The Washington University football team will be making its last push for the play-offs this weekend at Millikin University. Both Millikin and Wash. U are 6-2 and tied for third in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The Bears have outperformed expectations for how they would do in the conference. A pre-season coaches poll expected the Bears to finish sixth.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Jack Schumacher and Jake Coon tackle the Illinois Wesleyan University ball carrier. Coon leads the CCIW with 97 tackles and was named to D3football.com’s Team of the Week this week.

Wash. U’s defense has been proficient at generating big plays all year. The Bears lead the CCIW in turnover margin (+0.88) and sacks (33). The Bears have been roughly average in yards allowed; so, those meaningful plays have been the difference between being an average defense and a good defense. Senior linebacker Jake Coon has been superb this season. Coon tallied 16 tackles and two interceptions against Augustana College Saturday. High tackle totals have been the norm for Coon all season. He leads the CCIW in tackles with 97. Also leading the CCIW is Peter Pigatti, whose 10 sacks tops the conference.

On the other side of the ball, junior Johnny Davidson has handled both quarterback and punting duties for the Bears. Davidson leads the conference in yards for punts (39.9). Davidson has also been a prolific passer all season. Against Augustana, Johnny Davidson completed 38 of his 49 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. His efforts were enough to earn a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week. Other offensive stand-outs include junior running back John Fisher, who leads the team in rushing, and senior wide receiver Matt Goldberg. Goldberg eclipsed 1000 yards receiving at Augustana.

Millikin will be a formidable foe. After an embarrassing 6-63 loss at Wheaton College, the Big Blue rebounded with a four-game winning streak before falling for the second time this season to No. 15 Illinois Wesleyan University. Millikin has had a respectable passing attack this season, averaging 268.2 yards per game. However, Millikin’s tough running game has been the stable of their offense this season. If the Wash. U defense is stellar this Saturday, expect the Big Blue to try to turn the game into a war of attrition. Against Elmhurst College in their second most recent game, Millikin generated offense through simple, physical running that wore the defense down. Millikin rushed for 233 yards in that game and narrowly defeated Elmhurst 14-13. Sophomore Jazontae Howard was critical in that game. His 142 yards made all the difference. Howard could be the X-factor against Wash. U. Howard was injured against Illinois Wesleyan, and it’s unclear whether he will play a big role against the Bears. His absence would force Millikin to take to the air more, which will open up more opportunities for the Bears to force turnovers.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Junior quarterback Johnny Davidson carries the ball for a gain in yards against Illinois Wesleyan University. Davidson will lead the Bears against Millikin University Saturday, Nov. 3.

Winning this game is essential to determining whether the Bears will make the playoffs. The Bears can be knocked out of contention for a conference championship this weekend if Illinois-Wesleyan wins. In that case, the Bears’ only chance of making the post season will be receiving an at-large bid. There are 32 spots in the playoffs. One is reserved for independent/non-conference teams. 25 are reserved for conference champions. The remaining 5 spots go to the best remaining teams in the country. In a competitive conference, like the CCIW, there are multiple teams in prime position to make a push for an at-large bid. The fierce competition at the top will definitely leave some teams frustrated in November. This game at Millikin and next weekend’s home closer against Carroll University will determine whether the Bears are one of them.