Sept. 12, 2009 - Football
Maroons Win Season Opener in Overtime

GAMBIER, Ohio -- Sophomore tailback Tommy Parks (Crown Point, Ind./ Crown Point) scored on a 6-yard run on the Maroons' second possession of overtime as the University of Chicago football team opened its season with a 37-36 win over Kenyon College Saturday afternoon.

Chicago, which led by 18 points midway through the third quarter, fell behind 30-27 when Keynon quarterback Mike Hermanson connected with Harry von Kann on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The play capped a 12-play, 84-yard march.

Freshman Dee Brizzolara (Aurora, Ohio/ Aurora) then returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the Kenyon 33-yard line. Two plays later, junior quarterback Marshall Oium (Temecula, Calif./ Great Oak) hit junior wideout Clay Wolff (St. Louis, Mo./ Christian Brothers) for a 20-yard gain to set up a game-tying 37-yard field goal off the foot of freshman Jeff Sauer (Saddle River, N.J./ Highlands) as time expired in regulation.

Neither team scored on its first possession of the first overtime period. After Parks scored his second touchdown of the day to put the Maroons on top, Hermanson found von Kann in the end zone on Kenyon's first play. The Lords attempted a two-point conversion, but the pass failed.

Chicago scored on its first three possessions en route to building a 20-6 first quarter advantage.

Parks scored on a 43-yard run on the Maroons' fourth play from scrimmage, but Kenyon answered with a 10-yard Kyle Toot run to cap its first drive. Chicago countered with a pair of Oium touchdown passes, an 18-yard strike to senior tight end Mike Emerson (Okemos, Mich./ Okemos) and a 13-yard completion to Wolff in the final minute of the opening stanza.

A von Kann field goal accounted for the only scoring of the second quarter, giving Chicago a 20-9 halftime advantage.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Sophomore tailback Francis Adarkwa (Wheaton, Ill./ Wheaton-Warrenville South) scored on a 2-yard run at the 7:11 mark to put the Maroons on top 27-9, before Kenyon's Jordan Brooks broke loose for a 52-yard run less than a minute later.

After Kenyon halted the Maroons' first drive of the fourth quarter, von Kann returned a punt 43 yards to the Chicago 1-yard line. Toot then ran in for his second touchdown of the game to make the score 27-22.

Parks finished the day with 186 yards on 32 carries, while Wolff caught nine passes for 152 yards. Oium completed 13 of 23 attempts for 202 yards and one interception.

Hermanson threw for 314 yards and rushed for 91. He completed 27 of 50 pass attempts, hooking up with von Kann 11 times for 119 yards.

Chicago opens the home portion of its 2009 schedule next Saturday (Sept. 19) when it entertains Wabash College at noon.

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