KENOSHA, Wis. – The Carthage College Red Men dropped a hard-fought upset bid Saturday at Art Keller Field, falling to #7 Wheaton College, 19-14. 
 
The loss, the first of the season for the Red Men, drops Carthage to 0-1 to open the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, while falling to 2-1 overall on the year.  Wheaton stays unbeaten at 3-0 and opens the CCIW at 1-0.
 
"We had our opportunities today and we let them slip away," said head football coach Mike Yeager following the tough loss.  "When you are playing a really good football team like Wheaton you cannot let any opportunities slip away.  We will watch the film; we'll be sick and we will move on to Augustana College.  But I thought our effort was good, we just didn't finish when we needed to."
 
With season lows for points put on the scoreboard by each team; the Red Men outgained the Thunder 271-to-253 in total offense and held the Thunder to just 2-of-11 on third down conversions.  The Thunder made the most of their good field position which was aided by six punt returns for 144 yards however and were able to seal the Red Men's fate with timely big plays in the fourth quarter.
 
Yeager went on to say, "They are a really good football team and we knew we could play with them.  We knew if we took care of business we would be in the game in the fourth quarter and that's what it was.  We just didn't finish off.  We had our opportunities early in the game with a 4th and 1 on the one that we have to put in.  That is seven more points right there and we have a different game.  That's where we are at and that's what we are.  But we will work at it and get better and come out next week looking for a different result."
 
While holding Wheaton well below their season's average marks, the same was done to the Red Men whose 271 total yards, 97 rushing yards and 174 passing yards were all season lows to date in the 2016 season.
 
The Red Men defensively played a solid game, holding the explosive Wheaton offense to just 36 yards on the ground. 
 
"Our run defense was great today," noted the head coach.  "I think they knew that and they tried to go after us with the pass.  I thought for the most part, with the exception of three or four plays, our pass defense was great as well.  That's the difference though, when you are playing top competition and playing a big game it will come down to 5-to-10 plays.  Unfortunately for us today, a majority of those plays went in their favor."
 
Despite that the Red Men did not go easily on the seventh ranked team in the country.
 
Wheaton opened the scoring on their first drive of the game after a big punt return set the Thunder up for their first drive of the game in Carthage territory.  Five plays and 46 yards later Wheaton found the end zone to take an early 7-0 lead.
 
Carthage looked to be in business late in the second quarter but a goal line stand by the Thunder halted the Red Men on a fourth-and-goal from the one to deny the Red Men.
 
Following a three-and-out forced by the Carthage defense deep in Wheaton territory, Tommy Bazarek returned a punt 27 yards to set the Red Men up first-and-goal from the Wheaton ten with 1:02 remaining in the half. 
 
On the first play of the drive London Townsend took a direct snap running to his left then pitching the ball back to Tommy Bazarek on a reverse.  Rolling around the line to his right Bazarek found a wide open Ethan Olles iin the corner of the end zone for Carthage's first touchdown and following a Lance Unland PAT the Red Men and Thunder went into the halftime break tied at 7-7.
 
After each team's opening drives of the second half stalled Wheaton took over on their second possession at their own 26-yard line after a 14-yard Phillip Nichols punt return.  Two plays later the Thunder regained the lead 13-7 as Wheaton went 74 yards in two plays.  The big play coming on a 51-yard pass from Andrew Bowers to tight end Zach Lindquist.   
 
Still down by six later in the third, it was Nichols again as he ran under a Fred McCann punt at the Wheaton 30 and beat everyone down the sideline for a 70-yard punt return touchdown to extend the lead to 19-7 after the failed two-point conversion.
 
The Red Men responded on their next possession with a 15 play, 77 yard drive that was capped off by Olles finding James Cobbs on an out route that Cobbs was able to take into the end zone untouched courtesy of a Jamahl Wright block.  The ensuing PAT would be good and the Red Men trailed 19-14 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game.
 
Cobbs finished with a game-high seven catches for the Red Men, gaining 63 yards and tallying the one TD.  Olles went 17-for-41 passing with 164 yards through the air and the one passing touchdown.
 
A Virgil Young interception gave Carthage the ball back with 9:57 remaining the game but a six play drive forced another McCann punt with 6:42 left.
 
Wheaton then began to manage the clock against the Red Men and a pair of big third down pickups after heading into the drive 0-for-8 in third down conversions on the day.   However via the arm and legs of Bowers and key catches by Lindquist and Trey Hanley the Thunder kept the drive going as well as kept the clock working against Carthage. 
 
On Wheaton's final drive Yeager said, "They had a beautiful throw and catch.  They hit a corner route right on the sideline that had to be a perfect ball that we had good coverage on.  But they made the play.  We did not.  And that is why they are a good football team."
 
Carthage did manage to get the ball back, but with just 13-seconds remaining in the game a dropped pass and a sack ran the clock out on the Red Men.
 
Carthage will return to Art Keller Field a week from now for the 2016 Homecoming festivities as the Red Men play host to Augustana College on September 24th.   Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.