GEORGETOWN, Ky. – The No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan football team dropped a 31-21 contest at Georgetown (Ky.) Saturday afternoon in the NAIA Quarterfinals.


 

OVERALL

• IWU concludes the season at 10-2, while the Tigers improve to 10-1.

FIRST QUARTER

• On a second-and-nine, Jamis Carson snagged an interception off a pass thrown by Gehrig Slunakerat the 12:25 mark. Xander Stokes took control of the offense with a quick pass. On second down, Dederrian Williams scampered to the Georgetown 34-yard line.
• Facing a third-and-10 from the 30, Stokes connected with Levi Tidwell for a nine-yard gain. However, Stokes was stopped on a fourth-down run for no gain.
• After the teams traded punts, the home squad managed to get to the IWU 21-yard line. However, the squad missed a 38-yard field goal.
• On second-and-two, Williams rushed for eight yards for a first down to end the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

• Williams ran for a four-yard gain to the 17-yard line moments later. After a loss on a play, an incomplete pass and a sack, the Wildcats attempted a 50-yard field goal. However, Josh Clifton was unable to convert the try from distance.
• After the teams traded punts, Georgetown used a 10-play, 47-yard drive to punch it in from a yard out and lead 7-0. On the ensuing play, Stokes was intercepted and it was returned for a touchdown.
• The Tigers recovered a fumble and converted their next drive into seven more points for a 21-0 advantage at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

• Neil Campbell got things going with a 39-yard kick-off return to start the third quarter. On second down, Williams rushed for an 11-yard gain. Stokes completed a pass to Tidwell for 20 yards to the Georgetown 16-yard line.
• Facing second-and-goal from the five-yard line, Smith gained two yards. He would not be denied on the ensuing play, finding paydirt. Clifton's extra point made it 21-7 with 11:50 to play in the quarter.
• Down 24-7, IWU had a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown with 5:12 to go in the quarter. The Wildcats got the ensuing kick-off and Williams returned it 92 yards for a touchdown, slicing the deficit to 17 at 31-14.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Trailing 31-14 late in the frame, IWU forced a punt. Stokes hit Smith for seven yards. On the next play, the duo connected for an 11-yard gain. Later in the drive, the pair hooked up again – this time for a 22-yard touchdown strike to make it 31-21 with 1:06 to go.
• IWU was unable to get the ball back as the Tigers were able to run out the clock.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

• Stokes completed 21-of-35 for 240 yards and a touchdown.
• Smith led the way with nine receptions for 111 yards. He also hauled in the touchdown pass from Stokes.
• Tidwell pulled in five catches for 63 yards.
• Williams rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries, breaking the program record for career rushing yards with 2,390 in just two seasons as a Wildcat.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

• Luke Bays led the way with 16 defense, including eight solo tackles. Preston Sykes added 10 tackles in the loss.
• Drake Deshetsky had seven stops while Carson had six tackles and an interception. Campbell added six tackles in the game. Carson had the team's lone sack for a seven-yard loss.
• Chris Satterfield registered an interception late in the contest.
• Keenan Hicks had a pair of pass break-ups.

SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUTS

• Williams had a kick-off return touchdown that covered 92 yards.

STATS COMPARISON

• IWU had 15 first downs in the game while the Tigers had 20. The Wildcats had 240 receiving yards in the contest compared to 126 by the home team.
• IWU averaged 4.28 yards per play compared to 4.16 by Georgetown. Each team had a pair of interceptions.
• The Tigers had possession of the ball for 38:46 compared to 21:14 for IWU.

LOOKING FORWARD

• The Wildcats conclude their 2023 season with a 10-2 overall record.

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