The Washington University Bears will be back at Francis Field for a huge NCAA Division III football game against No. 5 Wheaton on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: WashU Athletics)

Wash. U. Football — Gameday Info
Game No. 4 — #5 Wheaton (2-1) at Washington University (2-1)
Date/Time — Saturday, October 2 – 6 pm
Location — Francis Olympic Field – St. Louis, MO
Broadcast — WashU Sports Network
Live Stats — Presto Sports

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

After stumbling in its season opener but bouncing back with a pair of impressive wins the last two weeks, the Washington University football team will host one of its biggest games of the season Saturday evening at Francis Olympic Field, when the No. 5 team in all of NCAA Division III football, Wheaton College, will come to town.

Like Wash. U., Wheaton is 2-1 on the year, with its only loss coming in Week 2 to then-No. 3 ranked North Central, which is now the No. 1-ranked team in Division III, in those two teams’ annual rivalry game for The Little Brass Bell.

Wheaton won its game last week over North Park 58-27.

The Bears and the Thunder have quite a contrast in styles. Wash. U. likes to use its short-to-intermediate passing game to set up bigger chunk plays down the field, while Wheaton likes to run the ball a lot and overpower its opponents with its large offensive line and multitude of talented running backs.

Both clubs have shown an ability to pose major problems for opposing defenses and it should be quite a battle to see which one will prevail over the other.

Players to Watch: With its prolific passing attack, Wash. U. is led by junior quarterback Matt Rush. The first-year starter from Hinsdale, Ill., has thrown for 882 yards and nine touchdowns in just three games. Last week, he was 23-of-35 for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears’ 27-7 win over Elmhurst.

Wash. U. started slow in that game, but got rolling late in the first half, and then dominated the second half for its second straight win. Receivers Cole Okmin and Jared Harrison also had good days. Both scored touchdowns, with Okmin leading the Bears in catches and yards (seven for 71) to go along with his two touchdowns.

Rush also likes to look for senior tight end Sam Fenske, who suffered an ankle injury late in last week’s game and will be a game time decision on Saturday.

Wheaton is led by its dynamic running back duo of junior Giovanni Weeks and senior Sam Singleton. Last week, both players went for over 100 yards and combined to score three touchdowns. For the season, Weeks has 305 total rushing yards and averages 105.0 per game. Singleton hasn’t gotten as many carries, but he’s averaging 11.1 yards on the carries he gets.

Weeks is also Wheaton’s leading receiver, with 11 catches for 208 yards. But when quarterback Luke Anthony goes downfield, he looks for speedy receivers Matthew Tucker and Adam Terrini, who have combined for 23 catches, 285 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Defensively, the Bears are led by junior linebacker Connor Burke, who leads the team with 18 tackles, and senior defensive end Noah Bryson, who has 14 tackles and two sacks this year. Senior defensive back Andrew Whitaker also figures to be a key player in Saturday’s matchup. The 2019 Division III All-American will likely be counted on to help slow down Wheaton’s tough pound and ground running game.

Wheaton’s defense is led by senior linebacker Ryan Schwartz, who ranks among the nation’s leaders with 23 total tackles and 15 solo stops this year.

Up Next: The Bears will be home against next week, with a game on Saturday, October 9, against Illinois Wesleyan. Kickoff that day at Francis Olympic Field will be at 1 p.m.

Wheaton will also be home next week. The Thunder will be hosting their Homecoming Game next Saturday against Augustana.

Probable Starters
Wash. U. Offense                              Wash. U. Defense
QB – 17 Matt Rush – Jr.                   DL – 40 Noah Bryson – Sr.
RB – 5 Tennyson Holmes – Sr.          DL – 54 Jackson Wilson – Sr.
WR – 4 Collin Hoyhtya – So.             DL – 97 Jack Schumacher – Sr.
WR – 14 Cole Okmin – Jr.                 LB – 10 Alex Harvey – Sr.
WR – 86 Treyton Lamphier – Sr.       LB – 47 John Christensen – Sr.
OL – 55 Tom Peters – So.                  LB – 49 Zane Ahlfinger – Sr.
OL – 56 Andrew Silver – Sr.              LB – 99 Anthony Brown – Sr.
OL – 62 Matt Spichiger – Jr.             DB – 22 T.J. Perusek – Sr.
OL – 64 Alex Vogel – Jr.                    DB – 30 J.T. Streepy – Sr.
OL – 65 Jarrett Dykema – Sr.           DB – 48 Andrew Whitaker – Sr.
TE – 85 Sam Fenske – Sr.                 DB – 44 Langston Laramore-Josey – Sr.
PK – 3 Chris Vartanian – Jr.             P – 5 Tomas Quiroz – Fr.

Wheaton Offense                              Wheaton Defense
QB – 18 Luke Anthony – Sr.             DL – 39 Brayden Anthony – Sr.
RB – 30 Giovanni Weeks – Jr.           DL – 54 Dallas McRae – Sr.
RB – 26 Sam Singleton – Sr.             DL – 92 Jake Holaday – Sr.
WR – 2 Matthew Tucker – Jr.            DL – 90 River Schindeldecker – Sr.
WR – 4 Adam Terrini – Sr.                LB – 10 Wyatt Lee – Sr.
OL – 77 Wyatt Southall – Sr.             LB – 34 Ryan Schwartz – Sr.
OL – 62 Sam Rogers – Sr.                 LB – 22 Daniel Herber – Sr.
OL – 55 Derek Johanik – Jr.             DB – 13 Caleb Egbert – Sr.
OL – 59 Graham Wall – Sr.               DB – 33 Caleb Grotelueschen – Sr.
OL – 78 Paul Fay – Jr.                      DB – 16 Luke Gammichia – Sr.
TE – 15 Spencer Peterson – Sr.         DB – 41 Josh Shafley – Sr.
PK – 8 Tommy Gallagher – Sr.          P – 6 John Weary – Sr.