Box Score
DECATUR, Ill. - Trailing 21-0 in the first half, the Elmhurst College football team rallied to defeat Millikin University 24-21. Elmhurst improved to 7-2 overall with the victory, marking the first time the Bluejays have won seven games in a season since the 1985 squad finished 7-2. The Bluejays also upped their conference record to 4-2 marking the first time the Bluejays have won four CCIW contests since the 1987 season.
Trailing 21-7 at halftime, the Bluejays outscored Millikin (3-6, 1-5 CCIW) 17-0 in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win. Elmhurst took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove to the Millikin 15-yard line, before settling for a 32-yard Tyler Lomnicki field goal.
The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by Millikin and Elmhurst recovered the loose ball at the Millikin 31-yard line. Chris Kudyba capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Gibson to pull the Bluejays to within four points at 21-17.
The remainder of the third quarter and the first half of the fourth quarter turned into a field position battle as neither team could sustain a drive. After an Elmhurst drive stalled with less than six minutes to play, Lomnicki pinned Millikin inside their own 10-yard line with a 45-yard punt. Facing a third-and-four, Millikin QB Andy Dicken was sacked by the Bluejays' Brandon Jones at the Big Blue's 4-yard line.
After a 26-yard punt by Millikin, the Bluejays took over at the Big Blue's 30-yard line. The Bluejays drove to the Millikin 12-yard line, before facing a third-and-nine. Kudyba hit Herrera for a 7-yard gain to the Millikin 5-yard line, leaving Elmhurst facing a fourth down with just 2:14 to play. On fourth down, Kudyba scrambled to the goal line, giving Elmhurst the first down. On the next play, Nick Herrera finished the scoring drive with a leaping one-yard touchdown run. The touchdown gave Elmhurst its first lead of the game at 24-21.
After a touchback on the resulting kickoff, Millikin's offense went to work. The Big Blue drove to the Elmhurst 23-yard line before facing a fourth down. On a windy day, the Big Blue elected not to attempt a 40-yard field goal, trying for the first down instead. Dicken's pass to Will Roth fell incomplete and the Bluejays took over on downs and ran out the clock to seal the win.
The game didn't start of on a positive note for the Bluejays. Elmhurst found themselves in deep trouble early as Millikin raced out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. After punting on their first possession, the Bluejays turned the ball over three straight times, allowing Millikin to grab the lead.
After an Elmhurst punt, Millikin got on the scoreboard when Dicken capped a 70-play scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. After an Elmhurst fumble, the Big Blue took over on the Bluejays' 14-yard line. Drew Fendrich capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. The extra point was missed, leaving Millikin with a 13-0 lead.
Millikin tacked on a touchdown early in the second quarter when Dicken connected with Matt Kormelink on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Dicken hit Kody Smith on the two-point conversion to give Millikin a 21-0 lead.
Dane Paul sparked the Bluejays' offense on the ensuing kickoff. Paul returned the kick 53 yards to the Millikin 29-yard line. Kudyba put Elmhurst on the scoreboard when he tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Ratay to cut the Millikin lead down to 21-7 at the half.
Elmhurst finished the game with 261 yards of total offense with 189 coming through the air and 72 yards coming through the ground game. Millikin finished the game with 344 yards. The Big Blue rushed for 171 yards and passed for 173. After allowing Millikin 241 yards in the first half, the Bluejays' defense allowed only 103 yards in the second half while keeping the Big Blue off the scoreboard.
Kudyba completed 17-of-34 pass attempts for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice. Matt D'Angelo was the Bluejays' top target, catching six passes for 62 yards. In the process, he set a new single-season record for receiving yards with 1,008. Ratay caught four passes for 61 yards, including a touchdown. Herrera led Elmhurst on the ground, rushing 21 times for 79 yards.
Dion Wilson led Millikin on the ground, carrying 14 times for 87 yards. Dicken finished 15-of-26 for 173 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 52 yards and a score. Kormelink was the Big Blue's top target, catching seven passes for 83 yards.
Defensively, the Bluejays were led by Paul's nine tackles. Eric Puzon and Randy Wright each recorded eight takles, including a tackle for loss.
Elmhurst closes out the 2008 season by hosting North Central College on Saturday, November 8. The Bluejays will be looking for their eighth win of the season, a feat the team has not achieved since the 1981 season.
