Titan Special Teams Standout Earns Recognition
When the Illinois Wesleyan University football team locked down a 44-0 victory against Elmhurst on October 24, the defensive dominance made history for the program. The sources report that the shutout was the first for the Titans since September 2024, while holding the Bluejays to just 123 yards of total offense marked the fewest yards allowed by an IWU defense since October of 2021.
Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, brought the announcement that the Waterloo, Illinois native earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week for his special teams play. Reese is the fourth Titan to garner D3football recognition this season, joining Joey DeMaio on September 15, Will Nazha on October 6, and Matt Worthington on October 13. This year’s four honorees mark the highest total for the program since the 2022 campaign, when Kevin Graham, Frank Roti twice, and Anthony Wachal Jr. combined for four selections, bringing the program’s all-time total to 21.
The Play That Preserved the Shutout
With Illinois Wesleyan comfortably ahead 37-0, Elmhurst launched a kickoff return up the Titan sideline that threatened to spoil the defensive shutout. With just one man to beat and fewer than 40 yards separating the returner from the end zone, Reese tracked down the runner and delivered a crucial tackle from behind. The open-field stop kept the Bluejays at bay and preserved the zero on the scoreboard.
Marcheon Griffin and Conner Wagner stuffed Elmhurst at the line of scrimmage on a third-and-short play. Griffin and Mathew Gasior then combined for a six-yard sack on fourth down to officially slam the door on the Bluejays’ final serious scoring threat.
Looking Ahead to the Home Finale
The Titans now enjoy a timely weekend bye for Halloween before turning their attention toward the final stretch of the regular season. IWU returns to the gridiron on Saturday, November 7, for its home finale against North Park University, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. The matchup will double as the program’s second annual Salute to Service game.
