KENOSHA, Wis. - The Elmhurst University football team dropped a heartbreaking game, 20-27, to Carthage College Saturday afternoon at Art Keller Field.

Elmhurst (1-3, 0-3 CCIW) took a 14-0 lead into halftime, but late miscues on both sides of the ball allowed the Firebirds (1-3, 1-2 CCIW) to complete a come from behind victory.

Quarterback Andrey Acosta led the offense for the Bluejays, completing 24 of 42 passes for 270 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Three different Bluejays scored from Acosta's passes, with Gabe Holtke (six receptions for 102 yards), Jacob Cockrell (seven receptions for 81 yards) and Malakai Correa (one reception for five yards) all finding the the end zone. On the ground, Jonas Burnett led Elmhurst with 15 rushing yards.

On the defensive side, Jake Masco tallied seven solo tackles and a tackle-for-loss, while Chris Reaves collected an interception in the matchup. 

Both teams were stopped on their first drives of the game, but the Bluejays were able to put together a strong drive after stopping the Firebirds on fourth down on their opening possession, with Cockrell exploding for a 37-yard touchdown reception, putting Elmhurst up 6-0 early after a blocked extra-point attempt. 

The defense continued to smother the Firebirds, forcing a fumble deep in their own territory to regain the ball as the first quarter wound down. After it appeared the Bluejays would punt on fourth down, punter Nick Mullett completed a fourth-down pass attempt to continue the drive, eventually finishing in a touchdown reception to Correa, and a successful two-point conversion extended the lead to 14-0 Bluejays.

The Firebirds scored twice in the third quarter, knotting the game as the fourth quarter began. The Bluejays responded on their second drive of the final quarter, putting together an eight play 71-yard drive spanning 4:55 of game clock that ended with a touchdown catch from Holtke, putting the Bluejays up 20-14 after a missed extra-point attempt. 

Late miscues riddled the Bluejays, as Carthage was able to score to knot the game at 20 after a missed extra-point attempt of their own, but the Bluejays had a chance to drive down the field to take the lead again that fell short after Acosta fumbled the ball deep in Elmhurst territory, allowing Carthage to score and take the game, 27-20.

UP NEXT

Elmhurst will return to Langhorst Field next Saturday, Oct. 7, hosting the eighth-ranked Wheaton Thunder under the lights for a 6:00 p.m. CT kickoff. 

FOLLOW THE BLUEJAYS

Be sure to keep up with all Elmhurst University Athletics content by following the Bluejays on Twitter (@elmhurstbluejay), Facebook (Elmhurst University Athletics) and Instagram (@elmhurstbluejays), and tune in to elmhurstbluejays.com for the latest news and information.