Football 10/20/2022 10:19:00 AM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS WELCOME SAINT FRANCIS FOR HOMECOMING

Football 10/20/2022 10:19:00 AM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS WELCOME SAINT FRANCIS FOR HOMECOMING

PREVIEW

WEEK 3: INDIANA WESLEYAN (5-1, 3-0) vs. SAINT FRANCIS (IND.) (3-2, 1-2)
After back-to-back road games, Indiana Wesleyan returns to Wildcat Football Stadium for Homecoming against Saint Francis Saturday afternoon.
A last-second 46-yard field goal a season ago propelled IWU to a 23-21 victory.
The Wildcats are 1-2 in the overall series between the programs.

KICKOFF

Saturday, Oct. 22 at 12:00 p.m.

ON THE INTERNET

Fans can watch the game on either ESPN3 or the IWU Wildcats Livestream.
Listen to the game on WBAT Radio 105.5FM/1400AM or online on WBAT.com by clicking HERE.
Live stats are available by clicking HERE.

THE SERIES

Saint Francis leads 2-1 through the first three games of the series. IWU won the first game in Fort Wayne, Ind. dropping a one-point contest (31-30) in 2019. The Wildcats lost 17-13 in March of 2021 before garnering a 23-21 win on the road last year.

HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS

Homecoming is a special time for Wildcat Nation. During the program's inaugural season, the team bested St. Francis (Ill.) 35-34 in a shootout. That year was memorable for fans as the teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and IWU won when a last-second field goal by the opposition went awry.

The 2019 Homecoming game saw plenty of highlights for Indiana Wesleyan in the 45-10 win over Lawrence Tech. Zack Blair's 240 yards through the air highlighted the passing attack while Jesse Deglow found the end zone twice.

After not having a Homecoming game during the COVID-19 season, the Wildcats remained undefeated with a 35-0 thrashing of Lawrence Tech last year. Xander Stokes connected with Brayden Smith for three touchdowns in the win. The defense was strong, limiting LTU to negative 11 rushing yards.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Xander Stokes' 209.7 yards per game is 22nd nationally. Markell Stpehens-Peppers is 19th in receiving yards (83.6 ypg) while Jacquez Carter is 21st (82.5 ypg). Carter's 101.5 all-purpose yards put him 46th nationally.
Ethan Collins' 35 points put him tied for 29th among the national leaders among kickers. He has connected on 20 extra points and five field goals this season. Collins' 39.4 yards per punt put him 13th.
As a team, Indiana Wesleyan is 11th in red zone efficiency. The team has converted 24-of-32. Twenty of the 24 conversions were touchdowns.
IWU's 31.5 points per game rank 36th. The Wildcats' 337.5 yards are 49th.

WILDCAT LEADERS

Xavier Stokes leads the pass attack with 1,258 yards and 12 scores. He's hitting 65.27 percent of his passes (109-167). For the year, Stokes is averaging 209.67 yards per game.
Jacquez Carter's 495 receiving yards top the team. He's averaging 82.50 yards per game and has hauled in four touchdowns. Markell Stephens-Peppers leads the team with 83.60 yards per game and has caught a pair of touchdown passes.
The ground game is led by Daniel Weems' 52 yards per game. Weems has crossed the goal line four times. Dederrian Williams is averaging 4.9 yards per game, while Jameson Chesser's 8.1 yards per carry top the squad.
Clayton Mosher's 45 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss lead the squad. Donovan Shelton has intercepted a team-best five passes. Mosher, Devin Bacchus (37) and Shelton (34) all have over 30 tackles on the year.
Ethan Collins leads the way for special teams. He is averaging just under 40 yards per punt and has hit five field goals with a long of 44.

COUGAR LEADERS

USF is paced by Heath Simmons' 1,118 yards and 11 touchdown strikes. He's hitting 62.4 percent of his passes on the year (108-173).
Adjaye Dandridge leads a balanced receiving corps with 196 yards (39.2 yards per game). Cameron Peterson leads the way with a team-best 16 catches. He, along with Dandridge, Ben Butler and Jay Segal all have over 10 catches.
Jake James leads the kickers, having hit eight-of-10 field goals with a long of 45 yards.
Defensively, Nate Tallhelm leads everyone with an overwhelming 54 tackles, including 26 of the solo variety. River Walsh has 32 tackles while AJ Moore guides the defense with 4.5 sacks (41 yards).
Five different student-athletes have an interception this year. Damon Hunter's six pass break-ups also top the squad. Hunter also leads the special teams with two blocks.

WHAT TO WATCH

Two dynamic offenses will be on display Saturday. Saint Francis has scored at least 37 points four times while crossing the 50-point plateau three times. The Wildcats are averaging over 31 points per game while limiting under 15 points per contest.
IWU has a balanced offensive attack while USF has had 11 student-athletes register a rush while 20 student-athletes have registered at least one catch.
With the different styles between both teams, look for both to try and open up the game in a variety of ways. IWU's offensive attack is more potent and the defense is stout, but it should be a tremendous Homecoming to attend.

UP NEXT

IWU returns to action Saturday, Oct. 29 at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich. Kick-off is slated for 12 p.m.
Live video and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Follow Football (@IndWesleyan_FB): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Players Mentioned

#2 Brayden Smith: WR; 6' 4"; Senior; /

#8 Jacquez Carter: WR; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

#22 Jameson Chesser: RB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#17 Ethan Collins: K/P; 5' 10"; Junior; /

#2 Clayton Mosher: LB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#0 Donovan Shelton: DB; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; /

#16 Xander Stokes: QB; 6' 1"; Senior; /

#6 Daniel Weems: RB; 5' 10"; Freshman

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers: WR; 5' 11"; Junior

#5 Devin Bacchus: LB; 6' 0"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#2 Brayden Smith
: 6' 4"; Senior; /
: WR

#8 Jacquez Carter
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: WR

#22 Jameson Chesser
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RB

#17 Ethan Collins
: 5' 10"; Junior; /
: K/P

#2 Clayton Mosher
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LB

#0 Donovan Shelton
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; /
: DB

#16 Xander Stokes
: 6' 1"; Senior; /
: QB

#6 Daniel Weems
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: RB

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers
: 5' 11"; Junior
: WR

#5 Devin Bacchus
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student
: LB

Indiana Wesleyan University

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS WELCOME SAINT FRANCIS FOR HOMECOMING

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS WELCOME SAINT FRANCIS FOR HOMECOMING

Players Mentioned

#2 Brayden Smith

#8 Jacquez Carter

#22 Jameson Chesser

#17 Ethan Collins

#2 Clayton Mosher

#0 Donovan Shelton

#16 Xander Stokes

#6 Daniel Weems

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers

#5 Devin Bacchus

Players Mentioned

#2 Brayden Smith

#8 Jacquez Carter

#22 Jameson Chesser

#17 Ethan Collins

#2 Clayton Mosher

#0 Donovan Shelton

#16 Xander Stokes

#6 Daniel Weems

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers

#5 Devin Bacchus