WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University football team's hopes for a first victory of the season slipped away during the fourth quarter in a difficult 22-10 loss to Millikin University in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the fifth consecutive conference loss for Carroll, which dropped to 0-5 in the league standings and 0-7 overall.
Leading 16-10 with the final few seconds ticking from the clock in the third quarter, Millikin recovered a costly Carroll fumble on its own 30-yard line to thwart a potential scoring drive and ultimately seize control of the game.
It was a back-breaking, gut-wrenching turn of events for Carroll as the Big Blue carried the momentum into the fourth quarter and answered with a time consuming 11-play, 70-yard drive - capped on a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Nicco Stepina to freshman wide receiver David Jackson with 11:23 remaining.
The Pioneers appeared poised for a fourth-quarter comeback but their only drive stalled on the Millikin 20-yard line as senior quarterback Kyle Burlingame's fourth-down conversion pass attempt intended for senior wide receiver Brandon Ehrke (Deerfield, Wis.) fell to the ground in the back of the end zone with 5:04 left in the contest.
Burlingame (Waukesha, Wis.) completed 19 of 27 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown to lead the Carroll offense, which generated 13 first downs and 284 total yards.
Stepina completed 21 of 36 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions for Millikin, which amassed 21 first downs and 418 yards of total offense. Freshman running back George Jimerson rushed 19 times for 127 yards for the Big Blue, who improved to 3-2 in conference and 4-3 overall.
Carroll showcased its focus on the opening possession of the game, scoring on an energized seven-play, 77-yard drive highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Burlingame to Ehrke to take a 7-0 lead with 11:28 remaining.
On the early, fourth-down-and-14 conversion, Burlingame took the snap out of the shotgun, rolled to his left and fired a pass to Ehrke.
Ehrke, who had worked across the middle of the end zone, briefly gained separation on a defender to make a wide-open catch for his eighth TD of the season.
Sophomore wide receiver Parker Zitzke (Waukesha, Wis.) was Carroll's top receiving threat with a breakout 10 catches for 122 yards, including a 53-yard catch to help propel the Pioneers' opening scoring drive.
"We're really close to being successful and continue to show that we are capable of competing with the teams in this conference," said Zitzke, who had seven catches for 100 yards in the opening half. "At this point, we just have to keep fighting, executing and not beat ourselves. If we stay focused and do that, we will be fine and the victories will come.
"We have great team chemistry, work hard each time we step on the field and enjoy playing the game every day. Its just a matter of supporting one another and doing our best to grind out some victories. Even though it wasn't the outcome that we wanted, it was the type of game that we will be able to build confidence from."
Ehrke followed with three catches for 74 yards for the Pioneers. Senior wide receiver Nicholas Curtis (Watertown, Wis.), senior running back Bennett Kothe (Racine, Wis.) and senior wide receiver Tyler Enright (Oconomowoc, Wis.) each had two catches. 
Millikin immediately responded on its ensuing possession as Stepina and freshman wide receiver Jordan Smith connected on a 67-yard TD pass but missed the extra point to trim the deficit to 7-6 with 10:41 left in the opening quarter. 
The Big Blue took a 13-7 lead as Stepina hit freshman wide receiver Gerald Perry on an 18-yard pass with 6:43 remaining in the first half. 
Carroll capitalized on a Millikin interception in the third quarter, resulting in a 25-yard field goal from senior kicker Taylor Plehn (Pewaukee, Wis.) to cut the deficit to 13-10 with 11:27 remaining.
The Big Blue added a 23-yard field goal by senior kicker Chayce Volpert to extend the lead to 16-10 with 3:22 left in the third quarter - setting the stage for the critical, game-changing fumble.
Senior lineman Peter Menges (Manitowoc, Wis.) had a team-high 10 tackles with a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery for the Carroll defense.  Junior linebacker Andrew Danculovich (Cudahy, Wis.), sophomore defensive back Andy Thorsen (Onalaska, Wis.) and sophomore free safery Cameron Cassaro (Caledonia, Ill.) each had an interception for the Pioneers.
Freshman linebacker Matthew Brown had 11 tackles and two sacks for Millikin, which finished with 12 sacks.