Millikin football beats rival Illinois Wesleyan thanks to late touchdown

The Titans scored first, and Millikin answered with an eight-play, 42-yard drive capped by Lee’s 20-yard touchdown run. The teams were tied 7-7 after the first quarter.

Millikin took its first lead after stopping Illinois Wesleyan on fourth down. Two plays later, Lee scored from 4 yards out to put the Big Blue ahead 14-7. Another fourth-down stop set up a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a trick-play touchdown: wide receiver Justin White threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Sylas Gomez.

The Big Blue led 21-7 at halftime. Illinois Wesleyan scored after the break, but Millikin answered when Gomez found Quintin Loquasto for a 7-yard touchdown. The teams entered the fourth quarter with Millikin ahead 28-14.

Illinois Wesleyan scored twice to tie the game at 28 with 8:03 remaining. Millikin responded with an 11-play, 73-yard drive, capped by Lee’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:53 to play.

The Titans tied the score on their next play from scrimmage. Millikin needed three plays to answer: Lee broke free for a 64-yard touchdown, putting the Big Blue ahead 42-35 with 1:01 left.

Illinois Wesleyan reached the Millikin 12 on its final possession but turned the ball over on downs. Millikin ran out the clock.

“What a great night for college football!” coach Billy Riebock said, praising the home crowd for creating “an atmosphere that was second to none.”

Gomez completed 18 of 24 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown pass. Lee ran for 148 yards on 20 carries and scored four times. He also led Millikin with 69 receiving yards on four catches. Keith Thompson had a team-high six tackles, including one for loss.

Millikin improved to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in CCIW play. The Big Blue travel to Carthage on Oct. 24.