Illinois Wesleyan’s football team took a commanding 55-0 shutout win over Carthage College on Saturday, October 15. The Titans’ offense looked explosive and their defense was unwavering in the victory.
Wesleyan was forced to punt only one time on Saturday on 11 drives, a testament to their success on the offensive side of the ball.
Though the Titans continued to struggle to find much success on the ground, the pass game was outstanding.
Sophomore quarterback Jay Lemenager had a breakout game. Lemenager completed 17 of his 23 passes for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns. Lemenager also added three rushes for 16 yards and another touchdown to his stat sheet.
Fellow sophomore quarterback Ryan Saxe also had limited work at the position, completing all three of his passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Senior wide receiver Charlie Hamilton led the Titans with nine catches, earning 106 yards. Hamilton scored three touchdowns in the game, also the most of any receiver for Illinois Wesleyan.
Payton Gerberding, another senior receiver for IWU, also impressed against Carthage. The wideout caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns in an explosion into the spotlight.
Wesleyan’s defense accumulated three interceptions in the game. Sophomore defensive backs Artist Benjamin and Jimmy Capecci each had a takeaway through the air.
Fellow sophomore linebacker Frank Roti earned a pick-six early in the third quarter, his second touchdown of the season. Roti also had 7 tackles on the day, 1.5 of which were for a loss.
The Titans defense as a whole earned 12 tackles for a loss for 52 yards. Sophomore defensive lineman Owen Phaby led the team in the stat, with two tackles for a loss for eight yards. Phaby also had a sack resulting in a loss of six.
IWU looks to stay hot in a game against the Augustana Vikings on Saturday, October 29, in Rock Island.