Freshman wideout Cole Okmin caught two touchdown passes in Wash. U.’s 27-7 win over Elmhurst, Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy: Wash. U. Athletics)

SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Wash. U. (2-1, 2-0)3714327
Elmhurst (0-3, 0-2)07007

by DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

After struggling through most of the first half in Saturday afternoon’s NCAA Division III football game against CCIW rival Elmhurst University, the Washington University Bears found their groove just before halftime, then dominated the second half in what proved to be a convincing 27-7 win over the host Blue Jays.

Wash. U., which has now won two games in a row and owns a 2-1 record on the season, finished the day with 422 total yards. That number was more than twice as many as Elmhurst, which had just 182 yards, could produce.

Most of that yardage for the Bears came from their passing game, which totaled 258 yards. Quarterback Matt Rush had a sensational day, as he completed 24-of-38 passes to get those 258 yards and threw three touchdown passes.

Rush completed those passes to eight different receivers, including freshman wideout Cole Okmin, who had a game-high seven catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Okmin’s two scores, which came on Wash. U.’s final possession of the first half and first possession of the second half, helped the Bears turn a 7-3 deficit into a 17-7 lead.

Prior to those possessions, the Bears had struggled to find the end zone. Wash. U. had six straight possessions that reached Elmhurst territory, but could only get one field goal out of them.

That changed when Wash. U. took over with just over 90 seconds left before halftime. The Bears took advantage of a short Elmhurst punt and drove 54 yards on just seven plays and scored with just seven seconds left in the half, when Rush hit Okmin for a 14-yard touchdown.

Then after Elmhurst went three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, Wash. U. took over at its own 49 and went 51 yards on nine plays, capped again by a 14-yard touchdown strike from Rush to Okmin.

That was how Wash. U. got the lead, but perhaps the key set of plays of the game came late in third quarter, when on three consecutive plays, the Bears turned what could’ve been disaster into a three-score lead.

The first play, was a rather innocent looking punt, after Wash. U. had been stopped on third down. Bears punter Tomas Quiroz fumbled the snap and had to scramble to find any room to get the punt off. Somehow though, he did and managed to avoid getting the punt blocked.

On the next play, Elmhurst Noah Henkel had his pass tipped and intercepted by Wash. U.’s Anthony Brown.

That gave the Bears the ball on the Elmhurst 47 yard line, and on the first play, Rush hit senior receiver Jared Harrison for a touchdown that gave Wash. U. a 24-7 lead.

Elmhurst, which was hosting its Homecoming Game on Saturday, took its only lead of the game midway through the second quarter, when quarterback Noah Henkel threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Joseph McKinley.

But once Wash. U. got rolling and took the lead back, the Blue Jays knew they needed to put together a sustained drive to have any chance of getting back into the game. And they did move the ball some, driving from their own 12 to midfield, but the drive stalled, which gave Wash. U. the ball back at the 50.

The Bears then iced the game by moving deep into Elmhurst territory to set up a 32-yard field goal attempt by placekicker Chris Vartanian. The junior from Newport Beach, Calif., connected on what was his second field goal of the game to give the Bears a lead they would never relinquish.

Elmhurst had two more possessions before the game ended, but was unable to get anywhere near scoring range before Wash. U. simply ran out the clock to clinch its second CCIW win of the season.

The Bears have now won two games in a row and have a 2-1 record this year.

Next week, Wash. U. will be back home at Francis Olympic Field to host another CCIW game against Wheaton College. Kickoff for that contest is set for 6 p.m.

Washington University at Elmhurst University — Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
7:22 – WashU – FIELD GOAL – Chris Vartanian 33 yd field goal — WashU 3-0
2nd Quarter
8:09 – Elmhurst – TOUCHDOWN – Joseph McKinley 52 yd pass from Noah Henkel (Sandro Quintanilla PAT) — Elmhurst 3-7
:07 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Cole Okmin 14 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — WashU 10-7
3rd Quarter
10:45 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Cole Okmin 14 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — WashU 17-7
2:34 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Jared Harrison 47 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — WashU 24-7
4th Quarter
12:13 – WashU – FIELD GOAL – Chris Vartanian 32 yd field goal — WashU 27-7