Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College football team improved to 5-1 on the season by defeating North Park University 42-21 in front of a homecoming crowd.
Chris Kudyba passed for 253 yards and four touchdowns and Jarred Sherrod rushed for 115 yards and a pair of scores to pace Elmhurst in the win.
Elmhurst (2-1 CCIW) trailed 7-0 after North Park scored in less than a minute on its opening possession of the ball game. The Bluejays answered back by scoring touchdowns of each its first four possessions to take a commanding 28-7 lead. The Bluejays led 35-14 at the break and opened up a 42-14 lead in the fourth quarter before North Park tacked on a touchdown in the game's final seconds.
North Park (1-5, 0-3 CCIW) got on the scoreboard first when Shelby Wood capped a three-play drive with a 33-yard touchdown strike to Sam Cochiaro just 51 seconds into the game.
Elmhurst evened the score as Kudyba tossed an 11-yard strike to Matt D'Angelo. Kudyba connected with Mitch Holmer on touchdown passes of 29 and three yards to give Elmhurst a 21-7 late in the first quarter. Kudyba found D'Angelo from 22 yards out early in the second quarter to put Elmhurst on top 28-7.
North Park cut the lead down to 14 with a nine-yard score from Wood to Sam Lialios, but the Bluejays reclaimed a three touchdown lead right before the half when Sherrod scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge.
Neither team managed to get on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the Bluejays found the end zone early in the fourth when Sherrod scampered in from 10 yards out to give Elmhurst a 42-14 lead. North Park scored in the closing seconds of the game on a one-yard Jacob Mueller touchdown.
Elmhurst finished the day with 448 yards of total offense while North Park totaled 371. Elmhurst totaled 195 yards on the ground and 253 through the air while North Park rushed for 150 yards and passed for 221.
Kudyba finished the game completing 21-of-29 pass attempts for 253 yards. He tossed four touchdowns and was picked off twice. Holmer and D'Angelo proved to be Kudyba's favorite targets. Holmer hauled in eight passes for 106 yards and a pair of scores while D'Angelo grabbed five passes for 78 yards and scored twice.
Sherrod became the first Bluejay to eclipse the 100-yard rushing barrier this season. He carried 16 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Griffin Gibson also had an impressive day, rushing nine times for 60 yards.
For North Park, Wood completed 11-of-28 pass attempts for 95 yards and two TDs. He was picked off twice and sacked three times. Mueller was a work horse on the ground for the Vikings. The tailback carried 32 times for 155 yards and a touchdown.
Randy Wright continued to lead the Bluejays' defense, totaling 17 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. Wright also kept pressure on Wood, recording three quarterback hurries. Jon Janus also reached double digits in stops, recording 11 tackles. He also forced a fumble and broke up two passes. Brandon Jones added nine tackles for the Bluejays.
Elmhurst travels to Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, October 25, for a 6:00 p.m. contest.
