Football team falls to Elmhurst, 17-9

The Olivet College football team fell to Elmhurst (Ill.) College, 17-9, this afternoon before 2,159 fans at Langhorst Field in Elmhurst, Ill.

The Comets went down the field on their first possession, but they were stopped on fourth down from the Elmhurst one-yard line. The Bluejays fumbled on their first play of the game, and junior Chris Behnke (Bellevue/Olivet) recovered the ball at the 12-yard line. On the ensuing drive, Olivet had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by freshman Blake Iobe (Marshall). The score remained 3-0 after Elmhurst's Tyler Lominicki missed a 26-yard field goal, as the first quarter ended

After forcing the Comets to punt, the Bluejays put together a seven-play, 43-yard scoring drive, which was capped by a 42-yard field goal for Lominicki. Elmhurst took a 10-3 lead at halftime on an eight-yard scoring pass from Phil Pedi to Blake Veldhuis with 1:28 left before the break.

There was no scoring in the third quarter. The Bluejays scored on their first series of the fourth quarter on a 26-yard run into the end zone by Pedi. Olivet put six points on the scoreboard when sophomore Nick McCleary (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) connected with junior Ben Sherman (Charlotte) for a 14-yard touchdown reception. The PAT kick was blocked.

The Comets finished the game with 183 yards of offense – 50 on the ground and 133 through the air. Sophomore Mike Martin (Caledonia/South Christian) had nine carries for 18 yards. McCleary completed 19-of-31 passes. Sophomore James Williams (Battle Creek/Central) topped all receivers with nine catches for 65 yards. Behnke led the defense with nine tackles and two fumble recoveries.

The Bluejays had a balanced attack – 165 rushing and 188 passing yards. Pedi and Jimmy Jenkins had identical rushing stats, 12 carries for 52 yards. Pedi was 14-of-22. Scottie Williams caught five passes for 36 yards. Randy Wright and Brandon Jones had eight and seven tackles, respectively.

Olivet looks for its first win of the season next Saturday, Sept. 19, when it hosts Concordia University Chicago. Kickoff from the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet is 1 p.m.