MARION, Ind. - No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan football advanced past No. 13 Avila University, 14-7, on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the 2022 NAIA Football Championship Series. The Wildcats claimed their 10th win of the season and the programs first postseason victory.
- IWU scored all of their points in the first half and relied on their defense to carry them to the finish.
- That defense held one of the top rushing offenses in the country to just 133 yards on the ground.
- Both teams got off to a slow start with a 3-and-out drive to start the game.
- Dederrian Williams gave the Wildcats their first big play with a 31-yard run down the 2 yard line. Xander Stokes found Charlie Hill in the back of the endzone to give IWU the only score of the 1st quarter
- The IWU defense got the 2nd quarter going by forcing the Eagles into a turnover on downs.
- A 25-yard connection from Stokes to Levi Tidwell put the Wildcats inside the 10. Dederrian Williams punched it in from 5 yards out for his 13th score of the season, adding another program record to his resume.
- Malik Nesbitt single-handedly led the Eagle offense, recording 8 rushes and 3 receptions for 54 yards and giving Avila their first touchdown of the game.
- IWU went into the halftime locker room with the 14-7 lead, both teams tallying under 135 total yards in the first half.
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- The second half began the same way the first half did with each team held to 3 and out drives.
- The Avila offense drove to the red zone on a 7 play, 88-yard drive that ate up more than 7 minutes of clock. An open-field tackle by Daniel Schager on 4th down turned the Eagles over on downs with 4:13 left in the quarter.
- No scores in the 3rd quarter saw the Wildcats holding on to a 14-7 lead.
- The IWU offense found a spark to start the 4th with 22 rushing yards from Williams, but a missed field goal attempt kept the score at 14-7.
- IWU continued to use Williams in the run game throughout the quarter as time continued to tick away.
- An interception by Owen Perkins on Avila's final drive sealed the game, 14-7, and gave the Wildcat's their first playoff victory in program history.
- The Eagles came out aggressive with the run game in the second half, but IWU's stellar defense made key stops to hold off any comeback.
- The Wildcats survive and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2022 NAIA Football Championship Series next Saturday.
- On offense, Stokes completed 11-of-20 through the air with a touchdown pass, bringing his single-season record to 24 touchdowns this season.
- Williams ran for 178 yards and a touchdown, breaking another program record with his 13th of the year.
- A limited offensive attack through the air was led by Jacquez Carter with 4 receptions for 27 yards.
- Defensively, Devin Bacchus led the team with 8 total tackles, while also forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass.
- Gardy Paul, Isaac Abeo, and Ryan Wofford each had sacks in the win.
- Dederrian Williams was named the Offensive Player of the Game after running for 178 yards and a touchdown.
- Devin Bacchus was named Defensive Player of the Game after leading the IWU with 8 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.
- " Today's win was a great team win that took toughness and togetherness," said Jordan Langs, Head Football Coach. " I was so proud of the way we played our brand of football against a very good team!"
- IWU will be back at home in Wildcat Stadium for their quarterfinal matchup next week.
- The Wildcats will kick-off against Benedictine College at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26th.
- All general admission tickets will go on sale on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and can be purchased by visiting IWUWildcats.com/Tickets or by clicking HERE.
- Individuals with reserved season tickets will receive information via email on Monday with how they can claim their reserved seats.
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