Game ProgramELMHURST, Ill. - Today, Elmhurst welcomes Carthage College to Langhorst Field for the fifth game of the season. Elmhurst brings a 3-1 record into the contest (0-1 CCIW) while Carthage carries a 1-3 mark (0-1 CCIW) into today's game.
HOMECOMING - Today's game is part of the College's annual Homecoming celebration.
ON THE AIR - Today's game and every home game is being streamed live on
www.bluejaytv.com.
Luke Tanaka will have the play-by-play call of the game.
SERIES HISTORY - Today's game marks the 64th meeting between Carthage and Elmhurst on the gridiron. The Red Men lead the all-time series 35-27 (one tie) that dates back to 1936 when the two squads played to a 7-7 draw. The Bluejays have won four straight contests against the Red Men. Elmhurst holds a 7-3 record against Carthage over the last 10 seasons.
LAST MEETING - Elmhurst won its fourth straight contest against Carthage by scoring a 49-42 double overtime victory in Kenosha last season. Trailing 14-7 midway through the opening quarter, the Bluejays rattled off four straight touchdowns to take a commanding 35- 14 lead at the half. Carthage roared back in the second half to even the score at 35-all and force overtime. The Red Men struck first in the first OT with a one-yard touchdown run from Nick Anzelmo. The Bluejays needed just one play to answer as
Josh Williams scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to send the game to a second overtime. In the second,
Joe Camiliere capped a three-play drive with a oneyard touchdown plunge to put Elmhurst in front. After a holding penalty backed up Carthage, the Bluejays' defense held to seal the victory. STALKING THE
BLUEJAYS LAST WEEK - Elmhurst suffered its first loss of the 2015 season, falling 9-3 at Augustana College in both team's CCIW opening contest. The Bluejays' limited Augustana's high-powered offense to only 257 yards of offense and seven points (two points were scored on a safety) after the Vikings entered the game averaging over 580 yards of offense and 47 points per contest. Turnovers plagued the Bluejays as Elmhurst gave the ball away six times in the loss and Augustana's defense limited the Bluejays to only 49 rushing yards. Despite the offensive struggles, the Bluejays had a pair of chances to pull out the victory late in the fourth quarter. Augustana stuffed Elmhurst on a fourth-and-one at the Vikings' 22-yard line to stop one chance. The Bluejays drove to the Augustana 17-yard line on its final possession, but an interception in the end zone on fourth down sealed the win for Augustana.
CARTHAGE LAST WEEK— Carthage's upset bid against Illinois Wesleyan came up just 10 seconds short in a 21-17 loss to the Titans. A two-yard touchdown run from Nick Anzelmo on the final play of the first half gave Carthage a 14-6 lead over the Titans. After both teams traded field goals in the third quarter, Illinois Wesleyan scored twice in the final 1:19 to pull out the victory. Jack Warner hit Artie Chechin for an 18-yard touchdown with 1:19 left to bring Illinois Wesleyan to within two points at 17-15. After a failed two-point conversion, the Titans recovered an onside kick and Chechin hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining to give the Titans the victory.
TURNOVER MARGIN - Elmhurst was off to a great start in protecting the ball through its first three games of the season. The Bluejays had turned the ball over just once through the first three games while Elmhurst's defense had come away with seven turnovers. Elmhurst's turnover margin dipped to just +1 for the season after finishing with a -5 turnover margin against Augustana. Carthage has struggled all season to protect the ball, ranking last in the CCIW with 14 giveaways and a -10 ratio. The Red Men rank 238th out of 247 teams across Division III in turnover ratio.
NUMBERS FROM LAST SEASON – When Elmhurst and Carthage clashed last season in Kenosha, it was
Josh Williams carrying the load for the Bluejays' offense, rushing 41 times for 249 yards, the third-highest single-game total in Elmhurst history. Williams also found the end zone three times in the victory. The Bluejays' totaled 450 yards of total offense while Carthage finished with just 332 yards.
FIRST DOWNS - Elmhurst's offense has totaled just 67 first downs over the first four games of the season, an average of 16.75 per contest. The Bluejays' 67 total first downs currently ranks eighth in the CCIW with Wheaton's high-powered offense leading the league with 107 first downs. Carthage enters the contest with 81 first downs, the fifth highest total in the CCIW. On the defensive side of the ball, Elmhurst has held its opponents to just 72 first downs and is tied for second in the CCIW standings. Carthage opponents have totaled 82 first downs, ranking the Red Men's defense fifth in the league.
THIRD DOWN - Elmhurst has struggled this season converting on third down. The Bluejays have converted only 18-of-63 third-down attempts into a new set of downs (28.6 percent). The Bluejays' third-down percentage ranks eighth in the CCIW and 208th across Division III. While Elmhurst's offense has its difficulties on third down, the defense has turned in a strong performance when opponents are facing third down. Elmhurst's defense has allowed opponents to convert on third down just 30.5 percent of the time (18-of-59), which ranks third in the CCIW and 48th in Division III.
LOOKING AHEAD - The Bluejays' remaining schedule has them at home every other week for the remainder of the season. Elmhurst takes to the road next week at North Park. The Bluejays remaining home games are against Illinois Wesleyan (October 24) and Millikin (November 7). While the squad has road games at North Park (October 17) and at North Central (November 14).
