Football 10/11/2024 8:00:00 AM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 3 FOOTBALL SET FOR TOP 10 SHOWDOWN WITH NO. 10 MARIAN

Football 10/11/2024 8:00:00 AM

PREVIEW

KICKOFF

HOW TO FOLLOW

THE SERIES

IWU leads the all-time series 3-2 with Indiana Wesleyan winning the last three meetings.
The Wildcats have played split their two games with the Knights on the road.
IWU narrowly defeated MU last season at home 42-20 after stopping the Knights on a two-point attempt to tie the game with just over a minute left.

WILDCAT LEADERS

Ryan Whitwell leads the rushing attack with 663 yards and six touchdowns. Roosevelt Cage also has six rushing scores and averages 8.2 yards per attempt.
Kyle Antoine is the MSFA's leading passer and has completed 68 percent of his attempts for 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns. He accounts for 280 passing yards per game.
Isaac Smith leads the way with 617 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while Levi Tidwell is second with 437 yards and three scores.
Luke Bays has a team-best 42 total tackles while Clayton Mosher is next with 35 tackles.
Mosher has a team-best five tackles for loss, and Da'Veon Turner's three interceptions top the squad.
Anthony Cheesebourgh and Robert Hunter lead the team with four sacks each this season.
Jaden Downs is averaging 37.27 yards per punt and has placed four inside the 20-yard line.
Josh Clifton has hit seven-of-nine field goal attempts with a long of 37. He has converted 34-of-35 extra-point attempts.
Myles Cox owns the return duties and averages 23.86 yards per kickoff and 10 yards per punt.

KNIGHT LEADERS

Tristian Polk leads the way for MU with 919 total yards through the air with four scores. Polk is a dual-threat quarterback with 99 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Polk's primary target is Jake Reichard who leads the way with 430 yards on 25 receptions for two touchdowns. Tirae Spence also has two receiving scores on 12 receptions for 179 yards.
Keagan La Belle is the primary threat out of the backfield with 491 yards and four scores on 74 attempts.
Wyatt Woodall leads the defense with 33 total tackles. JT Downey has a team-best 21 solo stops.
Isaiah Street is the leading threat for opposing offensive lines with 3.5 sacks.
Jayshawn Underwood has picked off three passes this year, while four other Knights have tallied two interceptions.
Mason Miller is averaging 44.74 yards per punt with a long of 60 yards. He and has placed eight inside the 20-yard line and launched eight over 50 yards.
Kenny Curry has hit four-of-five field goal attempts with a long of 44. He has converted 16-of-16 extra-point attempts.
Charles Vaden owns the return duties and averages 19.89 yards per kickoff and eight yards per punt.

WHAT TO WATCH

While this is the first year this matchup does not have conference championship implication, it always carries weight on the national scale.
A pair of top-ten programs playing at a high-level means that fans should see a top-notch game
Both teams are near the top of the NAIA in defensive takeaways. The team that can win the turnover battle will come out on top.