GAME NOTES AT ELMHURST

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll's football team began the second half of their 2024 season with a 30-20 victory last week against Augustana (IL), marking their second win in the last three games. This week, the Pioneers will try to keep things rolling as they'll travel to Elmhurst University for their first of two consecutive road contests.

This weekend's game will mark the 38th all-time meeting between these two squads, with Carroll holding a 23-14 edge in a series that dates back to 1956 (a 34-0 Carroll victory). The Pioneers, who have never finished below .500 under fifth-year Head Coach Mike Budziszewski, enter the weekend with a 3-3 record, including 2-3 in the CCIW. Elmhurst is currently tied with the Pios in the conference standings, while entering the contest with a 2-4 overall record.

Carroll is trying to build off a win that saw Junior Quarterback Charlie King make his first career start, parlaying that into 'Pio of the Week' honors, as he completed 14-of-19 passes for 238 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also rushed the ball 10 times for 41 yards (4.1 ypc).

"I'm very proud of what Charlie accomplished in his first career start last week. We had a great game plan and he executed that plan very efficiently," Budziszewski said. "We took advantage of what they gave us and Charlie was also able to get some yards on the ground. I'm proud of his development and looking forward to seeing him continue to progress."

As efficient as the King-led offense was last week, with zero interceptions and fumbles lost, they will have to be even more mindful of ball security on Saturday when they play an Elmhurst team that leads the CCIW in both interceptions (9) and fumbles recovered (6). The Blue Jays have returned two of their nine interceptions for touchdowns.

"We've had an emphasis on protecting the football this week because there's a premium on ball security against Elmhurst and we know that we need to focus on that," Budziszewski said. "Elmhurst likes to get after the ball and they have some ballhawks in the secondary. They also like to bat some balls down at the line of scrimmage."

Elmhurst is averaging 18.2 points per game this season, while allowing 38.7 ppg. They are averaging just 77.3 rushing yards per game, which plays into Carroll's suffocating defense, which ranks third against the run, yielding 104.3 yards per contest and 3.3 yards per carry.

"Elmhurst is always a tough place to play. Defensively, they're going to play hard, and we must be prepared for the different looks that they will give us," Budziszewski said. "Offensively, their quarterback likes to scramble around and they have some really good skill position players, so we need to get pressure on him and make sure we don't drop out of coverage when he scrambles around."

That plays to one of Carroll's strengths, as not many teams have gotten more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than the Pios have in 2024. Carroll has recorded at least six quarterback hurries in four of their seven games, culminating in a season-high 13 quarterback hurries in last week's win against Augustana.

A key cog in pressuring the quarterback for the Pios is Junior Linebacker Will Campbell, who currently ranks second in the CCIW in tackles with 55, just one shy of the league leader. With fellow All-Conference Linebacker currently battling injuries, Campbell is stepping up even more. He also ranks in the top 25 in the country for forced fumbles (2) and fumbles recovered (2), while also recording a team-high 2.5 sacks and six QB Hurries.

"Will is a phenomenal football player who is very smart and doesn't get out of position often. He understands his role and executes it at a high level," Budziszewski said. "Will is not a guy that counts tackles or stats, but he just goes out there and does his job every week. He's a big part of why we're able to get pressure on the opposing quarterback."

Another Carroll player on that side of the ball that is playing very well right now is Safety Jake Binkowski, who was named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week for his performance against Augustana. In that win, the Senior from Pulaski, Wis. recorded a team-high 11 tackles, while also breaking up a key third-down pass. Binkowski is third on the team in tackles this year (42), while also recording one of the team's three interceptions on the year.

"Jake was flying around the field all game last week," Budziszewski said. "He has the ability to be an All-Conference player, and we have to put him in a great position so he can just fly around and make plays for us."

Saturday's game will kickoff at 1 p.m. from Langhorst Field in Elmhurst, Ill.