ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst football team came up just short in a 24-19 loss to Augustana College in front of a homecoming crowd at Langhorst Field.
It was a game of missed opportunities for the Bluejays as the team left points on the field with a missed field goal and a turnover on downs inside the Augustana five-yard line. The Bluejays also could not stop the Vikings on three third-downs on Augustana's final offensive possession.
Elmhurst started quickly, taking the opening kickoff and driving 65 yards in just five plays. Orlando Hernandez hit Hasahn Austin from five-yards out to give Elmhurst a 7-0 lead.
Augustana answered back immediately, putting together a 12-play, 71-yard drive cabbed by a five-yard TD run from Alek Jacobs to knot the score at 7-7.
After both teams punted on their next possessions, the Bluejays drove to the Vikings' 24 yard line but a 41-yard field goal attempt went wide ride. Augustana grabbed a 10-7 lead before the half on a 33-yard field goal from Jacob Stytz.
Augustana took advantage of an Elmhurst turnover early in the third quarter to expand its lead to 10 points. Cassin Wolf picked off a Hernandez pass at the 17 yard line. Three plays later, Jacobs hit Ryan Hennessy for an eight-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 17-7 lead with 10:06 left in the third quarter.
Elmhurst mounted a strong drive on its next possession but came up empty. The Bluejays drove to the Augustana 11-yard line. The Bluejays pushed the ball to the Vikings' three-yard line and elected to keep the offense on the field on a fourth-and-two. Augustana stopped a toss play to Brock Bethke in the backfield and took over on downs.
The Bluejays capitalized on an Augustana fumble early in the fourth quarter to pull to within four points. Taking over at their own 39-yard line, the Bluejays drove to the Vikings' two-yard line where Hernandez connected with Bethke on a two-yard score. The extra point attempt bounced off the upright leaving the Bluejays down by four (17-13) with 9:41 remaining.
Augustana managed to essentially wrap up the game on its next possession, as the Vikings mounted a 15-play, 71-yard scoring drive that chewed over eight minutes off the clock. Ryan Pitra did the bulk of the damage for the Vikings on the drive, rushing for 47 yards on 11 carries in the drive. Pitra converted three third downs into first downs and capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.
Elmhurst put together one last scoring drive, moving 67 yards in just over a minute to pull to within five points after an eight-yard TD toss from Hernandez to Matt Brachmann. The attempted onside kick went out of bounds, allowing the Vikings to wind the final few seconds off the clock and come away with the win.
Elmhurst finished with 363 yards of offense in the loss, outgaining Augustana (281) by more than 80 yards. The Bluejays had a season-high rushing total, racking up 207 yards on 33 carries.
Hernandez led Elmhurst's ground game with 113 yards on 15 carries. He also completed 15-of-27 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Ben Holloway had a strong game on the ground, rushing 10 times for 86 yards. Brachmann was the Bluejays' top target, catching five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Augustana (1-4, 1-2 CCIW) was paced by Pitra's 89 yards on 23 carries. Jacobs added 74 yards on 16 carries for the Vikings.
Mike Dicken paced Elmhurst's defense in the loss, finishing with 15 tackles and also forcing a fumble. Joe Nixon and Storm Miller recorded nine tackles apiece for the Bluejays.
Elmhurst (1-4 overall, 1-2 CCIW) travels to Carroll University next Saturday, October 7.
Missed Chances Hurt Elmhurst in Loss to Augustana
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170930_75yn.xml
2017
Augustana
24
Elmhurst
19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana (1-4) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Elmhurst (1-4) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 |
Sep 30, 2017