IWU’s first four games were all knockdown, drag out affairs, decided on the final possession or by some fourth quarter heroics.
But on Saturday in their Homecoming contest against the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils, the Wildcats put together their most complete game of the season, dominating in all three phases and riding another tremendous second effort to a 45-10 triumph.
Leading just 14-10 late in the second quarter, the Wildcats rattled off 31 unanswered points over the rest of the contest, securing their fourth consecutive victory since losing their first game to Butler.
With the win, IWU improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the MSFA Mideast League.
“It was a good [game,]” IWU Head Coach Jordan Langs said. “I thought we could have gotten to that point just a little bit sooner, but our kids did a good job of staying with the plan and sticking with it. Coach Terrazas did a good job of getting the offense going coming out of halftime. You see what we can be when we all three phases rolling, and we’ve got to stay in that trend.”
The Wildcats racked up 377 yards of offense, while the defense put together their best performance of the season, holding the Blue Devils to under 200 total yards.
“Each and every week we are getting better,” IWU defensive back Justin “Juice” Johnson said. “We are coming to practice each and every day. It takes one day at a time. It was a good game for us. It gives a lot of confidence heading into the rest of the season. Our defense came together as a whole today.”
The Wildcats allowed just 69 yards rushing on 25 carries, while holding Lawrence Tech quarterback Tyler Kulka to only 122 yards passing.
“They are starting to find their identity,” Langs said. “I thought they could have rushed the quarterback a little bit better at times, but man, the coverages were dialed. We had a good idea of what they were going to try to do against us. I thought our linebackers stepped up and had a very good game. The defensive backs did a good job of keeping it in front of them. Defense is crucial – we have to stay on that.”
The Wildcats opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. After the IWU defense started the game with a three-and-out, Johnson put the offense in great field position with a 38-yard punt return.
IWU needed just one play to get into the end zone, as Zack Blair hit Brayden Smith on a jailbreak screen, and the junior wide receiver ran 25 yards to the end zone, untouched, to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
“Zack did a good job not forcing it,” Langs said. “Eventually, when you are spreading them out like we did, they have to choose what they want to do. Brayden came up big time. I was proud of them for that.”
After just catching just three passes for 17 yards against Taylor, the Blair-Smith connection was strong on Saturday, as the duo combined for 164 yards on eight receptions.
“Starting fast has kind of been our thing this year,” Smith said. “They just find ways to get me the ball and move me around a little bit. It’s helped me a lot, so it’s been a lot of fun.”
The IWU defense put together another strong series, holding Lawrence Tech to a 42-yard field goal, and the offense went right back to work, capping off a 12-play, 65 yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run from freshman Jesse Deglow.
After that, the IWU offense stalled. In fact, in the second quarter, IWU went three-and-out on four consecutive possessions, while the Blue Devils were able to cut their lead to four on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kulka to running back Mekai Otero.
With the momentum seemingly shifting over the other side, the Wildcats needed a spark.
And with 30 seconds remaining in the first half, Johnson provided that spark with a 55-yard punt return touchdown.
“We kept trying to rush the punt off on him. We knew they had the wind in their face,” Langs said. “We didn’t field the ball great at times – we have to continue to get better at that – but that was a great return. The guys up front blocking for him did a great job.”
Behind some incredible blocking, Johnson field the ball at the Lawrence Tech 45-yard line and raced right through the middle of the field, giving the Wildcats a 21-10 lead – one they would not relinquish.
“It was unbelievable,” Johnson said. “I had the blocks in front of me, and the Red Sea parted for me.”
That punt return set the tone for the rest of the contest.
“Our whole teams feeds off each other,” Smith said. “We like to talk about the three phases, so once one gets going, it becomes a snowball effect. That’s when we really become our best.”
After another three-and-out on their first possession in the third quarter, the Wildcats responded with back-to-back scoring drives. Deglow scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on the first series, while Smith caught a 44-yard touchdown pass on the second, increasing their advantage to 35-10.
The defense got in on the scoring party on the Blue Devils’ next drive. Linebacker Adam Schantz came around the left side and sacked Kulka, forcing a fumble. Fellow linebacker Joshua Fusco, who already had an interception in the game, scooped up the loose ball and rumbled to the end zone, putting an exclamation point on what was a tremendous afternoon of football.
“It was a great feeling, but I can’t really take much credit for it,” Fusco said. “We had two guys on the quarterback, and the ball popped out, and I just did my part while they did theirs. It worked out for us, and it was a great moment to celebrate with the guys.”
Ben VonGunten added a 47-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring.
Now, the Wildcats enter the toughest part of their schedule. Four of their next five games are against ranked opponents, including Saint Francis, Siena Heights, Marian, and Concordia.
The gauntlet begins next Saturday afternoon up at USF, and while it will be tough sledding for the rest of the season, the Wildcats are confident in themselves and in each other.
“We have tough competition coming up, but I feel like we are up to the challenge,” Fusco said. “I’m really excited to go to war with these guys.”
“I’m super proud of our effort. I’m super proud of our preparation as a staff,” Langs concluded. “Our coaches are doing a great job with that. We now must be really focused on what it takes to be giving everything we have inside of those 60 minutes of football. I don’t think we’ve done that for a full game, and we need to get closer to that moving forward.”