For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

October 25, 2008

Eureka nearly erases 27-point deficit on homecoming

Boxscore

A spirited second half Red Devils comeback fell short Saturday afternoon as Eureka College lost its fifth consecutive Homecoming football game. MacMurray College built a 34-7 second half lead and hung on for a 47-34 victory.

Eureka's Chris Wakid (Danvers, Ill./Eureka), who set a career-high with 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns and Joe White (Manito, Ill./Concordia), who set a career-high with 105 yards receiving and two scores, caught fire in the second half. Eureka (3-4, 2-3 SLIAC) scored 20 consecutive points to end the third quarter only trailing by seven points.

MacMurray (2-6, 1-4 SLIAC) controlled the first half of play with a precise aerial attack and a touch of good fortune. Highlander quarterback Demarien Hampton was 21-for-26 in the opening half for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

The Highlanders put together 10-play touchdown drives in each of their first three possessions. They got on the board less than five minutes into the contest on an 11-yard pass from Hampton to Brian Clay. Eureka got even three plays later when Nick Lindsey (Homer, Ill./Heritage) tossed a 50-yard bomb to Cody Troutman (Normal, Ill./HS), who out-ran the MacMurray defense to knot the game at 7-7.

Hampton converted a key fourth down conversion on an 11-yard pass play on the ensuing drive setting up Chris Waterkotte's four-yard touchdown run. Markel Ellis added a one-yard scoring run with 12:26 left in the second quarter to lift MacMurray to a 21-7 lead.

Eureka fell victim to a lucky MacMurray bounce on fourth down on the final touchdown of the first half. The Highlanders were facing a fourth down on the EC eight in the waning moments of the half when a Hampton pass deflected up into the air off of a Eureka player's helmet. Steve Larson of MacMurray was in the right place at the right time as he ran under the deflection in the back of the end zone with 15 seconds remaining.

Staring at a 28-7 halftime deficit, the Eureka offensive line came out to take over the game in the second half. The Red Devils rushed for 202 yards after intermission to finish with 303 on the day. Eureka routinely gashed the MacMurray defense running through gaping holes en route to 27 second half points.

The Highlanders were able to increase their lead to 34-7 by scoring on a 63-yard touchdown run by Ellis on their first offensive play of the third quarter, but Eureka roared back with touchdowns on the next three possessions.

The Red Devils marched 89 yards in eight plays to get within 34-14 with 7:57 left in the quarter. The big play of the drive came on a third down play where Lindsey connected with Dan Askew (Farmer City, Ill./Blue Ridge) for 31 yards. Wakid, who had back-to-back first down runs of 22 and 18 yards, capped the surge with a seven-yard touchdown rush.

After stopping MacMurray on downs in EC territory, the Red Devils did not take as long with their next scoring push. On fourth-and-three at the Eureka 39, Lindsey was initially stopped short of first down yardage, but his second effort pushed the pile forward across the line to gain. On the next play, White caught a pass toward the sideline, broke a tackle and ran diagonally across the field, leaping into the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown reception. The point after rang off the upright as the score stood at 34-20 in favor of MacMurray.

"I'm extremely proud of the offense and defense for fighting in the second half and third quarter especially," said Eureka interim head coach Matthew Smiley of his squad's second half performance. "Every single person...starter, non-starter, trainer, coach...everyone thought we would win. They truly believed we would get it done. Not one kid let up."

The duo of Wakid and White again proved too much for MacMurray to handle later in the period as EC drove 95 yards to get within 34-27. Wakid gained 55 yards on two carries to begin the ascent, and White snared a Lindsey pass for 19 yards to convert a third down to the Highlander 19. Wakid eventually bulled his way for his second seven-yard touchdown run with just 14 seconds to play in the third quarter.

Eureka got within one play of setting up decent field position for a potential game-tying drive when the key play of the game was turned in by the Highlanders. On fourth-and-nine from the Eureka 34, Hampton lofted a deep pass in the direction of Marc Randle. The 6-8 receiver out-jumped double coverage for the ball at the EC two, setting up a Waterkotte TD run on the next play.

MacMurray then perfectly executed a surprise onside kick and Larson struck for his second touchdown, a 24-yard reception from Hampton that moved MacMurray in front 47-27.

The Red Devils answered on their next possession with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Lindsey to White that got EC within 47-34 with 7:45 to go. Eureka next forced a three-and-out for the second time in the game, but could not get any closer before time would run out.

The Red Devils averaged 7.2 yards on 42 rushing attempts. This marked the second consecutive game in which Eureka gained over 300 yards rushing. Lindsey (125 yards) joined Wakid (137 yards) in triple digits for yards gained on the ground. Lindsey was 12-for-25 passing for 219 yards. He tossed three touchdowns and had no interceptions. White was Eureka's leading receiver with five catches for 105 yards. Askew caught four passes for 53 yards.

Tim Dombrowski (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) recorded a career-high 14 tackles to lead all players in the game. Matt Knake (Freeburg, Ill./HS) had 11 tackles overall and two tackles for loss. Matt Tieman (Champaign, Ill./St. Thomas More) had nine tackles and half of Eureka's eight tackles for loss.

Ellis was the game's leading rusher with 138 yards and two touchdowns. Hampton passed for 373 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. James Rollon had 10 receptions for 146 yards. The Highlanders, who came it with the third worst turnover margin and having allowed the most sacks in the conference, did not give up a turnover or sack in the game. In fact, neither side recorded a sack and there was only one turnover on the day.

The Red Devils will play their first ever game in the state of Georgia next week when they take on LaGrange College Saturday, November 1. Kickoff for the game is set for Noon central, 1:00 pm eastern. The Panthers of LaGrange are tied for first place in the SLIAC with two games remaining.

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For More Information Contact:

Bryan Moore
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bmoore@eureka.edu