Blocked punt fuels Illinois Wesleyan comeback win

Posted on October 21, 2017
Trevor Staley and Zach Walsh
Trevor Staley intercepted (left) a Carthage pass late and Zach Walsh caught a touchdown pass as Illinois Wesleyan defeated Carthage, 13-10, on Saturday at Tucci Stadium. (Photos courtesy www.iwusports.com)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – With the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s leading rusher, Morgan Alexander, bottled up for much of the day, Illinois Wesleyan relied on opportunistic defense and a special teams score to overcome Carthage, 13-10, Saturday at Tucci Stadium.

The No. 11 Titans (7-1, 5-1 in the CCIW), trailed the Redmen 10-0 at halftime after being held to -13 yards in the second quarter. Wesleyan’s Noah Baird pinned Carthage at the 1-yard line with a 35-yard punt early in the third quarter. That set the stage for a blocked punt which Chase Bandolik recovered for a touchdown to trim the Carthage lead to 10-7 with 10:04 left in the third.

PODCAST: Listen to the postgame interviews with IWU coach Norm Eash and quarterback Brandon Bauer.

Brandon Bauer connect with Zach Walsh on a 16-yard scoring strike at 5:57 of the third quarter to give the Titans a 13-10 lead.

PODCAST: Listen to the halftime interview with IWU President Eric Jensen.

Carthage (5-2, 3-2 in the CCIW) threatened several drives in the second half, with one would-be go-ahead touchdown pass called back on a holding penalty in the fourth quarter.

The Redmen failed on four fourth-down chances, while Trevor Staley’s interception with 23 seconds left preserved the win.

Bauner completed 14 of 26 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown pass. Walsh caught six passes for 96 yards. Alexander was limited to 19 yards on 22 carries.

The Titans visit Elmhurst on Saturday.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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