September 5, 2021 – Marion, IN –
Every year, many NAIA schools get the opportunity to showcase their talent against NCAA DI institutions with expectations that the NCAA school will come out on top. This game did not fit that narrative for a variety of reasons. Most NCAA DI schools participate as hosts in most inter-athletic association events. However, for the Indiana Wesleyan vs Valparaiso University game, the NAIA school served as the host. Indiana Wesleyan came into the game wanting to redeem themselves for their 2020 campaign, where they finished 2-3. Valparaiso University experienced some success in 2020 with a condensed season, finishing 4-2.
The game between the two schools kicked off Friday night with a rainy start to add to the environment. Coach Jordan Langs knew that the Wildcats of IWU would need to come out swinging if they wanted to take charge of the game. The Wildcats would lean heavily on their run game with Devodney Alford and Jacquez Carter. Carter would score the first touchdown for the Wildcats on a 32 yard run play to make the score 7-0. Alford would also find himself in the endzone in the first quarter on a 7 yard run to cap a 4 play and 76 yard drive. It would end up being those two scores that would be the deciding factor in the Wildcat’s victory. Besides the run game proving to be successful, the defense came to show up. The Wildcats recorded a school record of 4 interceptions with each interception coming from a different Wildcat player. The player’s recording an interception were Donovan Shelton, Neil Campbell, Lane Ruby, and Wilson Wirebaug. The Wildcats would end the game with a 28-10 victory over Valparaiso and start the season with a 1-0 record.
I Game Stats I
Indiana Wesleyan University
Total Yards: 328
Passing Yards: 175
Rushing Yards: 153
Time of Possession: 32:12
Valparaiso University
Total Yards: 300
Passing Yards: 178
Rushing Yards: 122
Time of Possession: 27:34
The Wildcats next game is against the Trojans of Trinity International University on Saturday September 11th, 2021 at 1pm. This victory over the Valparaiso Beacons serves as the first victory over a NCAA DI in school history. The Wildcats will look to ride this momentum into a potential spot in the NAIA Top 25.
