NAPERVILLE, Ill. - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin football continues Saturday with four conference matchups, highlighted by a battle of unbeaten teams when Illinois Wesleyan University hosts No. 2 Wheaton College in Bloomington.
Both teams enter the weekend 3-0 overall and 1-0 in CCIW play. Illinois Wesleyan is coming off a 17-10 road win over Augustana College, while Wheaton opened conference play with an 82-10 victory over Millikin University. The Titans are also receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll and enter the matchup with a conference-leading eight interceptions through three games.
Elsewhere, Augustana travels to Elmhurst University looking to rebound from its first conference loss of the season. Millikin hosts North Park University in Decatur with the Vikings looking to break into the win column for the first time this season, following a pair of tightly-contested games through the first two weeks of the season. Carthage College opens its conference schedule by traveling to face Carroll University.
Nationally top-ranked North Central College is idle this week after opening CCIW play with a win at North Park University.
Second Week of Conference Schedule
| Saturday, September 26 |
| Away |
Home |
Time |
Location |
Links |
| #2 Wheaton |
RV Illinois Wesleyan |
1:00 P.M. |
Bloomington, Ill. (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| RV Augustana |
Elmhurst |
2:00 P.M. |
Elmhurst, Ill. (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| Carthage |
Carroll |
6:00 P.M. |
Waukesha, Wis. (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| North Park |
Millikin |
6:00 P.M. |
Decatur, IL (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
Current Records
| School |
Conference |
Overall |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
1-0 |
3-0 |
| North Central |
1-0 |
3-0 |
| Wheaton |
1-0 |
3-0 |
| Carroll |
1-0 |
2-1 |
| Carthage |
0-0 |
1-1 |
| Augustana |
0-1 |
1-2 |
| Elmhurst |
0-1 |
1-2 |
| Millikin |
0-1 |
1-2 |
| North Park |
0-1 |
0-3 |
CCIW Weekly Award Winners
|
Week
|
Offensive
|
Defensive
|
Special Teams
|
|
Week 1
|
Jimmy Makuh, Augustana
5 total TDs (3 pass, 2 rush); 16-of-23, 241 pass yds; 69 rush yds.
|
Phillip Carlton Jr., North Central
12 tackles (7 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 sack.
|
Sean Ryniec, North Central
14 pts; 3-for-3 FG, 5-for-5 PAT; long of 56 yds.
|
|
Week 2
|
Dermot Smyth, Illinois Wesleyan
6 total TDs (5 pass); 22-of-39, 352 pass yds.
|
Joey DeMaio, Illinois Wesleyan
11 tackles (8 solo), 2 sacks, 1 INT.
|
Seth Kortenhoeven, Wheaton
33.0 yds/PR; 55-yd PR TD; leads DIII in PR yds.
|
| Week 3 |
Mark Forcucci, Wheaton
23-of-32, 250 yards, 5 TDs; became Wheaton's career leader with 74 TD passes.
|
Lucas Lappin, Illinois Wesleyan
11 tackles (8 solo), 1 INT; 30-yard pick-six; 3 INTs this season. |
Tyreke Fortney, Augustana
25.5 yds/PR; 102 yards total; long of 31 yards.
|
National Honors
The CCIW has had four student-athletes named to D3football.com's Team of the Week, which honors the top performance at each position from the previous week.
Week One-
Special Teams: Sean Ryniec, K, North Central; Aiden Byrne, ST, Wheaton
Week Two-
Defense: Joey DeMaio, LB, Illinois Wesleyan; Matt Janiak, LB, North Central
Statistical Leaders
Through three weeks, Wheaton leads the CCIW in scoring at 50.3 points per game, while also allowing a conference-low 12.0 points per contest.
Carroll's Marcus Johnson leads the league in rushing with 309 yards and 103.0 yards per game, while North Central's Garret Wilson has thrown for a CCIW-best 846 yards and Wheaton's Mark Forcucci leads with nine touchdown passes. North Central's David Ballard III tops the conference with 329 receiving yards, while Illinois Wesleyan's Will Nazha has a league-high four receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan's John Gavin leads the CCIW with 31 tackles, while teammate Nathan Schmidt shares the conference lead with 5.5 tackles for loss and has a league-best 4.5 sacks. Illinois Wesleyan's Lucas Lappin leads the conference with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
On special teams, Millikin's Giovanni Natale is 6-for-6 on field goals, North Central's Sean Ryniec owns the conference-long 56-yard field goal and Illinois Wesleyan's Matt Worthington leads punters with a 43.6-yard average.
CCIW Network
The CCIW is proud to partner with Hudl in bringing fans the CCIW Network, the conference's digital home for live coverage. The CCIW Network is your one-stop destination for CCIW action throughout the year, giving fans the opportunity to stream live events free of charge and follow their favorite teams from across the conference.
Follow the CCIW
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| CCIW Network |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).