WAUKESHA, Wis. - Momentum.
It can often play a critical role in a team's success on the gridiron if it is seized at the right time or ultimately lead to frustration if an opportunity is missed.
The Carroll University football team learned that valuable lesson as it lost to Carthage College 31-0 in a hot, humid College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin opener at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the first home-field loss of the early season for Carroll, which dropped to 1-1 overall.
Carthage led 10-0 following a tough, physical first half and put the game away by scoring 21 points over the course of the final 30 minutes - including 14 points in the pivotal, momentum-shifting third quarter.
The experienced Carroll offense, which generated 45 points in a season-opening home-field nonconference victory over Lakeland on Sept. 8, struggled to execute on its first three possessions of the third quarter, came up empty and gradually lost momentum.
It proved to be the turning point in the game.
"Win or lose, one game doesn't define our season and there's a lot of football to be played yet," said Carroll head coach Mark Krzykowski, whose team is honoring the memory of late longtime former coach Merle Masonholder by wearing commemorative stickers on the back of its bright orange helmets with the black inititals MM. "At this point, we have to keep on growing, learning and improving each time we step on the field. I'm very proud of the way we prepared throughout the week and how we played well at times throughout the day. Carthage is a good team but we showed our progression in a few areas and that there's going to be a lot to look forward to with this group. We're going to keep working together, fighting every step of the way and handling it like a family."
Carthage, which improved to 1-1 overall, scored what proved to be the winning points as senior quarterback Kyle Friberg connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Tommy Bazarek with 12:30 remaining in the first quarter - capping a seven-play, 78-yard game-opening drive.
"It was a little frustrating how they drove down the field so quickly on the opening series," added Krzykowski, whose team won the coin toss but deferred until the second half. "That said, we maintained our composure and were able to hold them to a field goal the rest of the first half. We 're just looking for that consistency from start to finish."
Friberg completed 19 of 26 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns to lead the high-powered Carthage offense, which amassed 19 first downs and 381 yards of total offense.
Bazarek, who finished with six receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns, hauled in his second TD catch on a 30-yard pass from Friberg with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Senior running back Lafayette McGary was a workhorse throughout the day, rushing 21 times for 77 yards averaging 3.5 yards per carry - including a 6-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Sophomore running back Liam Pooler added nine attempts for 27 yards and a second-half touchdown.
It was a rough afternoon for Carroll second-year senior starting quarterback Colton Bahling (Belvidere, Ill.) who completed 12 of 23 passes for 96 yards with two interceptions and was sacked four times.
Despite using four different running backs in the contest behind a large, strong offensive line, the Pioneers' rushing attack (including senior J.J. Keels (Melbourne, Fla.), senior Drake Pusateri (Lombard, Ill.), sophomore Isaac Allen (Monroe, Wis.) and freshman Preston Bell (Scottlandville, La.) managed just 59 yards.
Senior wide receiver Parker Zitzke (Waukesha, Wis.) had a team-high seven catches for 72 yards for Carroll, which had nine first downs, 155 total yards, converted just 5 of 16 times on third down but did not reach the red zone.
Senior free safety Cameron Cassaro (Rockford, Ill.) had a team-high eight tackles and senior defensive back Colin Shepley (Northfield, Minn.) had seven tackles for the Carroll defense, which limited the Red Men to only seven points in the first quarter. Senior defensive end Sam Nelson (Eagle, Wis.), senior linebacker Andrew Danculovich (Cudahy, Wis.) and sophomore defensive end Kyle Julius (Frankfort, Ill.) each had a sack.
"Defensively, we were doing the right things, sticking with the play calls and improving over the course of the first half," said the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Nelson, who helped anchor the aggressive defensive front. "Looking back to last year when we faced Carthage, it was 34-0 at the end of the opening quarter so to hold them to 10 points in the first half was a great momentum builder. Unfortunately, when we needed to move the ball in the third quarter it didn't happen. Being a momentum-driven type team, when we weren't able to come away with any points on some key possessions things gradually started to slip away. In the weeks to come, we just need to push through the situation and execute. It was one of those games that just got away from us."