Illinois Wesleyan football was hoping to recover from their 0-2 CCIW season so far when they faced off against Carthage College on Saturday, September 25 in Kenosha, WI. Rather than take the win, the Titans fell to the Firebirds 62-35.
The Titans were already behind 34-7 by the time the buzzer rang for halftime and, despite a solid effort, could not make up the lost points. The Titans were able to keep Carthage from racking up too many points in the first quarter but struggled to make it far enough into Firebird territory to score. When time ran out in the first quarter, the score was already 0-7.
Maintaining their slow start, IWU had no points on the board until nearly the end of the second quarter. With seven minutes left, sophomore quarterback Sage Schindler connected a 24-yard pass to senior Wesley Watson. The celebration was short lived as the Firebirds ended the half with another 27 points, bringing the score to 34-7.
The third quarter showed no progress for the Titans, who continued to fall into Carthage’s deficit. The Firebirds powered forward with another 35-yard reception and a pick-six, catapulting them to 48-7.
In the final quarter, the Titans tried to pull themselves up by their laces but to no avail. Schindler made a 58-yard pass to junior wide receiver Charlie Hamilton to bring seven more points to the Green-and-White. Carthage fought back with an additional 95-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 55-14.
Senior running back Anthony Marre added a 65-yard drive and Hamilton completed two more touchdown passes before the end of the quarter. Hamilton threw on one more 14-yard touchdown in order to lessen the point gap. The Titan’s final additions brought the score up to 55-35.
With only 36 seconds left, the Firebirds churned out one last touchdown, ending the game at 62-35.
Despite the loss, Hamilton broke his own career record with his three touchdown grabs and eight catches giving him a career-high 178 yards. Watson’s two catches added 35 yards and Wesleyan’s other touchdown.
Offense totalled 418 yards (317 in the air, 101 on the ground), barely following Carthage’s 458. On defense, seniors Skyler Metzger and Nicholas DeGregorio picked up nine and seven tackles respectively. Sophomore Connor Nigro and junior Conor Murphy also added another seven.
Illinois Wesleyan football will return home to Tucci Stadium for their Homecoming game against Elmhurst on Saturday, October 2.