CHICAGO – A wild fourth quarter at Stagg Field on Saturday concluded with the University of Chicago football team suffering its first loss of the season by a 23-20 score to Monmouth College.

Both teams now claim a 4-1 season record, with the Maroons at 3-1 and the Fighting Scots at 4-0 in Midwest Conference play.

Monmouth jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter – the first two-score lead another team has owned over UChicago all season.

The Maroons responded by marching into the red zone with an 11-play drive. UChicago ultimately saw its 26-yard field goal blocked, but Monmouth turned it right back over while trying to secure the ball. It was senior linebacker Chris Murphy who pounced on the loose ball for the recovery at Monmouth's 11-yard line. UChicago then rode a series of run plays by senior quarterback Wesley Gow and senior running back Nicholas D'Ambrose to the 2-yard line, where a surging D'Ambrose scored UChicago's first points.

Both teams struggled to move the ball over the next five possessions as the defenses held firm. UChicago was able to get a drive going midway through the third quarter, traversing 80 yards on 13 plays. After arriving in the Monmouth red zone, the Maroons faced third down and short. D'Ambrose took the handoff and appeared bottled up in the backfield, but ducked and spun out of the tackle, bouncing through for a 14-yard score.

A quick exchange of turnovers ensued right after. A wild snap on a Monmouth punt put the hosts on the visitors' 8-yard line. But two plays later, the Fighting Scots snagged its second interception of the day near the goal line. The Maroon defense forced a three-and-out and then junior linebacker Aidan Cappellino hauled in an impressive interception on consecutive Monmouth drives. The Maroons were stymied despite the good field position and settled for a pair of field goals to increase the lead to 20-10. Junior kicker Will Goodman booted a pair through the uprights from 26 and 33 yards away.

The tide turned against the home team for rest of the fourth quarter. UChicago's defense only allowed 96 passing yards and 143 on the ground over the course of the game. But the Fighting Scots found their mojo down the stretch. A 71-yard scoring drive chopped the deficit to 20-16 with five minutes left. Then after the Maroons turned the ball over on downs, the Fighting Scots cashed in on the excellent field position, scoring again on their third rushing score of the game to reclaim the lead at 23-20.

UChicago had one last chance to tie game in the waning seconds. However, Monmouth blocked the 46-yard field goal attempt to seal the game.

Defensively, senior nose guard Roman Lewis logged a sack for UChicago, and the team picked up four tackles for a loss. Cappellino led the way with nine tackles along with his interception. Seniors Kourosh Hassibi and Murphy tallied seven and six tackles, respectively.

On offense, the Maroons collected 207 yards on the ground (3.6 yards per carry). D'Ambrose led the way with 33 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Gow added 60 rushing yards of his own while completing 13 of 23 passes for 135 yards and two interceptions. D'Ambrose also caught five passes for 69 yards.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, Oct. 15 @ 2:00 PM – Cornell College at UChicago (Homecoming)