BLOOMINGTON -- As Illinois Wesleyan battled North Central last week, the Titans probably could hear the cheers from a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival to the north.

"Obviously you're always pulling for people to help you out," said Wheaton coach Mike Swider. "To be honest, I'm only worried about my football team. But it did give us the opportunity to come back and be part of a championship."

IWU knocked off CCIW-leading North Central, 28-22, in overtime. That merely set up the Titans for another showdown Saturday. This time, the Thunder won't be on IWU's side.

Wheaton, ranked No. 11 in the Division III coaches' poll, comes into IWU Stadium for a 1 p.m. game against the No. 23 Titans on Senior Day. Both teams are 7-1 overall and tied for the CCIW lead with North Central at 4-1.

"We knew going into last week if we won that game we had to turn around and get right back to the grindstone," said IWU offensive tackle Travis Boothe, who will be among 19 seniors honored in a pregame ceremony. "We have the type of players and attitudes on our team to do that."

If the Titans win Saturday and in next week's finale at North Park (1-7), they would be the CCIW's automatic qualifier for the Division III playoffs. IWU has not been in the playoffs since 1996.

Wheaton lost to North Central, 27-7, two weeks ago. The Thunder rebounded last week in a 38-7 victory against Elmhurst.

"To me they're the team to beat right now. They stand in our way," said IWU coach Norm Eash. "To get to a CCIW championship we have to go through them."

Wheaton returned only two starters on defense from last year's 11-3 squad which advanced to the Division III semifinals. But the Thunder has reloaded and allowed 14.1 points per game while ranking third in the CCIW in total defense (297.9 yards per game).

Safety Brian McMullen was last week's CCIW Defensive Player of the Week in Wheaton's victory over Elmhurst. The sophomore had nine tackles and returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.

"They're starting to play together as a team," said Swider, who serves as Wheaton's defensive coordinator. "When you graduate that many kids there's a little bit of a void there. It takes a couple games for those kids to learn to play together."

Quarterback Kraig Ladd gave IWU's offense a jumpstart last week. After missing two games with a broken hand, Ladd threw for 340 yards and three TDs to earn CCIW Offensive Player of the Week honors.

IWU's defense, which has dropped to No. 7 nationally (225.5 yards per game), will face a Wheaton attack which ran for a season-high 317 yards last week. Charlie Velling (607 yards) and Rocky Gingg (410 yards) form a two-headed tandem at tailback for the Thunder.

Wheaton can still throw the ball effectively with senior Sean Norris, a second-team all-CCIW selection last year. Norris has completed 122 of 226 attempts for 1,698 yards and 18 TDs.

IWU was in a similar situation two years ago. The Titans beat Wheaton, 18-14, and shared the league title with North Central. But this season, a playoff berth also is dangling in front of IWU.

"This is the last regular season scheduled (home) game for our seniors. They are a special group," said Eash. "They have a chance to win two championships in their careers ... They've really been the glue to our football team. Because of their leadership we are where we are."

Title on line

Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan

Time: 1 p.m. Saturday

Broadcast: wjbc.com