BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The North Park football team's herculean first quarter fell flat, as the Vikings dropped a 43-34 road contest to Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
Illinois Wesleyan marched down the field in its first drive of the game, utilizing seven plays for the first touchdown of the game. However, the Vikings responded with a touchdown of their own in their first possession of the game. Matt Eck completed an 11-yard pass to Dante Cerasuolo and the duo connected on 3rd and 10 for an eight-yard pass. Going for it on 4th and 2, AJ Harris burst through for a 22-yard rushing TD, tying the game at 7-7.
The Titan's next possession ended in a third-down turnover, as a tackle for loss by Jaydin Miller and 15-yard sack and forced fumble by Juan Nieves allowed Miller to jump on the ball. The Vikings would start their drive on the Illinois Wesleyan 15-yard line.
Just five plays later, the Vikings would hold a 13-7 advantage, capped off by a short rush by Harris.
North Park ended its first quarter scoring with an eight-play, 72-yard drive, en route to another TD.
The biggest moment of the drive started with a 47-yard pass to the right side of the field, connecting with receiver Bryan Boyd. Next, Cerasuolo and Harris rushed for short gains, including a three-yard 4th and 3 rush by Harris. Eck would take the next 23 yards himself, rushing all the way to the endzone for the third NPU TD of the game. After a Michael Messersmith PAT, the Vikings led the Titans 20-7.
Three more big plays in the second quarter led to the Vikings' fourth touchdown of the game, including a 46-yard completion to Wesley McCloud, 14-yard rush by Marcel Love, and 14-yard pass to Tritian Zornes for the touchdown.
Illinois Wesleyan marked their first score of the second quarter with a six-play, 68-yard drive ending with a 13-yard touchdown pass. 27-14, North Park.
The Titans took advantage of a NPU fumble with less than two minutes until halftime, scoring a TD in the ensuing drive. The final seven points of the half came from a 23-yard pass completion from IWU's Jay Lemenager to Charlie Hamilton.
HALFTIME: North Park 27, Illinois Wesleyan 21
After halftime, North Park again led the way, scoring the first TD in the third quarter. This time, the Vikings used a 14-yard rush by Harris and 26-yard pass from Eck to Zornes to go ahead, 34-21. Everything was pointing in the direction of a big win for North Park. However, after not scoring in the third quarter, the Titans came alive in the fourth.
Illinois Wesleyan manufactured three touchdowns, including a 70-yard pick-six, to scamper away with a 43-34 win.
Quick Hits
- Eck throws for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns
- Harris rushes for a pair of touchdowns while Zornes was the recipient of two TD passes
- Theo Smith with 10 tackles
- Nieves, Miller both with two tackles for a loss and sack
- Miller adds a fumble recovery while Ben Butler had two pass breakups
What's Next?
North Park (0-6, 0-5 CCIW) returns home next Saturday, October 22, for a game against Augustana College (3-3, 2-3 CCIW). Kickoff at Holmgren will be 1pm.
