Wheaton at Elmhurst University

Wheaton beat Elmhurst University 59–20 on the road in Elmhurst, Ill. on Saturday, October 11, 1997. It was the fourth of nine games logged in 1997, and it left Wheaton at 1-3. It was the 65th meeting with Elmhurst University, after which Wheaton led the series 41-17-7. Mike Swider was in his second season as head coach.

Wheaton Football Wins For First Time in 1997 at Elmhurst

(Elmhurst, Ill./Oct. 11, 1997) -- The Wheaton College football team scored its first victory of the season at Elmhurst College, Saturday, Oct. 11, defeating the Bluejays, 59-20. Wheaton improved to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in conference this season, and Elmhurst fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in conference.

Senior receiver Brian Tucker caught 3 touchdown passes and a total of 10 passes for 102 yards, and sophomore fullback Jeff Ford rushed for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game. Wheaton totalled 593 offensive yards, and the Wheaton defense intercepted 4 passes and recovered 2 fumbles, recorded 2 tackles for losses and 4 sacks.

The 59 points is the most points scored by a Wheaton team since a 62-13 win over Carthage in 1976, and the 593 yards is the most by Wheaton since it set a school regular-season record of 688 yards against Millikin in 1996.

Wheaton hosts Millikin for its next CCIW game, Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1:30 PM, at McCully Field, and that game will be broadcast live on WETN-88.1 FM radio, and videotaped by Jones Spacelink cable TV for later viewing on Channel 32, WJIC, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Oct. 20, 22, and 24, in the Wheaton area.

Wheaton's first score followed a fine defense series which stopped Elmhurst at the Wheaton 25-yard line on a fourth down and 1 play after Elmhurst intercepted sophomore quarterback Tim Hardy's pass at the Wheaton 45-yard line. Hardy engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive, with sophomore fullback Jeff Ford scoring from 20 yards out and Paul Boehms kicking the extra point, giving Wheaton a 7-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter.

Wheaton went up 15-0 with 9 seconds left in the first quarter when Ford raced 48 yards around right end for his second touchdown of the quarter, and on a fake extra point play, sophomore reserve quarterback Jason Whitmer, the holder, shoveled a pass to senior reserve fullback Jon Kotecki for a two-point conversion. The 3-play scoring drive covered 60 yards.

Senior free safety Blake Stevens intercepted Elmhurst quarterback Art Ostrow's pass at the Elmhurst 26 with 14:50 left in the first half, and 6 plays later, Wheaton cashed in the Bluejays error with Hardy hitting senior receiver Brian Tucker with a 3-yard touchdown pass. Boehms' extra point gave Wheaton a 22-0 lead with 13:21 left in the second quarter.

A roughing the passer call and 2 pass interference calls against Stevens plus a 20-yard reception by receiver Brendan Lyons, and 3 shorter receptions for 23 yards moved the ball from the Elmhurst 23-yard line to the Wheaton 2, and tight end John Debowiecki caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ostrow with 10:05 left in the first half. A two-point conversion try was broken up by Stevens, so Wheaton held a 22-6 lead.

Elmhurst was given new life at the Wheaton 19 when defensive end Jim Jensen hit Hardy while passing, and tackle Chris Puleo recovered the fumble, Wheaton's second turnover of the game. After senior linebacker Todd Kinley blitzed Ostrow for a 9-yard sack, and a 3-yard pass, Ostrow found receiver Jason Blankenburg for a 25-yard touchdown and hit Debowiecki for a two-point conversion, cutting the Wheaton advantage to 22-14 with 7:45 left in the first half.

Wheaton answered with a 77-yard; 11-play drive, and Tucker broke 4 tackles on his way to the end zone with a 30-yard TD pass from Hardy. Boehms' PAT gave Wheaton a 29-14 lead with 4:00 left in the first half.

Senior outside linebacker Brandon Cone intercepted Ostrow's pass and returned it 16 yards to the Elmhurst 34 with 3:14 left in the first half, and Wheaton turned the takeaway into a 33-yard field goal by Paul Boehms with 1:27 left and led 32-14.

In the first half, the Crusaders totalled 155 yards rushing and 124 yards passing for a total of 279, and Elmhurst totalled 151 yards passing, hitting 19 of 35, and a minus 1 yard rushing. The Crusaders also were penalized 12 times for 128 yards in the first half. Hardy completed 11 of 18 for 124 yards, and Tucker caught 7 for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ford rushed 10 times in the first half for 97 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Ford scored his third touchdown of the day and accounted for 51 yards on 5 carries during an 86-yard drive, which also included a 35-yard pass completion from Hardy to sophomore Ben Peays. Boehms kicked his third extra point, and Wheaton led 39-14 with 5:56 left in the third quarter.

Sophomore reserve defensive back Trent Dunham recovered Elmhurst's fumbled kick-off following the touchdown, but on 4th and 17 at the Elmhurst 25, Boehms missed a 43-yard field goal attempt, his first miss of the season in 6 tries.

Under severe pressure, Ostrow threw a pass up for grabs, and sophomore cornerback John Peays intercepted the ball and returned it 40 yards to the Elmhurst 24 with 2:48 left in the third quarter. Tucker made his third touchdown reception of the game, a leaping grab of a 6-yard touchdown pass thrown by Whitmer. Boehms tacked on the extra point for a 46-14 lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.

Elmhurst then embarked on an 8-play; 82-yard scoring drive that cut the Wheaton lead to 46-20 with 12:44 left. Brendan Lyons caught Ostrow's 8-yard touchdown pass, and the two-point conversion pass failed.

Freshman reserve middle linebacker Mark Ritzman recovered Elmhurst's fumbled snap at the Wheaton 44-yard line, and Wheaton converted it into another touchdown. After senior Eric Lim gained 42 yards on his first collegiate reception, freshman Brian Pastermack scored his first collegiate touchdown on an 18-yard run and Boehms kicked his sixth extra point of the game for a 53-20 Wheaton lead with 8:19 left in the game.

Ben Peays then outraced Elmhurst's punt coverage team for a 67-yard punt return touchdown, and Boehms missed the extra point, so Wheaton led 59-20 with 7:16 left to play.

After an Elmhurst possession and a four-minute Wheaton drive, freshman cornerback Matt Beard intercepted his first college pass with 1:56 left, and returned it 19 yards to the Elmhurst 10-yard line, giving Wheaton a chance to run out the clock, for a final score of 59-20.

Wheaton totalled 67 rushes for 359 yards and passed for 234 yards for a season-high total of 593 yards on 98 plays. Elmhurst totalled 315 passing and a minus 8 yards rushing for a total of 307 yards. Wheaton also was penalized a whopping 15 times for 153 yards.

Jeff Ford led all rushers with 16 carries for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns, and freshman tailback Brian Pastermack rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries in just a little over a quarter of action, including a 28-yard gain. Quarterback Tim Hardy completed 14 of 26 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns, and receiver Brian Tucker caught 10 passes for 102 yards, a career high, and 3 touchdowns.

Ostrow completed 25 of 44 passes for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and Elmhurst completed 32 of 62 overall for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Receiver Mark Swiecicki caught 11 passes for 90 yards, and tight end John Debowiecki caught 10 for 67 yards and a touchdown.

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