By Greg Halbleib
BLOOMINGTON – For only the third time this season, Illinois Wesleyan football plays a game on its home turf Saturday as Washington University in St. Louis visits Bloomington.
IWU coach Norm Eash (33rd season) and Bears coach Larry Kindbom (37th season overall, 31st at WashU) are the longest-tenured coaches in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Eash said the teams are similar in other ways.
“They’re going to be well-coached, they’re going to be smart, they’re going to play hard and fast, and they’re very athletic,” Eash said. “I think that’s who we are a little bit, so it’s going to be a fun game to play in because the two teams are mirror images of each other.”
Titan linebacker Keenan Scott said the IWU defense has molded itself into a solid unit.
“I can just tell that we’re flowing really well,” Scott said. “The defensive line has been doing its job really well all year which makes my job easier. I’m really excited for these next few games because I think we’re playing really well and I can’t wait to see where our peak is.”
Eash agreed that the numbers show the Titan defense is performing well.
“We’re one of the top teams in the conference in tackles for loss and sacks,” Eash said. “We’re up there pretty high, but just so you know, WashU is number two in tackles for loss.”
Kickoff at Tucci Stadium is 1 p.m. Saturday.
Sports Director Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].