WHEATON, Ill. - The Carroll University football team closed out the season with a humbling 42-10 loss to No. 12-ranked Wheaton College in a cold College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin finale at McCully Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the second loss to a nationally-ranked league opponent in the past three weeks for Carroll, which ended the season 1-7 in conference and 1-9 overall.
The Pioneers, who earned their first CCIW victory in 25 years by defeating North Park (28-21) in last week's home finale, finished eighth in the league standings.
Wheaton, which won two consecutive games and three of its last four, ended the season in second place in the tightly contested title race with a 7-1 record and finished 9-1 overall.
The Thunder outscored the Pioneers 21-3 in the first half, including 14 unanswered points in what became a decisive opening quarter.
The physical battle remained scoreless until late in the first quarter when senior quarterback Andrew Bowers connected with senior tight end Zach Lindquist on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 remaining. 
Following a three-and-out on Carroll's ensuing drive, Wheaton took advantage of the momentum as junior running back Sola Olateju scored what proved to be the game-winner on a 10-yard touchdown run with 2:53 left to cap the key, first-quarter scoring surge.
Bowers completed 11 of 16 passes for 151 yards and two TDs to lead Wheaton, which amassed 29 first downs and 408 yards of total offense - including 248 yards on the ground. Olateju was the game's leading rusher with 19 carries for 148 yards. 
Bowers, Lindquist and senior running back Jackson Fain each added a rushing TD for the Thunder, who converted 5 of 9 times on third down and averaged 6.5 yards per play. 
It was anything but a flawless performance for Wheaton, which committed 17 penalties for 132 yards in the contest.
Senior kicker Taylor Plehn (Pewaukee, Wis.) converted a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter for Carroll, which managed nine first downs, 121 yards of total offense and averaged 2.3 yards per play.
The Pioneers collected their final points of the season as quarterback Kyle Burlingame (Waukesha, Wis.) scored on a 3-yard run to cap a time-consuming 13-play, 57-yard drive with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Burlingame was under fire throughout the day, completing 10 of 18 passes for 81 yards with an interception while being sacked five times.
The senior southpaw, who finished his career as Carroll's all-time leader in touchdown passes with 56, completed 129 passes for 1,630 yards and 14 TDs with eight interceptions this season.
Senior wide receiver Brandon Ehrke (Deerfield, Wis.) was limited to only one catch for seven yards versus Wheaton, ending the season with 35 receptions for 555 yards and 11 TDs.
Sophomore safety Cameron Cassaro (Caledonia, Ill.) had a team-best nine tackles to pace the Carroll defense. Senior defensive back Jacob Ungerer (West Salem, Wis.), junior linebacker Andrew Danculovich (Cudahy, Wis.) and sophomore cornerback Tristan Schubert (Pearl City, Ill.) each followed with seven tackles and senior lineman Peter Menges (Manitowoc, Wis.) added a sack for the Pioneers.