Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. - Thirty-one years is a long time to wait. 

Thirty-one years is how long the Elmhurst football team had to wait to hand Augustana College a defeat. Countless historical events including: nine U.S. presidential elections, the end of the Cold War and the invention of cell phones and the Internet have happened during the Bluejays' 31-year wait. On Saturday, Elmhurst's wait came to an end as the Bluejays handed Augustana a 35-21 defeat.

The win was the Bluejays' first victory over the Vikings since the 1979 season. Augustana (5-4, 3-3 CCIW) had its 23-game series-winning streak snapped in the loss. (The two teams played to a scoreless 0-0 tie during the 1986 season). 

"This is a huge win for our program," said third-year Elmhurst head coach Tim Lester. "This is a great signature victory that we've been looking for this season."

Bluejay running back Scottie Williams torched the Vikings for 175 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the ball 30 times. Elmhurst (6-3, 3-3 CCIW) scored the game's first 21 points and never looked back, leading by three touchdowns on three separate occasions. 

The Bluejays took the opening kickoff and promptly drove 62 yards to the end zone with Williams capping the drive that lasted over six minutes with an eight-yard touchdown run. 

The first of six Augustana turnovers set up an Elmhurst score early in the second quarter. Rich Dastice pounced on a loose ball at the Vikings' 13-yard line after Augustana muffed the fair catch of a punt. Three plays later, Williams found the end zone on a four-yard touchdown run to stake Elmhurst to a 14-0 lead.  

After the Elmhurst defense forced Augustana to punt, the Bluejays went to work from their own 20-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Joe Furco engineered an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown strike to Rodney Payton to put the Bluejays up 21-0. 

Elmhurst couldn't keep Augustana off the scoreboard for the entire first half. The Vikings finished off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from David Lee to Nick Krantz with just 27 seconds left in the half. The Bluejays' defense limited the high-powered Vikings to only 81 yards of total offense in the opening half. 

The Bluejays capitalized on another Augustana mistake on the opening drive of the second half. A botched hand-off resulted in an Augustana fumble and Wayne Tuckson recovered the loose ball at the Vikings' 32-yard line. On the very next play, Furco threw a backward pass to Chase Hamby. Hamby pulled up behind the line of scrimmage and tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brian LeSeur, giving Elmhurst a 28-7 cushion. 

"The turnover gave us the ball in great field position," said Lester. "It seemed like the perfect time to execute that play. Chase sold the play as a screen pass and Brian couldn't have been any more wide open."

Midway through the third quarter, Elmhurst drove to the Vikings' five-yard line, but Furco was picked off by John Mago. Augustana took advantage of the turnover, moving 91 yards in six plays with Lee ending the march on a two-yard touchdown plunge, cutting the deficit back down to 14 points.

Elmhurst quickly reestablished the three-touchdown lead, as Furco pushed the Bluejays 64 yards to the end zone. A costly personal foul penalty on Augustana kept Elmhurst's drive going after the Bluejays were stopped on third down. Williams scored his third touchdown of the game on the next play, racing into the end zone from six yards out to give Elmhurst a 35-14 cushion. 

Augustana answered right back, however, scoring just four plays later as Lee sneaked into the end zone on a one-yard quarterback keeper. The drive was keyed by a 53-yard completion from Lee to Corbett Ball.

Elmhurst's defense tightened up for the remainder of the game, forcing the Vikings into a three-and-out, an interception, and a turnover on downs on Augustana's final three possessions. 

The Bluejays totaled 422 yards of total offense in the win. Elmhurst rushed for 172 yards and passed for 250. Augustana was limited to  369 yards of offense, with 272 yards coming through the air attack. The Bluejays were able to overcome 18 penalties that resulted in 165 yards and eight Augustana first downs. Augustana struggled all game long with holding on to the football, turning the ball over on six occasions, including four unforced fumbles. 

"Our defense stepped up and did its job today," said Lester. "I thought our guys did a great job containing their attack and we pounced on every loose ball. Offensively, we executed very well and we opened some holes for Scottie who had another monster performance."

With his 175-yard rushing output, Williams climbed into third-place on Elmhurst's single-season rushing yardage list. He now stands at 1,108 yards this season, and needs just 58 yards to surpass the 32-year old record held by George Donald. Williams' 14 rushing touchdowns now stands just two behind Donald's single-season 1978 record of 16. 

Furco finished 18-of-25 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Payton was the Bluejays' top receiver, catching four passes for 40 yards. 

Lee led Augustana's offense with 72 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also finished 27-of-42 for 272 yards through the air. He was picked off twice and also lost three fumbles. Ball was the Vikings' top target, catching 12 passes for 103 yards. 

Randy Wright paced Elmhurst's defense with nine tackles and an interception. Jon Janus added eight tackles while DeMus finished with six stops and a pick.

Mago totaled 13 tackles and an interception to lead the Vikings' defense. Joe Weber recorded nine tackles for Augustana. 

Elmhurst wraps up the 2010 season by traveling to Carthage College next Saturday (November 13).