WHEATON, Ill. – The Elmhurst football team led for over 40 minutes but came up just short in a 10-6 loss to eighth-ranked Wheaton College.
 
The Bluejays gave the Thunder everything they could handle as Elmhurst led for the majority of the contest before Wheaton capitalized on an Elmhurst mistake to produce the game-winning score.
 
Elmhurst (2-2, 1-1 CCIW) hit the scoreboard first, scoring on its second possession of the game. The Bluejays drove 46 yards and set up shop inside the Wheaton 15-yard line, but the drive stalled at the 13. The Bluejays settled for a 30-yard Blake Bailey field goal to take a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.
 
Wheaton (4-0, 2-0 CCIW) missed a chance to even the score late in the first half after a field goal sailed wide right.  Elmhurst doubled its advantage midway through the second quarter. The Bluejays drove 64 yards down to the Wheaton five-yard line and had a first-and-goal, but Wheaton kept Elmhurst out of the end zone on the next three plays. A 22-yard field goal from Bailey gave the Bluejays a 6-0 cushion with nine minutes left in the opening half.
 
The Thunder cut into the Bluejays' lead just before the half, driving to do the Elmhurst six-yard line with just 11 seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass on first down, Griffin Bowes kicked a 23-yard field goal to make the score 6-3 at the half.
 
After a scoreless third quarter, Elmhurst opened the fourth quarter with the ball at their own 36-yard line. The Thunder turned the momentum of the game by picking off Elmhurst QB Orlando Hernandez at the Bluejays' 49-yard line. Kyle Fox returned the pick 24 yards to give the Thunder a first down at Elmhurst's 25-yard line. Facing a third-and-seven from the Elmhurst 11-yard line, Andrew Bowers connected with Trey Hanley for an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Wheaton its first lead of the game with 11:14 remaining. 
 
Elmhurst drove to the 48-yard line on the ensuing possession, but a sack and holding penalty pushed the Bluejays back. Facing a fourth-and-12, Elmhurst was forced to punt. The Bluejays' defense forced a three-and-out on Wheaton's ensuing possession and Elmhurst took over on offense at their own 33-yard line with 3:12 remaining. A sack on second-down forced the Bluejays into a third-and-long situation and back-to-back incomplete passes gave Wheaton the ball back on downs and helped the Thunder escape with the victory.
 
Both team's defenses starred in the contest. The two teams combined for just 429 yards and 24 first downs in the contest. Elmhurst finished with 185 yards of total offense, rushing for 73 and passing for 112. Elmhurst's defense limited the Thunder to just 244 yards of offense, 116 coming on the ground and 128 coming through the air.
 
Hernandez led the Bluejays on the ground with 35 yards on 10 carries. He completed 8-of-23 passes for 112 yards. Connor Brewer hauled in a pair of passes for 33 yards while Austin McKellar had two grabs for 32 yards.
 
Bowers led the Thunder, finishing 15-of-26 for 128 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also rushed eight times for a team-leading 53 yards. Zach Lindquist was the Thunder's top target, catching six passes for 38 yards.

Andy Warsen led Elmhurst's defense with a game-high 14 tackles, including five solo stops. Sean Wetherell added eight stops and Perode Charles finished with eight. Eric Stevenson paced Wheaton's defense with 12 tackles.
 
Elmhurst travels to Augustana College next Saturday, October 1.