Wheaton vs Millikin University

Wheaton beat Millikin University 43–29 at home in Wheaton, Ill. on Saturday, October 11, 2003. It was the fifth of 13 games logged in 2003, and it left Wheaton at 5-0. It was the 49th meeting with Millikin University, after which Wheaton trailed the series 24-25. Mike Swider was in his eighth season as head coach.

Wheaton, Price run past Millikin in 43-29 victory (Boxscore)

Wheaton, Ill. (10/11) - Led by Dan Price 's career-high

202 yards and three touchdowns, the Wheaton Thunder football team defeated conference

foe Millikin today by the score of 43-29. Wheaton never trailed in the three-hour,

20-minute contest that saw 987 yards of total offense. Wheaton improves to 5-0

on the season and 2-0 in conference play; Millikin falls to 4-1 and 1-1. Wheaton

has now won 12 consecutive CCIW games and 14 straight regular season games.

After

Millikin's Nathan Wallick gained 46 yards on the game's first offensive

play, Wheaton quelched the Big Blue and forced a punt. Wheaton proceeded to

march 80 yards on 10 plays in four minutes, with Price (left) punching the pigskin

into pay dirt on a two-yard run. The PAT was mishandled, but Andrew Day

converted the try after a Millikin penalty.

On the ensuing kick return, Shawn Wildt knocked the ball loose in a

massive collision that left Millikin's Nathan Chandler and Wheaton's

Mark Hamstra on the ground for quite some time before play resumed. Drew

Thornfeldt bullled his way into the end zone four plays later. To cap the

first-quarter scoring, Mike Marker hauled in a 52-yard pass from Donnell

Brown to put Millikin on the board.

Wheaton took a 29-13 halftime lead on second-quarter touchdown runs by Price

and Garrett Granberg, who threw to Kirk Swanson for the two-point

conversion on another mishandled PAT try. Eric Pabon countered for the

Big Blue with a 23-yard reception, and the two-point try failed. Millikin's

two scoring drives in the first half totalled 17 seconds, and Wheaton held the

ball for 20:02 to Millikin's 9:58.

Millikin scored on a one-yard run by Wallick in the third and converted the

two-point try to narrow the gap to 29-21, but Wheaton responded with Granberg's

second score of the day, a nine-yard run with 12:51 remaining. Millikin closed

to within seven when Pabon made a nifty catch for the touchdown. More PAT madness

ensued when Andy Beals missed the kick and Wheaton was called for holding.

Beals' second attempt was blocked, but Eric Hofmann recovered the ball

and ran in for two points to make it 36-29.

Price

finished off the scoring on Wheaton's second play from scrimmage after the Millikin

score with a 54-yard touchdown scamper, and carried six more times for 20 more

yards to surpass the 200-yard plateau. Chad Bradley completed 15 of 28

passes for Wheaton for 240 yards with one interception and was sacked twice.

Brown completed 15 of 30 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns and was intercepted

twice and sacked three times.

Defensively for the Thunder, Wildt (RIGHT) made eight tackles, deflected two

passes and forced a fumble, Mike Lindberg had an interception and six

tackles, Marcos Gutierrez had 1.5 sacks and five tackles (three for loss

of seven yards), and Jeff Mumm had four tackles and an interception.

Wheaton will visit Carthage next week to take on the Redmen in Kenosha at 1

PM. The game can be heard live on WETN-88.1 FM.

Read it in the news archive →