Oct. 31, 2009 - Football
Maroons' Upset Bid Falls Short

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago and eighth-ranked Case Western Reserve University were tied in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans scored a pair of touchdowns in the game's final 10 minutes en route to a 38-24 victory over the Maroons in University Athletic Association football action Saturday at Stagg Field.

Chicago freshman Jeff Sauer's (Saddle River, N.J./ Northern Highlands) 25-yard field goal with 13:00 left in the game evened the score at 24-24. Case (8-0 overall, 1-0 UAA) then moved 47 yards on seven plays, capped by a 4-yard Corey Checkan run for the go-ahead touchdown. Greg Meyer gained 36 of his 141 rushing yards on the drive.

Chicago (4-3, 0-1) drove deep inside Case territory late in the game, but the Maroons' drive stalled at the Spartans' 26-yard line with 4:42 remaining.

Meyer then sealed the victory for Case with a 59-yard touchdown run on a third-and-6 play with 1:42 showing on the clock.

Case, which extended its regular season winning streak to 29 games, led 14-7 after one quarter and 17-14 at the half.

The Spartans scored on the game's fourth play from scrimmage when quarterback Dan Whalen raced 68 yards to the end zone. Chicago answered late in the period on a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Marshall Oium (Temecula, Calif./ Great Oak) to senior tight end Mike Emerson (Okemos, Mich./ Okemos).

Case increased its lead to 17-7 on a 1-yard Checkan plunge in the final minute of the first quarter and a 36-yard field goal from Sam Coffey early in the second stanza.

Chicago scored the final points of the first half when Oium and freshman wideout Dee Brizzolara (Aurora, Ohio/ Aurora) hooked up on a 90-yard pass play -- the longest-ever by the Maroons at Stagg Field -- with 6:54 left in the second quarter.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Whalen and Zach Homyk connected on a 34-yard scoring strike, before Oium tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to junior Clay Wolff (St. Louis, Mo./ Christian Brothers).

Chicago and Case combined for nearly 900 yards of total offense.

The Spartans gained 275 yards on the ground and 206 through the air. Whalen completed 16 of 35 attempts for 206 yards, but was picked off twice and sacked on three occasions.

Oium was 25-for-50 for 324 yards and a pair of interceptions. Wolff caught 10 passes for 119 yards, while Brizzolara had 120 yards on six catches. The Maroons rushed for 89 yards on the day.

Chicago returns to action next week in St. Louis when it battles UAA rival Washington (Mo.) University for the Founders Cup.

Game Statistics