NOTE: A correction was applied after the game, adding an extra carry and six additional yards to Williams' totals.

OLIVET, Mich. – Josh Williams rushed for a school-record 306 yards to help the Elmhurst football team erase a 20-point deficit while defeating Olivet College 33-27.

With the victory, Elmhurst evened its overall record at 1-1 and secured its first win under head coach Ron Planz. Trailing 20-0, the Bluejays rattled off 33 straight points before holding off a late charge from Olivet (1-1) to secure the victory.
 

Looking to erase a disastrous finish in last week's season-opening loss at Loras, things started poorly for the Bluejays. A fumble on Elmhurst's first offensive play of the game, gave Olivet the ball at the Bluejays' 30-yard line. The Comets went on top after Dominik Givens hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Braden Black on a fourth-down play. The extra point attempt was missed leaving Olivet with an early 6-0 lead.

Following a stalled drive by Elmhurst, Olivet marched 80 yards in just seven plays to take a 13-0 lead. Black capped the scoring drive with a 55-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Bailey.

After an Elmhurst punt, Olivet needed just two plays to extend their cushion. Facing a second-and-eight from its own 19-yard line, Black connected with Tavonte Bezue for an 81-yard score to give Olivet a 20-0 lead just one minute into the second quarter.

Elmhurst's offense came to life on the ensuing possession. Williams capped off a 70-yard scoring drive with a six yard touchdown run to put Elmhurst on the scoreboard.

A momentum shift occurred near the end of the half. Leading 20-7 with less than minute left to play in the second quarter, Black was intercepted by Billy Viero at the Olivet 46-yard line. Viero returned the ball to the Olivet 29-yard line to give the Bluejays the ball with 43 seconds left on the clock. Joe Camiliere connected with Williams for a 17-yard completion on first-down to move down to the Olivet 12-yard line. After a pair of incomplete passes, Camiliere hooked up with Williams on a 12-yard touchdown pass to pull Elmhurst to within six points with only 11 seconds left in the half.

The Bluejays went on top for good on their second possession of the second quarter. Starting at their own 20-yard line, the team drove to the Olivet one-yard line in just six plays. Camiliere plunged into the end zone from a yard out to put Elmhurst in front 21-20. Williams keyed the drive with a 45-yard run down to the Olivet 30-yard line.

After an Olivet punt, Elmhurst drove 58-yards to the Olivet 16-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-one, Elmhurst settled for a Brett Bayer 37-yard field goal to take a 24-20 lead.

Elmhurst's defense put points on the scoreboard on the ensuing possession. Pinned inside their own 15-yard line, a pair of false start penalties backed Olivet up to their own four-yard line. Elmhurst's Eddie Beyer blocked Olivet's punt in the end zone, giving Elmhurst two points on a safety.

The Bluejays' defense came up big again in the fourth quarter. Olivet's Damorria Lilly sprang free for a 30-yard run, but was stripped of the ball by Valdez Honorable. The Bluejays recovered the loose ball at their own 33-yard line.
 
Elmhurst strung together a nine-play, 67-yard scoring drive on its next possession. The Bluejays converted a pair of third-down conversions to keep the drive alive, and Camiliere finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run to put Elmhurst in front 33-20.

Olivet pulled to within a score with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter. Black capped the 11-play drive with a 27-yard touchdown toss to Jason Barbosa. Elmhurst was able to grind out the final five minutes of the game by converting on a pair of third downs.

Elmhurst totaled 505 yards of offense on 81 plays. The Bluejays controlled the clock, holding the ball on offense for 40:35. The Bluejays rushed for 381 yards and passed for another 124.

The team converted 9-of-17 third down attempts. The 381 rushing yards, marked the fifth highest single-game total in school history.

Olivet finished with 393 yards of total offense. After holding the ball on offense for almost nine minutes of the opening quarter, the Comets totaled just 10 minutes of time of possession for the remainder of the contest (19:25 total).

Williams shattered the Elmhurst single-game rushing mark, carrying 40 times for the Bluejays for 306 yards. He averaged 7.7 yards per carry. He also hauled in three passes for 49 yards and a score to finish with 349 total yards in the game. The previous record was 255 on 32 carries set by Derek Walker during the 1995 season. Williams' 40 carries is the second-highest single-game total in school history.

Camiliere finished 9-of-21 through the air for 124 yards and a touchdown. The Elmhurst quarterback also added 52 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.

Lilly led Olivet on the ground with 77 yards on 13 carries. Black completed 19-of-39 passes for 302 yards. He tossed four touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. Bezue caught four passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Elmhurst won the turnover battle as well, finishing a plus two for the day. John Eliades led the Elmhurst defense with seven tackles. Chris Reid added five and Anthony Beltrano totaled four stops in the win. Viero and Charlie Kreager both had an interception for the Bluejays.

Elmhurst finishes the non-conference portion of its schedule by hosting the University of Chicago on Saturday, September 20, at 6:00 p.m.