Box Score

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Elmhurst College football team used a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to overcome a one-point deficit and defeat Loras College 26-14. 

Trailing 14-13 entering the fourth quarter, Elmhurst struck for a pair of touchdowns on offense and the Bluejays' defense kept Loras off the scoreboard to preserve the victory.

The go-head score came just 35 seconds into the start of the fourth quarter when Joe Furco hit Joe St. Peter in stride down the sideline for a 52-yard scoring strike. The Bluejays' two-point conversion attempt failed, giving Elmhurst a 19-14 lead. 

The Bluejays defense forced Loras to punt after just three plays, giving the ball back to the Elmhurst offense. The Bluejays marched 60 yards in just 3:30 to go up 26-14 after Scottie Williams punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out for his second touchdown run of the game. 

Elmhurst's defense limited Loras to just 51 yards of offense over the game's final 9:30 to allow the Bluejays to come away with the 12-point victory.

The game started slowly as neither team was able to score in the opening quarter. Loras took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards inside Elmhurst's 20-yard line, but a Ryan Baes fumble was recovered by Elmhurst's Kyle DeMus, ending the scoring threat.

The Bluejays struck first early in the second quarter. Furco engineered a 15-play, 74-yard scoring drive that spanned for more than six minutes. He capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Payton to give Elmhurst a 7-0 lead. 

Elmhurst looked as though it would carry a 7-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, but the DuHawks evened the score with just 1:32 left in the half when Matt Hilliard broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown run.

Loras sent the opening kick of the second half out-of-bounds, giving Elmhurst the ball at their own 40-yard line. The Bluejays drove 60-yards in 11 plays with Williams capping the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked by Loras, giving the Bluejays a 13-7 advantage. 

Loras used another big play to set up their go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter. Facing a third-and-five from their own 38-yard line, Hilliard escaped for a 51-yard run down the sidelines setting up the DuHawks inside Elmhurst's 10-yard line. Vaughn Gesing connected with John Ingersoll from six yards out to put Loras up 14-13, setting the stage for Elmhurst's fourth-quarter comeback. 

The Bluejays finished the contest with 419 yards of total offense. The team rushed for 126 yards and passed for an additional 293. Loras finished the game with 340 yards of total offense. The DuHawks rushed for 125 yards and passed for 215.

Furco led the Bluejays through the air, completing 26-of-37 pass attempts for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Williams was a workhorse in the backfield, carrying 23 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Furco spread the ball to seven different receivers. Tight end Ryan Bock was his top target, catching seven passes for 71 yards. St. Peter finished with five grabs for 81 yards and a score while Payton and Bobby Vavlas each caught four passes. 

Gesing completed 19-of-27 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown to lead Loras' offense. Hilliard rushed seven times for a whopping 136 yards and a touchdown. Ingersoll was the DuHawks leading receiver, catching six passes for 69 yards.

Elmhurst's defense had constant pressure in the backfield as the Bluejays sacked Gesing a whopping seven times for a net loss of 32 yards. Brandon Jones and Randy Wright led the Bluejay defense with seven tackles apiece. Jones, Rich Dastice, Matt Streit, Jerry Beach, Pete Alfano, Jon Janus, Ryan Maguire, and Brian Bonds all recorded sacks in the Elmhurst win. 

Zach Myers led Loras' defense with 12 tackles.

Elmhurst travels to Olivet College on Saturday, September 11.