Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The No. 14-ranked Illinois Wesleyan football team racked up a 42-21 nonconference win over Nebraska Wesleyan at Tucci Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9.
The Titans, who held a commanding 42-7 lead with 5:28 to play in the third quarter, are 2-0 this season while the Prairie Wolves are 0-2.
The Titans amassed 496 yards of total offense with 266 of those coming on the ground. Junior Morgan Alexander had 124 yards on 12 carries including a 34-yard touchdown run. Junior Matese Scott had 44 yards on eight carries and a 2-yard TD gallop.
Sophomore Brandon Bauer completed 15 of 21 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards. Sophomore Liam Keffer, sophomore Jack Healy and sophomore Zac Walsh were all recipients of four catches with Keffer getting 56 yards and a 10 yard TD and Healy getting 48 yards and a 7-yard touchdown. Senior Andrew Apel caught a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Defensively, junior Trevor Staley had six total tackles (five solo) to pace IWU while senior Jordan Hassan and senior Josh Akin each had five total stops. Senior Jeremy Giderof had an interception return for 35 yards.
For Nebraska Wesleyan, quarterback Jonathan Curti completed 32 of 65 pass attempts for 461 yards and three touchdowns. The 65 pass attempts is a record for an opponent against Illinois Wesleyan, topping the old mark of 62 by North Central in 1967 while the 461 yards is just short of the record of 462 set by Wheaton in 1998.
The 461 is a Nebraska Wesleyan school record for passing yards, breaking the previous record set in 1986.
Curti's favorite target was Bryce Darner, who collected seven passes for 173 yards and a 93-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Bradley Pelkey had two touchdown catches of 55 yards and 14 yards.
The Prairie Wolves managed only 17 rushing yards in 21 tries and had 478 yards of total offense.
What's Next?
Illinois Wesleyan opens its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season with a game against defending CCIW champion North Central in Naperville, Ill., at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Cardinals are 1-0 and had a bye week this Saturday.