Elmhurst University Bluejays go flightless in 2022 football season

Photo provided by- Elmhurst University Athletics

The Elmhurst University football team could not hold off the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans at the last football game of the season on Nov. 12, losing 27-17 and keeping Elmhurst winless in the 2022 season.

Going into halftime it appeared as though Elmhurst was going to get their first victory of the season as they led 14-7.

The Bluejay’s lead was set up from big plays through the air. Quarterback Andrey Acosta threw a 50-yard touchdown to wide receiver Max McCarville on their opening drive for the first touchdown.

Later in the first quarter, the Bluejays completed a 43-yard bomb to set up a rushing touchdown from running back Isaiah Presley.

The Titans finally woke up in the second quarter when they scored 21 unanswered points and shut down the Bluejays’ offense for the rest of the game, only letting through a field goal late in the fourth.

The Titans were led by running backs Seth Albin and Ian Kroemer; Albin ran for 76 yards on 12 attempts and Kroemer ran for 71 yards on 24 attempts. As a team, they rushed for 169 yards total and one rushing touchdown.

“They came out running the ball in the second half and we couldn’t figure out how to stop it until late in the 4th quarter,” said Jake Masco, a senior linebacker for the Bluejays.

The Bluejays didn’t just lose the game, but they also lost their coaching staff. Head Coach Jeff McDonald stepped down Sunday after the game.

The recruiting process for a new coach has not started yet, but returning players such as Jake Masco are confident that Athletic Director Glen Brittich will find a new coach that can bring Elmhurst back to a winning culture.

“I’m feeling really confident that Athletic Director Brittich will do his very best to bring in someone who can bring winning back to Elmhurst football,” said Masco, who is returning for a fifth year.

Masco isn’t the only player coming back. Star linebacker and CCIW first-team player, senior Bryce Gable is also returning to Elmhurst University and hopes he can play a major role in turning around the program with the new coach.

“I’m hoping we can find a coaching staff that is relentless and wants to win at all costs and that I can make a long-lasting impact to turn this program around,” said Gable.

Returning upperclassmen, such as Gable and Masco, are hopeful for the next season, as there were many positives to take away from the season and from the last game.

“We’re a very young team, lots of freshmen were on the field this year,” said Gable. “I felt like we looked like a CCIW football team out there and it felt good.”

One of those freshmen was Acosta. He played in six games and finished his freshman year with a 100.44 passer rating, 44.16% completion rating, and 883 passing yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

There was a lot of hope for this season with the group of strong freshmen added to the lineup, as well as the addition of offensive line coach Tony Shiffman over the summer, but the season did not go as planned.

While there were a lot of successful moments, like making Acosta the starting quarterback, and close games, like the double overtime game against Carroll University, the Bluejays struggled offensively and defensively throughout the course of the year and left the field with a 0-10 season record.