Sept. 29, 2007

Maroons Win Shootout, 57-27, Over Lewis & Clark

CHICAGO -- In his first career start, freshman quarterback Marshall Oium (Temecula, Calif./ Great Oak) passed for 362 yards and three touchdowns as the University of Chicago football team defeated Lewis & Clark College 57-27 in non-conference action Saturday at Stagg Field.

Freshman running back Thomas Parks (Crown Point, Ind./ Crown Point) also played a key role in the Chicago onslaught as he tied a school modern era record (since 1969) with four rushing touchdowns. The Maroons' 57 points eclipsed their previous modern era high of 56 set back in 1976.

The Maroons and Pioneers combined for 1,067 yards on the day, with 723 through the air.

Chicago (3-1) trailed 12-10 after one quarter before rallying to take a 24-15 lead at the half.

The Maroons scored on their first two possessions, first on an 11-yard touchdown strike from Oium to freshman wideout Clay Wolff (St. Louis, Mo./ Christian Brothers), then on a 22-yard field goal off the foot of sophomore Ryan Verissimo (Skokie, Ill./ Niles West).

Lewis & Clark (0-3) found the end zone twice in the final 1:07 of the opening period. After quarterback A.J. Brown connected with Joevonte Mayes on a 70-yard touchdown pass, the Pioneers recovered a short kickoff at the Chicago 40-yard line. Three plays later, Brown threw a 33-yard pass to Ryan Kostecka to give Lewis & Clark a 12-10 advantage.

A 17-yard touchdown completion from Oium to Wolff gave the Maroons a 17-12 lead early in the second stanza. Wolff caught eight passes for 108 yards and extended his season-long streak of games with a touchdown reception.

An Andrew Foote 23-yard field goal with 4:18 left in the half cut the Chicago lead to 17-15, but a 2-yard plunge by Parks at the 1:17 mark gave the Maroons a 24-15 lead after two quarters.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, giving Chicago a 31-21 edge entering the final period. Oium threw his third touchdown pass of the day at the 5:17 mark when he hooked up with senior wide receiver Chase Pierson (St. Ignace, Mich./ LaSalle) from 5 yards out. Lewis & Clark answered on 23-yard pass play from Brown to Mike Wennerlind with 1:53 left in the quarter.

Senior tailback Mike Serio's (Antioch, Ill./ Carmel) 2-yard touchdown run with 9:02 left in the game helped seal the victory as it put Chicago on top 37-21.

Lewis & Clark scored its final points at the 5:19 mark when Brown and Kostecka combined on their second touchdown of the day, this time from 8 yards away. Kostecka finished the game with seven catches for 119 yards, while Mayes grabbed five passes for 109 yards.

Brown completed 28 of 52 attempts for 361 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.

Chicago scored three touchdowns in the game's final four minutes -- all on Parks touchdown runs. He scored from 2 yards out with 3:27 to go, from 45 yards away at the 1:45 mark, and on a 47-yard scamper with 44 seconds left on the clock.

Parks gained 109 yards on just nine carries, while Serio finished with 91 yards on 12 attempts.

Box Score