CHICAGO – The University of Chicago football team scored on its first five possessions en route to a 45-10 home victory against Knox College on Saturday.

The Maroons improved to 4-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Midwest Conference. The Prairie Fire fell to 0-3 overall (0-3 MWC).

UChicago fed Knox a steady diet of senior running back Nicholas D'Ambrose on its first drive. D'Ambrose accounted for 42 yards on six touches and capped things off with a nine-yard touchdown run.

The Maroons kept the momentum rolling on the next possession as well, orchestrating a 14-play, 85-yard drive that ate up 6:14 off the game clock. Eight-straight running plays got UChicago into the red zone. Then senior quarterback Philip Martini threw a leading pass into the end zone that senior wide receiver Zack Olson glided right under for a 12-yard touchdown.

Down 14-0, Knox then executed its best drive of the day. The Prairie Fire's triple-option attack gobbled up nine minutes and traversed 78 yards into UChicago's red zone. The Maroons held firm from there, buoyed by a three-yard tackle for loss on third down by junior safety Braedon Junker. Knox settled for a 29-yard field goal to make it 14-3.

UChicago counterpunched immediately. D'Ambrose ripped off runs of 12 and 16 yards to set up first-and-goal. He then plunged in for a two-yard touchdown.

A quick three-and-out by Knox gave the home team the ball back with 1:14 left in the half. A 22-yard connection on third down from Martini to senior wide receiver Matt Quaglia got the Maroons across midfield. However, a sack and an incompletion left the offense with only one last chance. As time expired, Martini found senior wideout Caden Kalinowski streaking up the left hash and delivered a 36-yard touchdown strike between two defenders. UChicago went into halftime with a 28-3 lead.

UChicago received the ball to start the second half. D'Ambrose immediately broke off a 28-yard run, followed by a pair of third-down completions by Martini. A few plays later, the senior quarterback found Olson again, this time for a four-yard touchdown over the middle on play action to make it 35-3.

A Maroon three-and-out on the next possession broke an impressive streak. UChicago had not punted since the third quarter of the week two game against Illinois College – a span of 21 offensive drives. The offense came into the game leading the nation in third-down conversion percentage (.698).

Defensively, UChicago kept Knox contained for much of the afternoon. The triple option yielded only 119 rushing yards on 36 attempts. But the Prairie Fire were limited to a mere three passing yards in the game, completing 1 of 6 passes. One of those attempts was intercepted by sophomore linebacker Steven Arellano, who ran the ball back 18 yards deep into Knox territory. Unfortunately two plays later, Knox's defense returned the favor with a 92-yard pick-six interception.

The final drive of the third quarter saw a steady dose of running back Marcelo Alanis. The Maroon first-year ran the ball six times for 66 yards, culminating in a six-yard touchdown jaunt. The middle of the possession was interrupted by a 39-minute lightning delay.

The fourth quarter played out quickly as the teams tried to beat the weather. The game's final points came from sophomore kicker Will Goodman's 32-yard field goal with six minutes left.

The final stats demonstrated UChicago's control of the game. The home side racked up 504 yards of total offense and gained 7.0 yards per play. The offensive yardage featured 286 rushing yards and 218 passing yards. They went 8 of 13 on third down (62 percent) and 3-for-3 on fourth down.

Martini completed 17 of 24 passes for 218 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Olson hauled in six passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Quaglia made three receptions for 53 yards. D'Ambrose was efficient throughout with 127 rushing yards, 7.9 yards per carry and two scores. Alanis (66 yards) and first-year running back Kyle James (45 yards) combined to average 9.2 yards per rush.

Knox's offense was held to 122 total yards (2.9 yards per play). UChicago's defensive line posted three sacks, with 1.5 each for senior George Coyle and sophomore Kourosh Hassibi on the defensive line. The duo also combined for 4.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker William Skowronski collected a team-high 10 tackles.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, Oct. 9 @ 1:00 PM – UChicago at Monmouth College