Game Notes (PDF)

Alma, Mich. - For the Alma College football team, Bloomington, Ill., will seem like a short drive compared to the 12-hour bus trip to Finlandia last week. But regardless of the destination, the Scots hope the outcome is the same as they look to open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2005.

This week's game is a part of the two-year agreement between the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). Last year, the CCIW schools traveled to the MIAA and this season the MIAA schools are returning the favor. Last week the Scots got rolling with a 43-0 over NCAA Division III newcomer Finlandia, but this week, the competition will be much tougher as the Titans opened the season with a 34-24 victory over No. 23 Franklin.

"It's going to be a big test," said Head Coach Greg Pscodna. "We've had a good week of practice but we have a much tougher opponent this week. We've got to play a lot better football this week to compete for the victory."

Alma enters the game after putting on an impressive display at Finlandia. The Scots saw two explosive playmakers - junior RB Nick Sullivan (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic) and sophomore WR Daniel Hugan (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron) - emerge, with both posting 70-plus yard plays for scores in the season opener. Sullivan, after two years away from football, led the ground attack with 134 yards as Alma posted its highest rushing total since the 2011 campaign, while Hugan tallied 131 yards of total offense and led the Scots' receivers with 52 yards.

While the Titans are a different caliber of team than the Lions, the hope is that the Scots can produce similar results.

"Our hope is that we get the ball in our playmakers hands and they make some guys miss," Pscodna said. "That's how you get big pass plays. We've got some guys who can make guys miss and we just have to get them the football. They can't overdo things, and we got lucky last week, but we have to make sure we hold on to the football."

Defensively, Alma is looking to build off of last week's shutout, the first time since 2008 that an opponent has been held scoreless. The Scots held Finlandia to just 52 yards rushing, but will face a Titans squad that rolled up 400 yards of total offense against Franklin, splitting it evenly between the passing game and the rushing game. Illinois Wesleyan has a playmaker of its own in sophomore QB Jack Warner, who is back after suffering an injury last season. Warner threw for 201 yards and three scores last week against Franklin, completing 16 of his 24 passes, and also ran the ball 14 times for 38 yards.

"Their quarterback got injured last year, but he's back and watching the tape he's better than ever," Pscodna said. "He can throw the ball and he likes to run a lot so it's going to be a chore for our defense to try to control him."

Defensively, the Titans gave up 400 yards to Franklin last week, including 326 yards through the air, but forced six turnovers, which was the deciding factor in the game. Sophomore LB Luke Roth leads the team after a 12-tackle performance against Franklin, while senior CB Ben Bouie will be one to watch in the Titans' secondary after making 10 tackles and recording an interception in the season opener.

"Their defense is very good, so our offense is going have their hands full," Pscodna said. "They have a very big and aggressive defensive line and that's going to be a big thing for us as we try to run the football like we did last week and throw the ball a lot better also."

This week's game is a renewal of a series that began in 2008. The Scots and Titans played every year between 2008 and 2013, but took a break from competition last season. Alma enters the contest looking for its first-ever win against Illinois Wesleyan, a perennial powerhouse in the CCIW.

"They are one of the top teams in the CCIW every year and for us being on the road again, it's going to be a big challenge," Pscodna said. "We've been down there before and it's a great atmosphere and a great stadium and it should be a great college football game."

Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern at Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. The game will be streamed live on the internet at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/iwu, and the game can be heard live in the Alma area on WMLM 1520 AM, with Collin Hinman calling the action.

Contact: Paul Thomas (989-463-7114, thomaspw@alma.edu)