IWC shoots for improved offense in second game

Iowa Wesleyan College will attempt to fire up its offense against Quincy (Ill.) University Saturday night on the road in a non-league game.

The Tigers sputtered offensively in an opening 42-7 loss to eighth-ranked William Penn University last week. IWC gained just 223 yards against the Statesmen, including just 36 yards in the second half, and Penn eventually pulled away with three touchdowns in the final 15:13 of the game. Wesleyan scored its lone touchdown in the second quarter when Kevin McConnell hit Ridge Hobbs for a 69-yard touchdown pass over the middle.

Wesleyan has a chance to get on track this week, though, against a Quincy team that allowed more than 48 points per game last year. The Tigers scored 62 points last year against the Hawks, leading to a 62-50 victory in the highest scoring game in IWC?s 111 seasons of football. The Tigers scored 49 points in the first half alone in a wild game. The Tigers and Hawks combined for 112 points, 16 touchdowns, 58 first downs and 1,050 yards of total offense in the shootout.

Quincy struggled mightily in 2010 with a 0-11 record. The Hawks moved over to the MSFA Mideast this year and will be playing their 2011 season opener. Quincy in the past has typically been much more competitive in MSFA play than it was last year. The Hawks posted three straight winning seasons from 2006-08 before slipping to 4-7 in 2009 and to 0-11 last year.

This is the 11th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Hawks, two schools separated by just 1 1/2 hours. Quincy leads the series 8-2 and before last year had won eight straight meetings. IWC won the first-ever meeting between the schools in 1987 by a 10-0 score, but QU won the next eight.

IWC will be playing its second straight road game to start the season, and for the second straight week will be playing a school christening a new home stadium. Quincy has moved its home games from the old QU Stadium across town to Flinn Stadium.

Saturday night?s game audio will available online at http://www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia, with IWC Sports Information Director Adam Glatczak handling the play-by-play.