Millikin took on the red hot North Central in a game that was very one sided throughout, as the team struggled to move the ball offensively, only having 71 yards rushing and 108 yards passing, resulting in a final score of 59-10 in favor of North Central.
Millikin’s run game was nowhere near where they have been before, averaging 1.7 yards per carry and at times felt they couldn’t move the ball.
The defense struggled as well, unable to stop a potent North Central offense. Wide Receiver Thomas Skokna was a prime example, as he set a North Central record with 5 receiving touchdowns on the day.
“We didn’t tackle well, we just didn’t play well as a team,” Linebacker Alex Araiza said.
A game that felt like a disaster still had players able to take positive impacts and small victories.
“There was some positivity from the game. We put some points on the board. There were a lot of other teams who didn’t put points on the board,” Quarterback Sylas Gomez said.
The game had a lot of emotions for the players and had some players fired up. However, emotions transfered into anger as Defensive Lineman Ixavion Moore was ejected from the game due to punching an opposing player.
“They called what they saw. It’s inexcusable, you know. [Moore] is hurting right now, but that’s not the representation of the young man he is. But it goes back to controlling our emotions, in the heat of battle. We have got to coach it better, obviously I have to teach it better, and we have to have accountability,” Coach Billy Riebock said.
However, certain players are ready to step into that role and help keep the team in the right direction.
“We knew this would be a hard fought game and an emotional game. I’m just trying to keep everyone cool, calm and collected and play our game,” Gomez said.
The team is looking to bounce back next week and that starts with practice.
“We have got to get better, keep rolling, keep fighting, as bad as this is and as hurt as we are. God willing, the sun will rise and we have that chase to get back at it,” Riebock said.
Up next for Millikin is longtime rival Illinois Wesleyan, a team that the Big Blue hasn’t beaten since 2020 in a 38-28 win. Millikin falls to 2-3 on the season and 1-3 in the CCIW, but looks to exact revenge on Illinois Wesleyan on October 18th at home.
“Its always going to be a difficult game, every game is going to be difficult every game is a dog fight. It’s you against the guy you line up against so it’s going to be a dogfight,” Araiza said.
