ELMHURST, Ill. — The Elmhurst University football team dropped its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) opener on Saturday afternoon, falling to Carroll University, 33-0, at Langhorst Field.
Carroll (2-1, 1-0 CCIW) established control early, scoring twice in the first quarter to take a 13-0 lead. The Pioneers opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Elisha Nieves to Zach Johnson before Marcus Johnson added a 6-yard rushing touchdown later in the quarter.
The visitors extended their advantage in the second quarter when Justice Humphreys scored on a 13-yard run, giving the Pioneers a 19-0 lead at halftime.
The Bluejays put together their strongest offensive drive of the afternoon early in the third quarter, moving 74 yards on five plays and reaching the Carroll 2-yard line. The drive ultimately ended on downs, and Carroll responded with a 56-yard touchdown run by Marcus Johnson to make it 26-0.
Carroll added its final touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Nieves connected with Liam Patrick for a 40-yard score.
The Elmhurst (1-2, 0-1) defense battled throughout the afternoon and created several opportunities with takeaways.
Despite the Bluejays forcing three turnovers, including two fumble recoveries and an interception, Carroll finished with 539 yards of total offense, including 358 rushing yards. Marcus Johnson led the Pioneers with 241 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Elmhurst was led offensively by quarterback
Justin Carlson, who completed 11-of-24 passes for 66 yards. Carlson also paced the Bluejays on the ground with 64 total yards on seven carries, including a 71-yard run.
Antonio Russell led Elmhurst with three receptions for 37 yards, including a 32-yard reception, while
David Monteilh added two catches for 23 yards.
Defensively,
Jaden Genova turned in a team-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops.
Jayvon King added eight tackles and recorded Elmhurst's lone interception of the game.
Deontae Dixon II finished with seven tackles, while
Darrein Williams recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Marc Tchapda also contributed five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Javier Young added three tackles and a sack.
Up Next: Elmhurst takes on Augustana College in its Homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Langhorst Field.
