Riding a five-game winning streak, the Benedictine University football team heads into the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time since 2011 with a lot of momentum. A tough test awaits the Eagles, as the team travels to nearby Wheaton College to face the 10-0 Thunder in the tournament's First Round.
  
The 6-4 Eagles have clicked in all three phases on the winning streak, outgaining opponents by an average of 419-165 and recording a +138 point differential (175-37). Two of the five wins have been shutouts, defeating Aurora University 26-0 on October 18 and Lakeland College 16-0 to clinch the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's automatic bid last Saturday. BenU allowed just 54 yards of offense in the win over Lakeland, the fewest in the Jon Cooper era.
 
BenU quarterback Ryan Keener's efficient play has also propelled the Eagles, as the senior has completed 78 of 123 passing attempts (63.4%) for 1,112 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just two interceptions over the last five contests. In the same time frame, senior wide receiver Greg German hauled in 20 receptions, 478 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition, senior running back and return specialist Artie Monaco has recorded two games of over 100 yards rushing, totaled 879 all-purpose yards, and scored seven touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving, one punt return).
 
Defensively, Benedictine has been stout all season, allowing just 15.6 points and 240.8 yards per game. Sophomore safety Jarrett Lecas leads all NACC players with six interceptions and defensive backs with 94 tackles (second in the conference), while junior defensive lineman Alex Davis leads the NACC with 8.5 sacks. As a team, BenU tallied 24 takeaways (16 interceptions, eight fumble recoveries) and 24 sacks.
  
Members of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, Wheaton ranks second in the CCIW with 29.9 points per game and leads the conference allowing just 13.7 points per game. It is Wheaton's first trip to the NCAA Playoffs since 2010, when the Thunder lost in the second round to Bethel University. This season, the eighth-ranked Thunder have won in a variety of ways, winning three by more than 20 points and going 4-0 in games decided by single-digits. One of those wins came in the final seconds against fifteenth-ranked North Central College, as kicker Sam Cote made a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give NCC its only CCIW defeat.
 
Wheaton brings a balanced offensive attack into the matchup, averaging 240.9 passing yards and 172.8 rushing yards per game. At quarterback, the Thunder has used three different players this season, with sophomore Johnny Peltz handling the duties over the last five games. The dual-threat has thrown for 1,167 yards, ran for 478 yards, and accounted for 17 total touchdowns (11 passing, six rushing). Almost half of those touchdowns came in a 56-20 win over Elmhurst College on November 1, as Peltz scored eight times (four rushing and four passing) and totaled 408 yards of offense in the win.
 
On defense, Wheaton possesses a vaunted pass rush, leading the CCIW with 29 sacks. Junior linebacker Logan McRae lead the team with eight sacks in just eight games played, while senior captain and defensive end Jared Todd has seven on his own. Wheaton has taken the ball away seventeen times this season, intercepting ten passes and recovering seven fumbles, with defensive backs Alex Mendez (junior), Wes Cannonier (junior), and Michael Risher (senior) each accounting for four apiece. The Thunder has also held teams to just 3.6 yards per carry in large part due to junior linebacker Adam Dansdill, who leads the CCIW with 115 total tackles.