MARION, Ind. - Rivalry bragging rights stayed in Marion on Saturday as No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan outlasted Taylor University, 38-29, in the Battle for Grant County at Wildcat Stadium. Arjun Lothe threw for 383 yards, tying his third-highest total as a Wildcat, and his 89-yard touchdown pass to Blake Brumbaugh is the second-longest in program history. After building a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, IWU had to hold off a Trojan comeback that tied the game at 21 in the third and cut the deficit to six in the fourth, until Josh Clifton's 32-yard field goal with 14 seconds left iced it. The Wildcats improve to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in MSFA Mideast play.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | Wildcat Stadium
- Records: IWU: 8-1 (3-0 MFSA Mideast) | TU: 7-2 (2-1 MFSA Mideast)
- NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU: #7 | TU: Unranked
FIRST QUARTER
- IWU covered 91 yards on its first drive, with Lothe connecting with Braxton Myers for 34, Simon Vinson for 16 and Grant Irwin for 8 before hitting Irwin again from 27 yards out at 12:21 for a 7-0 lead.
- The Trojans stalled after three snaps and sent Wade Jones back to punt on 4th-and-1 following a timeout. His 64-yard kick rolled out of bounds at the IWU 5.
- Backed up at its own 5, IWU needed just two plays to flip the field. Lothe found Irwin for 6, then lofted an 89-yard touchdown to Brumbaugh on 2nd-and-4 to cap a 95-yard, 36-second drive and make it 14-0.
- An illegal block on the kickoff return pinned Taylor at its own 8. The Trojans gained 8 yards in three plays, and Jones' 56-yard punt was downed at the IWU 28.
- Ryan Whitwell carried the load on an 11-play, 72-yard march, ripping off a 20-yarder and runs of 8, 7 and 6 yards. Lothe hit Brumbaugh for 14 on 3rd-and-10, and Whitwell dove in from 5 yards out on 3rd-and-2 at 3:31 to make it 21-0.
- Brady Trebley kept Taylor's next possession alive with an 11-yard run and a 6-yard completion to Aidan Zimmer, both on 3rd-and-3, and the Trojans were at the IWU 39 when the quarter expired.
SECOND QUARTER
- Taylor pushed the drive to 18 plays and 70 yards, eating 10 minutes off the clock. The Trojans picked up a 4th-and-10 on a 14-yard Trebley pass to JJ Payne and a 4th-and-1 at the IWU 6 on a 3-yard Evan Barker run, even after Garrett Hathaway dropped Trebley for a 2-yard sack. Trebley finished it with a 7-yard keeper at 8:25, making it 21-7.
- Taylor then recovered an onside kick at its own 45 after blasting the ball off the first line of the IWU return team and recovering the deflection.
- Two pass interference flags set up the Trojans at the IWU 11, and Nathan Parker plunged in from 3 yards out at 4:44 to trim the margin to 21-14.
- Dede Person raced 62 yards on the ensuing kickoff, but a holding call wiped out the return and the Wildcats began at their own 8.
- Lothe hit Vinson for 32, and Whitwell added runs of 9 and 12 to reach the TU 27. The drive died there, though, when Lothe's 4th-and-5 throw to Myers fell incomplete.
- Taylor rushed down the field in the closing minute, using an 8-yard Ethan Albert run on 3rd-and-4 and Trebley scrambles of 9 and 8, but ran out of time at the IWU 32 as a final pass fell incomplete.
THIRD QUARTER
- The Trojans received the second-half kickoff and moved to the IWU 43 before a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Zimmer killed the drive. Jones punted 54 yards, and the ball was downed at the IWU 5.
- IWU worked its way out of the shadow of its own goal line, but a 54-yard Lothe-to-Brumbaugh completion was called back for an ineligible man downfield. Reid Messer then stepped in front of a 3rd-and-11 throw for an interception.
- Parker churned out 6 and 10 yards (a 3rd-and-4 conversion), and Kyle Stratton cut through for a 9-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-8, drawing Taylor even at 21 with 5:04 remaining.
- Easton Hanninen lost the handle trying to fair catch the ensuing kickoff return, but Casey Hawkins pounced on it at the IWU 33.
- Lothe went to Brumbaugh for 15, Whitwell broke loose for 11 and Vinson caught a 5-yarder, and Lothe then went for it on 4th-and-3 from the TU 34, hitting Irwin for a 34-yard touchdown at 2:59 to make it 28-21.
- Taylor began at its own 25 and kept rolling on Parker runs of 8, 9 and 3 yards and a 15-yard Trebley pass to John Irwin, taking the ball to the IWU 35 as the quarter ended.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Terry Sylvester jarred the ball loose from Barker after a 10-play, 57-yard Trojan drive, and Connor Yates fell on it at the IWU 18.
- Lothe needed only four plays to cover 82 yards. After a 9-yard completion to Whitwell on 3rd-and-4, he launched a 67-yard touchdown to Dutton at 10:09 for a 35-21 lead.
- Taylor refused to fade. The Trojans went 91 yards in eight plays, with Payne hauling in a 20-yard pass and a 46-yard touchdown. Trebley ran in the two-point try to pull Taylor within 35-29 at 6:09.
- Person opened IWU's answer with a 17-yard run, Brumbaugh made a 13-yard catch, and Whitwell added 12 and then a 40-yard burst to the TU 3. His apparent 4-yard touchdown with 1:04 left was erased by a holding flag, so Clifton drilled a 32-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to make it 38-29.
- Hathaway sacked Trebley for a 7-yard loss on Taylor's last snap as the clock ran out.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
- Arjun Lothe: 20-for-30, 383 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
- Ryan Whitwell: 24 carries, 164 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 9 yards
- Grant Irwin: 8 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD
- Blake Brumbaugh: 5 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD
- Drew Dutton: 1 reception, 67 yards, 1 TD
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUTS
- Josh Clifton: 1-for-1 FG (32 yards), 5-for-5 PATs; 7 kickoffs, 399 yards, 2 touchbacks
TEAM COMPARISON
- Total Offense: IWU 574 yards (191 rush, 383 pass); TU 352 yards (204 rush, 148 pass)
- First Downs: IWU 23; TU 24
- Turnovers: IWU 1 (1 INT); TU 1 (1 fumble lost)
- Sacks: IWU 2 (9 yards) on TU; TU 0 on IWU
- Penalties: IWU 5 for 102 yards; TU 3 for 33 yards
- Time of Possession: IWU 23:14; TU 36:46
UP NEXT
- IWU will return to Wildcat Stadium next Saturday, October 31 against Taylor at 12:00 p.m.
- Live video, tickets, and stats will be available on IWUWildcats.com.
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