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Bluejay Football Team Hammers Olivet 42-14
Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College football team improved to 3-0 on the season by hammering Olivet College 42-14.
Elmhurst took advantage of five Olivet turnovers to pull away from the Comets and come away with their third straight win to start the 2007 season.
The Bluejays wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. After the Bluejay defense backed Olivet up inside their own 20-yard line and forced a punt, the Elmhurst offense took over at the Olivet 41-yard line. Three plays later, Lex Cisler (East Grand Rapids, Mich./H.S.) took an inside hand off for an 11-yard touchdown run.
Olivet evened the game late in the first quarter as the Comets drove 93 yards in nine plays with Rob White connecting with Chris Smith on a 53-yard touchdown pass to even the score.
From that point, it was all Elmhurst as the Bluejays rattled off three straight touchdowns before the half to take a 28-7 lead at the break.
Chris Kudyba (Des Plaines/Elk Grove) found Ryan Freund (Johnsburg/H.S.) for a one-yard touchdown pass to give Elmhurst a 14-7 lead. After an Olivet punt, the Bluejays drove 90 yards in 14 plays with David Wilharm (Elgin/Larkin) scoring on a four-yard run.
On Olivet's next possession Carl Mulder coughed up the football with Patrick Ambriz (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) recovering the ball at midfield. After three passing plays moved the Bluejays to the Comets one-yard line, Wilharm plunged into the end zone to put Elmhurst up 28-7.
The Bluejays continued the scoring in the second half as Elmhurst took the opening kickoff and drove down field for a two-yard Kudyba touchdown run.
Olivet threatened on its next possession, driving to the Elmhurst five-yard line, but White was picked off by John Scardullo (Monee/Peotone), who returned the interception 96 yards for a touchdown. The interception return was the second longest in Elmhurst history.
The Bluejay defense killed another Comet drive inside the 10-yard line when Dane Paul (Tolono/Unity) intercepted Calvin McNamara.
Olivet managed a 15-play, 87-yard drive late in the fourth quarter with Willie Jones scoring on a three-yard touchdown run for the game's final points.
Elmhurst finished the game with 431 yards of total offense with 260 coming through the air and 171 yards through the rushing attack. Olivet totaled 333 yards of total offense, with 267 yards coming from the passing game.
Kudyba finished 22-of-32 for 233 yards and a touchdown. Mark Gones (Saint Joseph/Saint Joseph-Ogden) led the Bluejays on the ground with 96 yards on 11 carries. Wilharm added 42 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts.
Elmhurst spread the ball around to its receivers, with six different Bluejays hauling in passes. Blake Veldhuis (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./H.S.) caught six passes for 47 yards while Ryan Gierke (Elburn/Kaneland) hauled in five passes for 57 yards.
White and McNamara finished a combined 27-of-42 for 267 yards and 1 touchdown. They were intercepted a total of four times. Aaron Jackson led the ground game with 76 yards on 16 carries. Mulder was the favorite target, catching 10 passes for 195 yards. Smith hauled in eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Ryan Keeton (Oswego/H.S.) led the Bluejay defense with nine tackles, while Jake Mobley (Hoffman Estates/Schaumburg) had a fantastic all-around day, recording seven tackles, including three quarterback sacks, tying an Elmhurst single-game record. Paul also had recorded two picks in the win for Elmhurst.
DeRan Thomas and Willie Hayes each totaled nine tackles to lead Olivet's defense.
The Bluejays begin CCIW play next Saturday, September 29, by hosting Carthage College at 1:00 p.m.
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