Sept. 22, 2007

Chicago Holds Off Macalester 21-13

CHICAGO -- Senior linebacker Gaby Fernandez (Miami, Fla./ Columbus) intercepted three passes, all in the second half, as the University of Chicago football team defeated Macalester College 21-13 Saturday at Stagg Field.

Fernandez's first of two fourth quarter picks stopped Macalester (2-2) inside the Maroons' red zone with 11:55 remaining. He then intercepted a pass near midfield to stall the Scots' next drive at the 5:47 mark.

The Maroons appeared ready to put the game away in the closing minutes. Taking over at the Macalester 35-yard line following Fernandez's school modern era record-tying third interception, Chicago drove to the Macalester 3-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the game. On third-and-goal the Maroons fumbled, and the Scots recovered in the end zone with 1:55 on the clock.

Macalester made two first downs on its final drive, but turned the ball over on downs when Trever Miehe's fourth-down pass near midfield fell incomplete. Miehe was successful on six of 14 attempts for 53 yards in relief Nick Slobe, who was 10-for-16 for 137 yards before leaving the game with an injury late in the third quarter.

Chicago (2-1) took a 21-13 lead when freshman quarterback Marshall Oium (Temecula, Calif./ Great Oak) connected with freshman wide receiver Clay Wolff (St. Louis, Mo./ Christian Brothers) from 21 yards out midway through the third stanza.

Oium entered the game early in the third period after senior starter Justin Fleming (Natick, Mass./ Natick) left with an injury. Oium completed six of 10 passes for 60 yards, while Fleming was 2-for-6 for 53 yards.

Chicago led 14-13 at halftime as the teams traded touchdowns in the first two quarters.

Senior tailback Mike Serio's (Antioch, Ill./ Carmel) 1-yard plunge capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive on the game's opening possession.

Macalester answered on its initial drive when Slobe and Nash Traylor linked up on a 25-yard touchdown pass.

A 20-yard run by freshman tailback Thomas Parks (Crown Point, Ind./ Crown Point) gave the Maroons a 14-7 edge with 7:17 left in the first half. Parks gained a career-high 135 yards on 23 carries on the afternoon.

Jakub Koziol scored from a yard away with 11 seconds left in the second quarter, but the Scots' two-point conversion attempt failed. Koziol led Macalester with 83 yards on 13 carries.

Freshman defensive end Justin Kaderabek (Caledonia, Ill./ Boylan Catholic) collected four and a half sacks for the Maroons, who defeated Macalester for the second time in as many meetings.

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