The Carthage College football team (5-3, 2-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) defeated CCIW-opponent Millikin University (5-3, 2-3 CCIW), 41-28, on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men broke open a 14-14 game with 20 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Millikin struck quickly, as Dion Wilson scored on a 55-yard run from scrimmage on the second play of the game. Carthage tied the contest, 7-7, at 6:55 first period on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Evan Jones to Nick Merchut. The Big Blue went up, 14-7, at 10:35 second period on a 19-yard carry by Wilson that capped a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive. The Red Men tied the game, 14-14, with 46 seconds remaining in the half on a 49-yard TD strike from Jones to Jeff Koeneman.
The third period was all Carthage. Rick Loisi caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Jones at 12:38 to cap a seven-play, 64-yard drive, and the Red Men led, 21-14. After Millikin fumbled at its own 27-yard line, Carthage scored at 8:35 on a two-yard carry by Jake Smith and led by 14 points, 28-14. A 10-play, 84-yard drive that ate up 4:02 resulted in a John Seigler touchdown from the two-yard line with five seconds to go in the period, and the Red Men led, 34-14. Millikin came back with a 16-yard TD pass from Andy Dicken to Will Roth at 10:52 fourth quarter to cut the lead to 34-21. Carthage came right back with another long scoring drive of 4:44 that ended with a Seigler carry from the two-yard line, and the Red Men led, 41-21. The Big Blue ended the scoring at 5:52 when Marquis Harmon returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and the final score of 41-28
Carthage rolled up 418 total offensive yards, 117 rushing and 301 passing, while Millikin had 360 total yards, 219 on the ground and 141 in the air. Evan Jones completed 18-of-35 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Merchut caught five passes for 116 yards, while Jeff Koeneman caught five for 100 yards. John Seigler ran for 101 yards on 20 carries. Millikin's Dion Wilson rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Red Men cornerback Erik Solis collected a game-high 10 tackles and intercepted one pass.
“The kids did a good job,” said Carthage coach Tim Rucks. “For the first tine in a few weeks, we looked like a decent football team. It was a good, team game, and both sides fed off each other a little bit. I told the guys at halftime that we had an opportunity to out-physical Millikin, and if we did that, we'd wear them out. I think that's what happened. It was great to get some yards on the ground tonight and run the clock a little better. Millikin is a good football team, and Dion Wilson is certainly one of the better running backs in the league. He's fast, he's quick, and he's shifty. For the last few weeks, we just haven't hit on all cylinders, where each side of the ball is picking each other up. Our kids needed this one badly.”
Carthage plays host to CCIW-opponent North Park University (1-7, 0-5 CCIW) on Saturday, Nov. 7 in a 1 p.m. game at Art Keller Field.
