MARION, Ind. – The No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan football team dropped a 20-9 contest against No. 9 Benedictine (Kan.) on Saturday afternoon in the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals. This is the first loss at home for the Wildcats since the 2021 season.

 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Marion, Ind. | Wildcat Football Stadium
• Records: IWU: 11-2 | BC: 11-2
• NAIA FCS Seeding: IWU - #3 | BC – #9

WHAT HAPPENED

• Benedictine jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the 1^st quarter after rushing touchdowns from Dalton Witherspoon and Jackson Dooley.
• The Ravens extended their lead to 17-0 with a field goal in the 2^nd quarter, but an interception by Clayton Mosher just before halftime began to change the momentum in favor of the Wildcats.
• Ryan Whitwell got IWU on the scoreboard with a goal line touchdown on the first play of the 4^th quarter.
• A season-long 40-yard field goal from Josh Clifton narrowed the margin to 17-9 with 6:37 left in the game.
• Benedictine was able to ice the game with a 44-yard field goal on their next possession and their third interception of Kyle Antoine.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

• Kyle Antoine completed 21-of-43 passes for 211 yards and 3 interceptions.
• Isaac Smith led the way with nine receptions for 98 yards.
• Ryan Whitwell rushed for 102 yards on 20 carries with the lone touchdown for the Wildcats.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

• Luke Bays and Clayton Mosher led the way with 10 tackles on defense. Mosher also tallied an interception and a half sack.
• Anthony Cheesebourough finished with nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUTS

• Josh Clifton connected on a season-long field goal from 40 yards.
• Jaden Downs averaged 34.7 yards on his three punts with a long of 39.

STATS COMPARISON

• IWU had 21 first downs in the game while the Ravens had 20. The Wildcats had 132 rushing yards in the contest compared to 65 by the away team.
• Benedictine won the turnover battle with three defensive interceptions, while the Wildcats had just one.
• The Ravens had possession of the ball for 40:07 compared to 19:53 for IWU.

LOOKING FORWARD

• The Wildcats conclude their 2024 season with a 11-2 overall record with their second-consecutive loss in the NAIA FCS Quarterfinal.

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