After what the Carthage football team had been through over the last month — losing three of its first four league games and having several other distractions — getting a win any way possible over Millikin on Saturday night at Art Keller Field would likely have been satisfying enough.

The fact that the Red Men were able to do it convincingly, by a 41-28 score in a game in which they controlled most of the second half, no doubt made it even better.

“The kids did a good job. For the first time in a few weeks, we actually looked like a decent football team,” coach Tim Rucks said after Carthage won its sixth consecutive game over Millikin, a victory that also ended a two-game CCIW losing streak.

“The kids needed this badly and I think the coaches did, too.”

A change in momentum

The momentum shifted in Carthage’s favor with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half. With Millikin (5-3, 2-3 CCIW) leading 14-7, Carthage quarterback Evan Jones threw a third-and-14 pass that safety Nick Kronmiller intercepted near the Millikin 40-yard line.

But instead of the Big Blue getting the ball with a chance to pad their lead, the play was negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty.

Three plays later, Jones connected with Jeff Koeneman for a 49-yard TD pass down the right sideline that tied it at 14-14.

“I think that was huge to be tied at halftime,” Rucks said. “... To even the thing out and bring us back into it and know we’re right there a little more in control of our own destiny.”

Perfect in the third

It turned out the Red Men (5-3, 2-3) were just getting started as they also tallied TDs on all three of their third-quarter possessions to take a 34-14 advantage.

Jones (18-for-35 passing for 301 yards and three TDs with three interceptions) tossed a 2-yard strike to Rick Loisi, and Jake Smith and John Seigler both added 2-yard runs, the latter capping an onslaught of 27 unanswered points.

Seigler, a 5-foot-9, 171-pound freshman, entered the game having rushed 48 times for 151 yards this season, but he finished with 101 yards on 20 carries — including a 17-carry, 90-yard performance in the second half.

Carthage had passed the ball on 67 percent of its offensive plays through its first seven games, and Rucks said there wasn’t a concerted effort to try to be more balanced offensively.

“It was the flow of the game. We had the lead and we wanted to work the clock, and we were having success (running the ball),” Rucks said. “We’re a passing football game, but we haven’t had much success running the ball and we did so just to stay with it because we kill two birds and we reduce our chances of throwing an interception.”

A couple of final blows

Seigler scored on another 2-yard run that put Carthage ahead 41-21 with 6:05 to play. Red Men safety Gene Luscalzo sealed the outcome by intercepting Millikin backup quarterback Andy Dicken with 2:08 remaining.

Nick Merchut, who scored Carthage’s first TD on a 67-yard pass from Jones in the first quarter, led the Red Men with five catches for 116 yards. Jeff Koeneman made five receptions for 100 yards.

Carthage will play its home finale against last-place North Park (1-6, 0-5) 1 p.m. Saturday.