By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Wesleyan football coach Norm Eash said he wasn’t fishing for complements after the Titans’ season-opening 34-24 win at Franklin last week, but he found one from the Grizzlies’ defensive coordinator.
“I started walking off the field and he came up to me and he said ‘Your offensive is impossible to defend.’ I passed that on to our kids,” Eash said. “I agree. We are an explosive, big-play offense.”
Wesleyan racked up 410 yards in the win, which thanks to a long lightning delay, was the longest game in IWU’s 123-year football history (6 hours 15 minutes).
The Titans prepare for their home opener on Saturday against the Alma Scots, a team Wesleyan has defeated six times in the last seven seasons by an average of 27 points.
“Do I think we are a better football team than they are? Yeah I do. You’d expect me to say that,” Eash said. “What we have to do is make sure we aren’t playing at their level. We have to make sure we are challenging ourselves to get better this week.”
Anfernee Roberts, IWU’s leading rusher last year, is adjusting to a running game by committee this year as he shares time with Austin Harrell, Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore and Reese Sobol.
“Being in with so many guys it’s a little different because now we switch off am, so am I running this down or am I going to block,” Roberts said. “But we are all so tight-knit right now. We come into the huddle (saying) ‘I’ll block for you this play, or I’ll run this play.”
Roberts had two carries for five yards and a touchdown at Franklin.
Venhuizen out
Illinois Wesleyan will be without junior defensive end Kyle Venhuizen for the rest of the season due to a leg injury he suffered in the Franklin game. Sophomore linebacker Luke Roth says everyone has to step up.
“One player doesn’t make a team and while Kyle is a great player and we can’t wait to have him back next year, but as a defense we are still going to come and bring it on every play,” Roth said.
WJBC and WJBC.com will have the broadcast starting with a 12:30 p.m. pregame.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
