Elmhurst Sinks Chicago 31-20
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College
football team improved to 3-0 on the season by defeating the
University of Chicago 31-20 in the Bluejays' home-opening contest
at Langhorst Field.
The victory marked Elmhurst's ninth straight win over the Maroons
as the Bluejays finished the non-conference portion of their
schedule with an unblemished record for the eighth straight
season.The Bluejays' victory also marked the team's 26th straight
win in the month of September dating back to the 2002 season.
Elmhurst rolled up 515 yards of total offense, the 12th highest
single-game total in school history. Chicago (2-1) finished with a
423 yards of offense in the loss.
With the game tied at seven early in the second quarter, the
Bluejays ripped off 24 straight points to take a commanding 31-7
lead before Chicago tacked on a pair of late fourth quarter
touchdowns.
Chicago took the opening drive down to Elmhurst's 22-yard line, but
Matt Streit blocked Jeff Sauer's field goal attempt to
keep the Maroons of the scoreboard.
Elmhurst strung together a 12-play, 48-yard drive midway through
the opening quarter, but J.R. Dalicandro's field goal
attempt sailed wide left and the game remained scoreless.
The Maroons marched down field on the strength of a 57-yard run
from Francis Adarkwa, but Jon Janus blocked Sauer's
33-yard field goal try to keep the game scoreless.
Elmhurst needed just four plays to find the end zone on its
next possession. Joe Furco hit Rodney
Payton for a 55-yard completion to give the Bluejays a
first-and-goal. On the very next play, Williams scampered into the
end zone from seven yards out to give Elmhurst a 7-0 lead.
The Maroons took advantage of an Elmhurst turnover early in the
second quarter to knot the score at seven. Danny Polzneczky picked
off Furco and returned the ball to the Bluejays' 13-yard line.
Two plays later, Adarkwa scored on a two-yard plunge to tie the
score.
The tie did not last long, as Elmhurst marched 71 yards on their
next drive. Furco connected with Payton on a 24-yard scoring strike
to put Elmhurst back on top.
After a Chicago punt, the Bluejays took advantage of a short field
and scored in just three plays. Furco hit Williams for a 33-yard
completion and then found Sean Seroka for a 13-yard
touchdown pass to give Elmhurst a 21-7 lead at the break.
Elmhurst continued its scoring right out of the gate in the second
half. The Bluejays moved 70 yards in just four plays to take a 28-7
lead after Williams scored on a two-yard touchdown run. Williams
delivered the key play in the drive, bursting through a hole for a
41-yard run to set Elmhurst up at the Maroons' two-yard
line.
Elmhurst added a 28-yard field goal from Dalicandro late in the
quarter to take a 31-7 lead.
Chicago scored on a 24-yard touchdown run from Tommy Parks with
less than five minutes to play in the game to pull to within 17
points. After an Elmhurst punt, the Maroons added a score with less
than a minute to play when Kevin Shelton hit Dee Brizzolara for a
36-yard score.
Williams recorded his second consecutive game of over 220 total
yards to pace the Bluejays' offense. Williams rushed for a
game-high 173 yards on 25 carries while scoring a pair of
touchdowns. He added three receptions for 50 yards to total 223
yards in the contest.
Furco finished 20-of-30 through the air for 320 yards and pair of
touchdowns. Payton hauled in five passes for 124 yards and a score
to lead all Elmhurst receivers. Corey Thonn added five
receptions for the Bluejays.
Adarkwa led the Maroons with 130 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Kevin Shelton and Marshall Oium combined to finish 24-of-45 for 253
yards and a touchdown. Brizzolara was the top target for the
Maroons, hauling in 12 passes for 136 yards and a
touchdown.
Jamall Lane led Elmhurst's defense with a game-high 10
tackles (nine solo). Randy Wright recorded nine tackles
and a sack for the Bluejays while Wayne Tuckson finished
with seven stops.
Elmhurst takes next week off before beginning CCIW play on October
2, by traveling to North Park University.
