WHEATON, Ill. – A poor start doomed the Elmhurst College football team in a 79-0 loss to 23rd ranked Wheaton College.
 
Elmhurst (1-9, 0-9 CCIW) fell behind 16-0 just 3:30 into the contest as Wheaton (8-2, 7-2 CCIW) raced out to an early lead.

On the Bluejays' first play from scrimmage, Orlando Hernandez connected with Jacob Mammosser. Mammosser's knees appeared to be down on the ground, but Wheaton stripped the ball and Corey Kennedy ran it back 27 yards for a touchdown to stake the Thunder to a 7-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game. With Elmhurst prepared to punt out of its own end zone on its next possession, a bad snap resulted in Wheaton picking up two points on a safety. After starting on midfield after the free kick, the Thunder needed just four plays to extend their lead as Curtis McWilliams connected with Carter Roberts on a 26-yard touchdown pass.

The Thunder made it 23-0 later in the quarter after Spencer Peterson scored on a three-yard run. A nine-yard touchdown pass from McWilliams to Adam Terrini gave Wheaton a 30-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Thunder continued to pull away for the duration of the game, scoring 21 points in the second quarter, 21 in the third and seven in the fourth.
 
Elmhurst finished with 159 yards of offense while Wheaton totaled 454 yards on 58 plays, averaging 7.8 yards per play. The Bluejays finished with 15 rushing yards compared to Wheaton's 220. Elmhurst passed for 144 while the Thunder totaled 234 through the air.
 
Nate Booker led Elmhurst on the ground with 23 yards on five carries. Orlando Hernandez compelted 8-of-19 passes for 110 yards while Chase Hankins finished 4-of-10 for 34 yards. Mammosser was the Bluejays' leading receiver, catching three passes for 48 yards.
 
McWilliams paced Wheaton's attach, completing 9-of-12 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Brandon Dominski led Elmhurst's defense with 13 tackles, including nine solo stops in the loss.