GAME NOTES

WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University football team hits the road for the first long road trip of the season as they travel to Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday for a matchup with the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan. The Pioneers look to advance to 3-0 for the first time since 2014.
 
GAME DETAILS: The Pioneers take the field at 1 PM against the Titans at Tucci Stadium. The Pioneers enter this week's game 2-0 after a successful home opener against the North Park Vikings. The Pioneers' rushing attack ran for over 200 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2014. Jaxon Case stands as the Pios' leading rusher and has amassed 102 yards on just 18 carries to go along with two scores. The Pioneers have rushed for five of their 13 total offensive touchdowns this season. Quarterback Josh Raby has thrown seven touchdown passes through two games, and averages 216.5 YPG. Keon Miller has caught three of those touchdowns, as the wideout leads the team in yards per game with 68.5.
 
The Pioneer defense has allowed just seven points through the last two games, and only 51.5 yards on the ground. Carroll is led by Jonathan Rau's 12 tackles through two games. Damon Loker has tallied four TFL for a loss of 17 yards, while Helios Martinez and Steven Lazaris both lead with two sacks each. The Pioneers set a program record last week with six takeaways, advancing their season total to seven. Carroll has intercepted four passes while recovering three fumbles from North Park.
 
PREVIEWING THE TITANS: Saturday marks the 48th meeting of the two programs, dating back to the first contest back in 1933. The Pioneers are 20-27 against the Titans but snapped a six-game losing streak last season in the first win since 1989 and the first win since rejoining the CCIW in 2016. Carroll struggled to score over 20 points in those losses but overcame that hump in 2021 when they won in a thriller 34-33 at Schneider Stadium. Austin Eichstaedt had a breakout game, catching 12 passes for 229 yards and two scores. 
The Titans stand at 1-1 after their first two contests. Ill. Wesleyan defeated their non-conference opponent, Ohio Wesleyan 45-21 back on September 10. Last weekend, the Titans fell on the road to No. 10 Wheaton, 7-42. The program is averaging 308.0 yards of total offense per game, with most of it coming through the air. Ryan Saxe has completed 67.8% of his passes to start the year, throwing for an average 227.5 yards per game. Myles Kee has been the start receiver so far, averaging 113.5 yards per game.
 
WEEKLY PIONEER HONORS: Sophomore offensive lineman Trevor Pye received this week's team offensive player of the week after the huge win over North Park. Pye and the offensive line helped the Pioneers rush for 235 yards and three scores while averaging 6.4 yards per carry on the ground last week. Pye, at the right guard position, is an integral part of the offensive line that has rushed for over 200 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2014. Pye and the offensive line didn't allow a sack last game and the offensive line, as the sophomore was physical in pass protection with multiple pancake blocks.

Two Pioneers share this week's defensive player of the week title. Linebacker Steven Lazaris and defensive back Jake Binkowksi. Lazaris was credited with six tackles against North Park, three of which were tackles for loss, and two of which were sacks. Both sacks by Lazaris came at the end of the third quarter in the same drive to help the Pioneers shutout North Park for the first time since 2018. Binkowski scored the first defensive touchdown of the season for Carroll, as the sophomore picked off North Park at the Viking three-yard line and ran it back for a score in the first half. This was Binkowski's first interception of his career and the Pios' first pick-six since 2019.

Linebacker Travis Runberg was selected as the special team's player of the week. Runberg tallied five tackles in the win including a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Three of Runberg's tackles came on kickoffs.
 
RUN LCD: In a Carroll offensive that last season was one of the best in the CCIW in passing yards and touchdowns, the Pioneers are out to prove that they are no longer one-dimensional this season by picking up yards on the ground. Carroll is averaging 226 rushing yards per game this season with an average of 5.4 yards per carry, both marks that are second-place in the conference. The three-headed dragon that is the running back room at Carroll is led by sophomores Nick Legnaioli, Jaxon Case, and freshman Marcus Douglas. All three Pioneers have scored touchdowns in the past two games, with Case holding the lead with two so far. The Pioneers are on pace to rush for over 2,260 yards this season, which would be the first time Carroll has rushed for over 2,000 yards in a season since 2014.
 
HOT AND FRESH TURNOVERS: Carroll boasts a conference-leading turnover gained statistic through two games. Carroll has forced seven turnovers after a program record six against North Park last week. The Pioneers have intercepted four passes so far this season, including three against North Park, and have recovered three fumbles. All members of the defense are getting in on the action, as four different defensive backs have recorded interceptions, and three different Pios recovered fumbles. Two of the fumbles in the North Park game were forced by Damon Loker and Jordan Pfeiffer. Loker punched the ball out of a receiver's hands, and Pfeiffer's first career sack was a strip sack for a loss of six yards.
 
HOW TO WATCH: The Pioneers and Titans will kick off at 1 PM. Illinois Wesleyan will provide live statistics and a live stream broadcast for fans to view. Those will be linked to the schedule page and will be available Saturday morning from gopios.com/football.