BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team returns to action as host to Trine University for Senior Day Saturday, Sept. 12. The Green and White's home opener is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff, while the senior class will be recognized prior to game time.
Illinois Wesleyan (1-0) returns home after winning its first non-conference road game since 2016. The Titans accomplished the feat in head coach Jared Williamson's first attempt, taking down Albion College, 24-10, Sept. 5. Saturday's contest will feature a pair of undefeated teams, as the Thunder come into Bloomington with a 1-0 standing following a week one win. Trine notched a 48-34 win at home, Sept. 3.
Fans can tune into a live stream provided by IWU athletics, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.
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A nice day for a smoothie
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a proud partner of Illinois Wesleyan athletics, will be on site for Saturday's game serving up $6 smoothies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe will be set up in the southeast corner of the stadium from 12 p.m. until the start of the fourth quarter.
Senior salute
Titan football returns to Tucci Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 12. The highly anticipated home opener will also serve as the Green and White's Senior Day. IWU will recognize its 27 seniors pregame, with recognitions to begin at approximately 12:40 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan's veteran class includes Austin Brown, Jimmy Deacy, John Degustino, Joey DeMaio, Nathan Frank, John Gavin, Malik Gray, Carson Green, Marcheon Griffin, Matt Hansen, Zach Hansen, Demarco Hunter, Alexander Jackson, Hardy Johnson, Kaden Junge, Cooper King, Ethan Kolloff, Yahir Martinez, Sam McMillin, Bryce Reese, Koleman Salyers, Nathan Schmidt, Dermot Smyth, Clint Teater, Ryan Umbarger, Conner Wagner, and Ian Whitaker.
Honoring the past
Celebrations Saturday will get underway with the unveiling of a new sign inside the stadium recognizing the tremendous history of Titan football and those who have led it. The sign will be affixed to the scoreboard in the northwest corner of the stadium and will be in recognition of the leadership of Don "Swede" Larson and Norm Eash in their combined 70-plus years at the helm of Illinois Wesleyan football. A special recognition will take place prior to the game around 12:30 p.m. and will be followed by Eash lighting the Victory Flame.
Nice to meet you
Saturday will serve as the first-ever meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Trine. The game will mark IWU's 22nd game against a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association institution. The Titans are 21-1 against the league all-time, holding winning records against Hope (9-1), Alma (7-0), Albion (3-0), and Adrian (2-0). With Trine on the docket this week, the Green and White have yet to play Calvin, Kalamazoo, and Olivet.
Picks to click
Nathan Frank, Clint Teater, and Lucas Lappin each hauled in interceptions in Illinois Wesleyan's win at Albion, Sept. 5. The trio of INTs gave IWU its first multiple-interception game since Sept. 25, 2025, at Carthage when Matt Hansen and Sebastian Thomas did so. Furthermore, the Titans are one of 11 Division III schools with three-or-more picks in a game this season.
Rising the ranks
Amid his final season donning the Green and White, Dermot Smyth is climbing Illinois Wesleyan's career ranks. Over 27 games on the field for the Titans, Smyth has thrown for 5,557 yards and 51 touchdowns. He has added 21 TDs on the ground.
Smyth eclipsed the 5,000 career passing yards mark at Augustana, Nov. 1, 2025, becoming just the eighth Titan to do so in program history. He is listed throughout the IWU record book entering his senior season, as Smyth is seventh all-time in passing touchdowns (51), while he is also tied for fourth with Kurt Swearingen in rushing scores (21). His 446 completions are seventh-most all-time.
Establishing himself
Will Nazha put together a breakout year in 2025, establishing himself as one of the top wide receivers in the CCIW. Nazha led the conference and was 17th nationally with 150.8 all-purpose yards per game. The Barrington, Ill., native was top-50 in Division III in receptions per game (7.10 - 18th nationally), receiving yards per game (92.8 - 32nd nationally), and total receiving yards (928 - 42nd nationally). He was seventh in the CCIW with seven TDs.
Furthermore, Nazha's 928 receiving yards were the most since Charlie Hamilton finished the 2022 season with 940 yards. Nazha crossed the 1,000-yard mark for his career with a 44-yard TD catch at Albion, Sept. 5.
It's building
Illinois Wesleyan continued to receive votes in a national poll this week, as the Titans found themselves in the receiving votes category of the AFCA week one poll. IWU, which garnered three points, was one of four CCIW programs in the conversation. North Central topped the poll, with Wheaton checking in at No. 2. Augustana reeled in seven points and joined the Titans in the receiving votes category.
September
Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 37-15 record in the month of September since 2010. IWU went 2-1 in the month last season, with the Titans' lone loss coming against Central to begin the year.
With a win...
With a win, Illinois Wesleyan will move to 2-0 on the year for the first time since 2017. That year, IWU secured home wins over UW-Whitewater (17-10) and Nebraska Wesleyan (42-21). The Titans finished that season 9-2, ending its season in the NCAA Tournament.
On the horizon
Following its final non-conference bout of the season, the Titans will turn their attention to the gauntlet that is the CCIW portion of the slate. IWU starts league play on the road at Augustana College, Sept. 19, for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
