CHICAGO – An unstoppable offensive attack set a new modern-era school record on Saturday as the University of Chicago football team overwhelmed Illinois College 66-14 on the Stagg Field turf.

The Maroons improved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Midwest Conference. The Blueboys dropped to 0-2 overall (0-1 MWC).

The 66 points on Saturday broke the previous modern-era record (1969-present), which was 63 points against Beloit College on October 20, 2018. It marked the most points scored by the Maroons since 1919.

Quick strikes were the name of the game. UChicago's first eight scores took fewer than four minutes of drive time each. The offense gobbled up large chunks at a time, which was reflected in the team's 7.5 yards per play on the day.

For the second-straight week, the Maroons scored on their opening drive. On 3rd-and-15, senior quarterback Philip Martini rolled right and launched a long ball to senior wide receiver Elliott Grays, who got behind the secondary and raced in for a 54-yard touchdown.

It soon became 14-0 after UChicago's second possession, which ended with a one-yard touchdown plunge by senior running back Nicholas D'Ambrose.

Meanwhile, Illinois College struggled against UChicago's pass rush, which forced the mobile quarterback to break out of the pocket for a few runs. As the game moved into the second quarter, first-year defensive end Will Heflin and junior linebacker Leo Speidel combined for a 13-yard sack that ended IC's drive.

Two plays later, Martini aired it out down the middle of the field to senior wide receiver Matt Quaglia for a 72-yard scoring strike. A subsequent fumble by the Blueboys helped set up an eventual 34-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Will Goodman.

UChicago scored twice more in the second quarter to push the lead to 38-0. Martini found Quaglia and Grays for touchdown throws of eight and 17 yards, respectively. Junior safety Braedon Junker snatched an interception between those two scoring drives. The Maroon defense finished the half with a pair of sacks, courtesy of senior defensive end George Coyle and sophomore defensive tackle Arthur Long.

The halftime break did nothing to slow down UChicago's momentum. A four-yard IC punt put the Maroons near midfield 90 seconds into the quarter. On third and long, senior wideout Caden Kalinowski beat his defender, hauled in the catch and tiptoed just inside the pylon for a 30-yard touchdown.

The Blueboys promptly fumbled on the next offensive play, which allowed sophomore linebacker Aidan Cappellino to pull off the scoop-and-score from 14 yards out. The extra point pushed the lead to 52-0.

First-year defensive back Andrew Shumard grabbed an interception near midfield on the following drive, and first-year running back Kyle James soon bounded into the end zone from three yards away.

IC scored twice in the fourth quarter to break up the shutout. The game's final tally was set up by a 40-yard gain by James. A misdirection keeper by first-year quarterback Teddy Gouldin resulted in a two-yard touchdown and a final score of 66-14.

In the final stats, UChicago converted 69 percent on third down (9 of 13), compared to Illinois College's 27 percent (4 of 15). The Maroons racked up 519 total yards (310 passing, 209 rushing) at Stagg Field.

Martini's line featured 14 of 22 passing for 310 yards and five touchdowns. Quaglia grabbed three catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Grays hauled in two receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Senior tight end Chris Song made three catches for 52 yards.

The ground game featured 11 different players who carried the ball. D'Ambrose rushed 13 times for 72 yards and a touchdown. James totaled five carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.

On special teams, Goodman tied the school record for PATs in a game with eight.

The aggressive Maroon defense made plays all over the field. The unit accounted for six sacks, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. UChicago limited IC to 160 total yards (69 passing, 91 rushing) for an average of 2.5 yards per play.

Sophomore linebacker William Skowronski led the team with 10 tackles and added one tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Josh Godosky made six tackles. Cappellino compiled four tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, Sept. 18 @ 1:00 PM – UChicago at Beloit College