MARION, Ind. – No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan football squared off against Grant County rival Taylor University on Saturday to celebrate Homecoming Weekend! The Wildcats earned a 56-7 win, giving them their fifth-straight with all five victories being by 30+ points. Clayton Mosher recorded his 234^th career tackle, setting a new program record previously held by Josh Davidson.

 
 

THE ESSENTIALS

 

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Wildcat Football Field
• Records: IWU: 7-1 | MU: 5-2
• NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #3 | TU - Unranked

 

FIRST QUARTER

 

• IWU need just four plays to score on their opening drive, capped off by a 24-yard run by Ryan Whitwell to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.
• Taylor responded with their own five-play drive, resulting in their only score of the game to tie it up 7-7
• Late in the quarter, Kyle Antoine found Isaac Smith in the endzone to finish off a 51-yard drive and regain the lead, 14-7.

 

SECOND QUARTER

 

• Roosevelt Cage was the first to score in the second quarter after punching it in on the ground from one-yard out to make it 21-7.
• IWU found themselves in a 4^th and goal situation, but Kyle Antoine pushed the lead to 28-7 after connecting with Isaac Smith for the second time of the day.

 

THIRD QUARTER

 

• Clayton Mosher ended Taylor's first drive of the second half with a sack for eight yards.
• Simon Vison grabbed his first touchdown of the season to give the Wildcats a 35-7 advantage.
• Kyle Antoine showed off his legs on the following drive with a quarterback keeper into the endzone from six yards out to make it 42-7.
• Da'Veon Turner picked off his fourth interception of the season on the following drive, giving IWU great field position.
• Arjun Lothe came into the game at quarterback and needed just two plays to find Blake Brumbaugh for a 47-yard touchdown, right before the end of the quarter.

 

FOURTH QUARTER

 

• The IWU defense stood up the TU offense on the goal line after four-straight runs without giving up a score.  
• The Wildcats used up most of the clock in the quarter with a methodical 18-play, 98-yard drive that lasted 9:18. Elijah Gibbs found paydirt from 18 yards out for the final score of the game, making it 56-7.

 

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

 

• Kyle Antoine went 22-for-33 for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Arjun Lothe hit three-of-five for 71 yards and a touchdown.
• Levi Tidwell was on the receiving end of a team-high five passes for 70 yards. Issac Smith finished with seven catches for 28 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Brumbaugh had two receptions for 52 yards and a score.
• Ryan Whitwell led the ground attack with 145 yards and a touchdown. Four different Wildcats scored a rushing touchdown in the game.

 

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

 

• Clayton Mosher led the team with 11 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He set a new program record with his 234^th career tackle.
• Da'Veon Turner swiped his fourth interception of the season.
• Drake Deshetsky totaled seven tackles, while Luke Bays finished with six tackles and a forced fumble.

 

SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUTS

 

• Josh Clifton went 8-8 on PAT's and did not attempt a field goal.
• Clifton also averaged 61.4 yards on 9 kickoff attempts.
• Jaden Downs pinned both his punts inside the TU 20-yard line.

 

STATS COMPARISON

 

• The Wildcats totaled 33 first downs compared to 13 by Taylor.
• The defense held a TU rushing attack that averaged 343 yards per game to just 129.
• Overall, IWU registered 517 total yards compared to 147 by Madonna.
• IWU was 9-17 on third down and a perfect 6-6 on 4^th down.

 

WHAT THE WIN MEANS

 

• IWU moves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the MSFA Mideast.
• With three games left in the regular season, the Wildcats hold a prominent position for a run at a conference championship and an automatic bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series.

 

RODE PERSPECTIVE

 

• "This was a great team win against a tough Grant County opponent," said Andrew Rode, Head Football Coach. " The team played well and we are excited to have a good break after a long stretch of games."

 

LOOKING FORWARD

 

• The Wildcats will get the chance to rest during their bye week next week.
• IWU will return to Wildcat Football Stadium for their next game on Nov. 2 at 12:00PM against Concordia (Mich.).
• Links for video and stats are available on IWUWildcats.com.

 

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

 

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

#