Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College football team dropped to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in CCIW action after falling 45-38 in a shootout to Carthage College.
Carthage (4-1, 1-1 CCIW) outscored Elmhurst 17-3 in the second half to rally from a 35-28 deficit at halftime. The Red Men totaled 290 yards of offense and 18 first downs in the final 30 minutes while Elmhurst was limited to only 147 yards and three points in the second half.
Trailing 35-28 at the half, Carthage took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove down to the Elmhurst 26-yard line, before settling for a Tyler Funk 44-yard field goal.
After an Elmhurst interception, Carthage drove 65 yards in six plays with Evan Jones giving the Red Men the lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Koeneman.
Elmhurst appeared to have momentum early in the fourth quarter after a big defensive stop. The Red Men drove to the Bluejays' five yard line and elected to go for the touchdown on a fourth-and-goal. Jones was upended by Randy Wright at the Elmhurst two-yard line to end the Red Men's scoring threat.
The Bluejays' offense could not sustain a drive on the ensuing possession and Elmhurst was forced to punt. A 52-yard punt from Tyler Lomnicki and a 10-yard holding penalty on Carthage pinned the Red Men at their own 15-yard line. After the Bluejays dropped Carthage for a loss on first down, a tipped ball helped give the Red Men the momentum. On second-and-15, the Bluejays batted the ball away from a Carthage receiver, but Rick Loisi caught the tipped pass and raced 47 yards to keep the Red Men drive alive. Four plays later, John Siegler capped the scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown run.
The Bluejays answered back on the ensuing possession, driving down to the Carthage eight-yard line and getting points on a 25-yard field goal from Lomnicki.
Carthage took over with 6:18 left to play, and the Red Men successfully mounted a drive to eat up the remaining time on the clock. Carthage converted three times on third down to keep the drive alive and run out the clock.
The first half featured a ton of offense as the two teams combined for 63 points and over 550 yards of total offense. Carthage got on the scoreboard first as Nick Merchut hauled in a 77-yard touchdown strike from Jones midway through the first quarter.
Elmhurst answered back as Ryan Bock caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Joe Furco to even the score. The Bluejay defense gave Elmhurst the lead as Ryan Johnson sacked Jones and forced a fumble. Wright scooped up the loose ball and raced 20 yards for the touchdown to give the Bluejays a 14-7 lead.
Carthage evened the score with one second left to play in the first quarter when Jake Smith capped an eight-play, 70-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. After an Elmhurst turnover, Carthage needed just one play to retake the lead as Chris Schulz found a wide open Jeff Koeneman on a 33-yard halfback pass.
Elmhurst took advantage of another Carthage fumble to even the score with 6:51 left to play in the half. Blake Veldhuis hauled in a 10-yard pass from Furco to cap an four-play, 22-yard drive.
After a Red Men punt, the Bluejays strung together an impressive eight-play, 90-yard scoring drive with Furco hitting Lex Cisler from a yard out. The touchdown gave Elmhurst a 28-21 lead with 2:10 remaining in the half.
Carthage came right back and drove 65 yards in six plays to knot the score at 28 with just 53 seconds left on the clock. Jones hit Jake Smith on an eight-yard pass play to complete the drive.
Elmhurst recaptured the lead right before the half as the Bluejays marched 62 yards in just 48 seconds to take a 35-28 lead at the half. Nick Herrera capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Elmhurst finished with 472 yards of total offense with 214 yards coming on the ground and 258 yards coming through the passing attack. Carthage rolled up 517 yards of total offense with 508 of the yards coming through the passing game.
Herrera led Elmhurst on the ground with 108 yards on 12 carries. Scottie Williams carried 15 times for 79 yards while Jimmy Jenkins rushed seven times for 46 yards. Furco finished 23-of-42 for 258 yards. He tossed three touchdowns and was also intercepted three times. Veldhuis proved to be the Bluejays' top receiver, catching nine passes for 81 yards and a score.
With his five extra points and a field goal, Lomnicki became Elmhurst's all-time leader in points scored by a kicker with 167 career points, surpassing Tom Foote's record of 160 points that stood for 29 years.
Jones completed 34-of-48 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns. Koeneman hauled in 13 passes for 155 yards and two scores while Merchut caught six balls for 134 yards and a score.
Jon Janus led the Elmhurst defense with 14 tackles while Wright totaled 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
The Bluejays travel to North Park University on Saturday, October 17.
