This Week for Football
Siena Heights (4-3, 3-1) vs. #7 Indiana Wesleyan (6-1, 2-1)
October 30 | 1:00 PM | Wildcat Football Stadium | Marion, Ind.
The Siena Heights football team hits the road to play No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan in a Mid-States Football (MSFA) Mideast League matchup. The Saints earned a forfeit win for the contest at Lawrence Tech last week. The most recent action on the field for SHU was a 71-6 blowout of Madonna on Homecoming Saturday. The Wildcats hit a last-second field goal to defeat St. Francis (Ind.), 23-21.
SERIES HISTORY
Indiana Wesleyan has won the last two meetings with Siena Heights for a 2-1 advantage in the series. Both victories for IWU have been by seven points and were in Marion, Indiana. The Saints won the inaugural meeting in 2018 by a score of 31-10.
ON THE FIELD
Siena Heights
Freshman Ryan Minor has completed 67.5% of his passes for 585 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Saint offense. In addition, four SHU running backs have over 100 yards rushing this season, with Jared Jordan leading the way with 312 yards and two touchdowns. Kaleb Jefferson has 275 yards and a score, while Ethan LoPresto and Andre Chenault have 153 and 138 yards, respectively. Eric Williams II is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 398 yards. Williams II is responsible for four of the receiving corps., six touchdowns on the season.
Kole Murlin leads the SHU defense with 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and seven tackles for loss. Murlin is currently third in the NAIA in tackles-per-game with 12.5. The defense as a whole is now 10th in points allowed per game with 15.2. THIS YEAR, the D has also allowed the sixth-fewest total points with 91 and is the ninth stingiest defense against the run, allowing only 67.3 rushing yards per game. Gabe Callery is 11th in the country with four interceptions. Callery has also contributed the third-most tackles on the team with 25, along with forcing two fumbles. Trenton Morrow has also forced two fumbles and is second on the team in tackles with 37. The leader in interceptions the last two seasons, Morrow, has yet to record a pick this fall.
Kicker Anthony Secchi is 6-8 in field goals with a season-long of 44 yards. He has made 17-18 PAT shots this year. Caleb Meister has punted 27 times for an average of 36.6 yards per kick. He has pinned opponents inside the 20 nine times. Eric Williams II has 13 kick returns for 377 yards, and Mitch Howell has nine punt returns for 62 yards to lead the Saints in those two categories. Williams II is the SHU leader in all-purpose yards with 804 (134.0 YPG).
Indiana Wesleyan
Xander Stokes leads the IWU offense under center. He is 94-147 (63.9%) for 1348 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He has also thrown five interceptions through six games. Devodney Alford has 122 rushes for 581 yards and nine touchdowns to lead the ground game. Alford is currently averaging 4.8 yards-per-carry this season. Brayden Smith is Stokes' favorite target with 34 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns.
The Wildcat defense is 12th nationally, allowing 15.7 points per game. Payton Marksbury leads the unit with 46 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and one forced fumble. Justin Johnson has 44 tackles, five TFL, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and is one of three IWU players with two interceptions this season.
Ben VonGunten is 6-7 in field-goal attempts with a season-long of 46 yards. He has made all 26 of his point after touchdown tries. VonGunten is also the team's punter with 28 boots with a 41.9 yards-per-punt average. He has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 13 times during 2021. Justin Johnson leads the team with ten kick returns for 225 yards and 11 punt returns for 126 yards. Johnson has returned one punt for a touchdown this year.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for purchase on the Indiana Wesleyan athletics website (IWUWildcats.com) at the Tickets link.
WATCH & LISTEN
The game will begin at 1:00 PM EST. Fans can follow the action via live stats and video. Fans can also tune into 96.5 FM The Cave live or online to listen to the live game broadcast on Saturday afternoon.
