Elmhurst, Ill. -- The #19-ranked Wheaton football team traveled to Elmhurst University on Saturday looking to extend its 11-game win streak against the Bluejays and remain unbeaten against today's opponent under head coach Jesse Scott. The Thunder did exactly that, smothering the Elmhurst offense in a 65-0 rout. It marked Wheaton's eighth-straight game scoring 40 or more points against Elmhurst, their third time surpassing 60 points this season, and the program's first shutout and largest margin of victory since October of 2023. The win moves Wheaton to 6-1 in conference play, while Elmhurst falls to 0-7 on the year.

Elmhurst was set to begin the game on offense, but the opening kickoff was fumbled and recovered by Brett Dieter (pictured left), giving Wheaton excellent field position at the Bluejays' 16-yard line. Three plays later, tight end Ben Juska ran straight up the middle for an easy touchdown.

The Thunder defense forced a quick three-and-out on the next drive, pushing Elmhurst back five yards. On the ensuing possession, quarterback Mark Forcucci connected with Caleb Titherington twice to open the drive: once for 13 yards on a quick out, then again for 27 yards on a seam route as Titherington found space in the zone. The receiver adjusted excellently, leaping and spinning in midair to haul in a one-handed grab worthy of a highlight reel. Moments later, Matt Crider capped the drive with an eight-yard rush, giving Wheaton a 14-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

Another three-and-out forced by Wheaton set up a short field. Seth Kortenhoeven returned the subsequent punt 21 yards to the Elmhurst 45, thanks to excellent blocking from the special teams unit. On third-and-eight, Thomas Greupner found open space for a 26-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, Forcucci hit senior receiver Whit Jewett in the back left corner of the end zone on a perfectly placed six-yard fade.

After yet another defensive stop, highlighted by a 13-yard sack from Peter Johanik, Wheaton took over at the Elmhurst 45. Forcucci connected with Charlie Duck for a 33-yard completion on a corner route, setting up Crider's second rushing touchdown of the game.

Elmhurst responded with a 58-yard completion on its next possession but was stalled again by a Zeke Harris sack and pressure from Rex Kroger. Wheaton's following drive was halted by a fumble, but the defense held firm, preventing any damage. On the Thunder's longest drive of the game, Forcucci hit Kortenhoeven for 18 yards and Sam McFadden for 21. Crider added three rushes totaling 22 yards, bringing Wheaton to the four-yard line, where Juska scored his second rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 35-0.

Elmhurst's next possession ended in disaster when a high snap on a punt rolled into the end zone. Though the punter recovered it, Dieter tackled him for a safety. A 33-yard return by Kenny Jager after the ensuing kick gave Wheaton prime field position again. Forcucci picked out Kortenhoeven on an RPO slant play for 26 yards, and after two eight-yard rushes from Trent Gabriele (pictured right), Forcucci kept the ball on a read option for a three-yard touchdown. 

Wheaton opened the second half with a flurry of passes to Kortenhoeven for gains of 24, 8, and 26 yards, the last of which set up a one-yard Crider touchdown, his third of the day, to push the lead to 51-0.

Backup quarterback Seamus O'Connell took over and led a scoring drive of his own, completing passes to Luke Crawford for 28 yards and Gage Autry for 10. With the game well in hand, Wheaton focused on the ground attack, rushing eight times for 36 yards and finishing the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Gabriele. O'Connell later found Ryan Kenyon for an eight-yard touchdown, closing out the 65-0 win.

The Thunder racked up 567 yards of total offense, including 331 through the air and 236 on the ground. They converted 75% of their third downs (9-for-12), 100% of their fourth downs (2-for-2), and completed 75% of their passes (21-for-28), averaging 7.8 yards per play and 5.2 yards per carry. Defensively, Wheaton held Elmhurst to just four rushing yards on 25 attempts and eight completions on 27 passes. The Bluejays converted only 21% of their third down tries and came up short on both of their attempted fourth down plays.

Forcucci threw for 236 yards on 12-of-17 passing with two total touchdowns. Kortenhoeven once again led the Thunder in receiving with 102 yards on just five catches. Titherington added 48 yards on three receptions, while Kenyon and Jewett each hauled in a touchdown.

Gabriele ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, his first 100-yard game of the season and first since 2023 against Millikin. Crider finished with 70 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, the most rushing scores by any Wheaton player this season. Jager added 53 yards on 13 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt.

Defensively, Johanik and Harris led the team with six tackles each, while Luke Heggie added four and one tackle for loss. Harris and Johanik recorded three and two tackles for loss, respectively. The Thunder's sack leaders were Harris (2), Johanik (1), and Heggie (1). Kroger also tallied three quarterback hurries in the shutout performance.

Wheaton will look to continue its strong play next time out when the team returns home to McCully Stadium for its Senior Day and Family Weekend contest. Kickoff between the Thunder and the Millikin Big Blue is set for 12:00 p.m next Saturday.