Millikin Football won 22-17 in a hard-fought game in new Head Coach Billy Riebock’s first appearance at the Frank.

In a game that went down to the wire, the Big Blue took the win and is on a 2-game win streak, the first such streak since 2021.

The Big Blue played complementary football, a trait that had been absent for the last few seasons.

The defense recorded 6 TFLs, forced a fumble, and held a potent North Park offense to only 17 points. Captain Linebacker Alex Araiza recorded three total tackles and 2 TFL and was the centerpiece in Millikin’s defense. 

“We always talk about setting the tone, so I try to set the tone for the team. It gets them up, and it gets me up too,” Araiza said. “We do 11 guys to the ball all the time in practice. All my boys, we’re coming for heads.”

One of the biggest challenges Millikin’s defense faced was North Park’s Jereme Ombogo, likely the fastest and most versatile receiver in the CCIW. Ombogo, who erupted for 80 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting between the two, was held to 22 all-purpose yards, an immense improvement for the Big Blue defense.

“Number 1 was their dude, right, and I think we put hits on him, didn’t let him beat us too bad, and that’s a credit, it’s 11 playing as 1,” Riebock said.

The Big Blues’ offense also played well, recording 381 total yards of offense and 3 TDs to go along with it. Sylas Gomez stayed at the helm for his first home game and was an efficient 17-27 with 266 yards through the air and a TD. On the ground, he recorded 8 rushes for 67 yards and got a crucial first down on his feet in the 4th quarter.

“Get the first down so we can end the game,” he said. “That’s all that was going through my head.”

Once again Gomez spread the ball around very effectively, connecting with 7 different targets while passing.

“I’m blessed, you know, I have a lot of weapons around me to spread the ball out,” he said. “They just make my life a whole lot easier.”

Last season, Millikin recorded only 38 rushing yards against North Park, but that was not the story this time around. The team established a strong run game, recording 115 total rushing yards. Running back Re’John Zeno contributed 96 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Zeno has been an enormous part of the Millikin offense, scoring six touchdowns in two games to start the season. 

“It feels great to come out here to show our fans and show the team what we can really do,” Zeno said.

On a night of competitive football, one alarming problem stood out from the three aspects of Millikin’s game. The special teams unit was extremely underwhelming, missing field goals, PATs, allowing a blocked PAT to be returned for a 2-point conversion, and having trouble with long snaps, resulting in a safety for North Park.

“We’ve got a lot of work,” Riebock said. “We’ve just got to keep working. This is going to be a special place. This is going to be a place where dreams go to die.”

A game that was extremely physical on both sides of the ball led to many injuries for Millikin. Riebock hasn’t given any specifics but remains optimistic that his team is prepared no matter who steps on the field.

“We’ve got to get into that training room, thank God we have the new one,” he said. “It will be utilized tonight and tomorrow, and for the rest of the week. We’re going to have to see what the doctors say.”

Riebock knew in advance that CCIW football is a different brand of football than any other in Division III. Beating a CCIW rival would take lots of preparation, and in Millikin’s case, trickery. On a fourth-down punt, Riebock optioned for Punter and backup Quarterback Joe Brummer to attempt a pass instead of punting the ball, leading to a Millikin first down after a pass interference call.

Plays like these show that Riebock is willing and able to dig deep in his playbook in big situations when he needs to.

Millikin advances to 2-0 on the season, and the Big Blue team is ready to take revenge on Augustana, a team Millikin hasn’t beaten since 2021. After taking down CCIW rival North Park, the Big Blue will travel to Augustana to attempt to add to its list of revenge wins.

“We’re trying to wreck their Homecoming,” Ariaza said. “We’ve got to focus. Enjoy tonight, but work starts tomorrow.”