No. 4 Wheaton, 14-10, at McCully Stadium in Wheaton, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 30.

The Titans and Thunder are both 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin as Illinois Wesleyan picked up its first win at Wheaton since 2000.

After the game, IWU head coach Norm Eash told WJBC Radio it was an "amazing win. Our kids played hard for four quarters and made some great plays down the end. Our defense was terrific and put us in a position to win the game. To lnock off the No. 4 team puts us back in a good position in the conference and to do great things over the next five games."

IWU opened the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown gallop by junior Morgan Alexander with 3:06 to play in the first quarter. That run capped a 10-play, 75 yard drive and Patrick Tata added the extra point to give IWU a 7-0 lead.

Zach Walsh game-winning catch
Zach Walsh comes down with the game-winning touchdown. A holding penalty on Wheaton was declined.
Photo by Matt McClure, d3photography.com

It was a lead they held until 8:07 left before halftime when Jaelin Goldsmith completed a 16-yard scoring pass to Carter Roberts and Stefan Knoerr's extra point tied the game at 7-7.

The Thunder went ahead 10-7 on a 33-yard field goal by Knoerr with 9:38 remaining and held that lead until the Titans got the ball on their own 14 yard line with 2:33 remaining. Bauer engineered the drive, completing seven of nine passes (including three to Brian Johnson), with the game-winner to Walsh. Bauer finished the day with 20 completions in 36 attempts for 199 yards with the one TD and two interceptions.

IWU had 284 yards of total offense (199 pass, 85 rush) compared to 278 for the Thunder (205 pass, 73 rush). Alexander had 98 yards on 26 carries and Liam Keffer made a team-high eight receptions for 96 yards.

Jordan Hassan led the defense with 14 tackles (six solo) with three tackles for loss and a minus-12 yard quarterback sack. Quintin WaltersBrinton Wilkey and Trevor Staley were responsibile for eight tackles each and Staley made the Titans' only interception for a 21-yard return.

Eric Dubose (-9 yards) and John Nolan (-6 yards) each had quarterback sacks.

Dec. 15: All times Eastern
Final
Cortland 38, at North Central (Ill.) 37
@ Salem, Virginia
Video Box Score Recap Photos
Dec. 9: All times Eastern
Final
North Central (Ill.) 34, at Wartburg 27
Box Score Recap
Final
Cortland 49, at Randolph-Macon 14
Box Score Recap Recap Recap Photos
Maintenance in progress.