WAUKESHA, Wis. - Colton Bahling was ready to step into the prime time spotlight.
Bahling, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior quarterback from Belvidere, Ill., clearly demonstrated that by completing 17 of 27 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Carroll University football team to a 28-25 victory over Augustana College in a dramatic College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin home opener at Schneider Stadium on Saturday night.
It was an inspirational performance for Carroll, which celebrated the come-from-behind effort by improving to 1-1 overall and jubilantly ringing the school's victory bell in front of the enthusiastic, jam-packed stands.
Trailing 25-21 with time winding down in the fourth quarter, Bahling stepped up to the pressure-packed situation and connected with junior wide receiver Parker Zitzke (Waukesha, Wis.) on a game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining.
"It was an awesome feeling to be able to come out under the lights in the home opener and get our first big CCIW victory of the season," said Bahling, who was making his second start. "On the final drive, we suffered a few costly penalties but fought through the adversity and put it all together when it counted the most.
"Throughout the night, we shot ourselves in the foot at times but kept fighting through it and came away with a victory. During the final drive, we really took a live-to-play another down mentality and tried to make the most of each and every play. On the touchdown pass, I saw that Parker was wide open and made the throw in his direction. After the ball left my hand, it must have been the longest two seconds in my life watching it finally come down in his arms for the basket catch. I was just ecstatic to see it happen and couldn't have asked for a better ending to an incredible game."
The decisive play capped a resilient, time consuming four-minute nine-play, 75-yard drive for the Pioneers, who maintained their composure despite a potential drive-killing 15-yard sideline infraction and 10-yard holding penalty.
The drive was fueled by a 43-yard pass to senior wide receiver Brandon Ehrke (Deerfield, Wis.) to convert a key second-down-and-20 situation.
On the game-winner, Bahling took control of the snap out of shotgun formation, quickly surveyed the field and launched a pin-point pass toward the left corner.
Seconds later, Zitzke made a sharp cut to the left to finish his corner route, gained separation behind a defender and made the catch in the end zone. 
"It was just a great all-around offensive performance," said a smiling Zitzke, who finished with a team-high eight catches for 101 yards in the contest (noting the important effort of the scout-team defense in practice). "On the winning touchdown, I was just running a corner route, worked my way in back of the defender and was wide open. After noticing the corner bite, I knew the ball was coming my way and did my best best to finish it off. It was great to come away with a big catch but felt even better to have it come in a big victory for the team.
"Throughout the night, we had been moving the ball downfield so there wasn't a doubt in our minds that we were going to score on the final drive. We just did what we needed to do, executed and made it happen at the end. It was an exciting way to end the night."
Bahling also rushed 15 times for 86 yards and an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter for Carroll, which amassed 19 first downs and 425 yards of total offense. Senior running back JJ Keels (Melbourne, Fla.) followed with 11 carries for 44 yards, highlighted by a punishing 9-yard TD to help ignite a 14-point fourth quarter.
Ehrke had four receptions for 121 yards including a 53-yard TD in the first quarter for the Pioneers, who converted 6 of 13 times on third down. 
Junior linebacker Lucas Wood (Potterville, Mich.) registered 11 tackles to spark the aggressive Carroll defense, which yielded three field goals in the first half. Senior defensive tackle Ethan Molisee (Brookfield, Wis.) contributed nine tackles with a sack for the Pioneers.
Junior defensive back Billy Krawczyk (Lockport, Ill.) collected eight tackles, junior linebacker Andrew Danculovich (Cudahy, Wis.) had seven tackles and junior cornerback Linzy Hudson (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished with six tackles.
Junior defensive back Colin Shepley (Northfield, Minn.) added five tackles and broke up a critical fourth-down conversion pass in the end zone with eight seconds remaining in the first half to preserve a 14-9 lead for the Pioneers.
"After being run off the field at times in the first half of the season opener, it was a great feeling to be able to come back this week, hold our own and at times control the pace of the game," Shepley said. "We were jacked up, excited about playing at home for the first time and made the most of the experience tonight. After going through a rough time last year, to be able to come away with a victory in front of a crowd like this was amazing."
Carroll seventh-year head coach Mark Krzykowski was ecstatic about his team's ability to maintain its composure and execute down the stretch.
"It was a family effort from beginning to end," said Krzykowski, praising the efforts of both his players and coaching staff. "Our team motto is "Ring the Bell" but it also stands for rely, trust and believe in the program. That's the exact approach we took in preparing for this game and it led to a great victory. Coming into the night, we knew that we had to play smart football, control the clock and make the most of field position. 
"On the final drive, we not only displayed our composure but clearly demonstrated our maturity and the progress we have made in a short amount of time. We've made great strides from Week 1, executed in all three phases and put ourselves in good position for a victory in the fourth quarter. Looking back, it was an emotional night that should only motivate us in the weeks to come. The guys took it to heart, gave a tremendous effort each step of the way and truly deserve to be ringing that victory bell. With the long, rich history and tradition of the program, this victory was not only for us but for all of the players that have ever competed on this field."
Senior place kicker Jacob Stytz tied a school-record with four field goals, including a career-best 52-yarder in the first quarter, for Augustana, which had 20 first downs and 402 total yards. Junior quarterback Luke Bleyer completed 11 of 18 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, coming in relief of starter Zachary Fuller who suffered a game-ending lower-leg injury at the end of the second quarter. 
Junior running back Ryan Pitra added 21 carries for 93 yards and a TD for the Vikings, who dropped to 0-3 overall.