Box Score CHICAGO – Riding high on a 4-game winning streak, The University of Chicago football team welcomed the undefeated Lake Forest College Foresters to Stagg Field for the final game of the regular season. Unfortunately, the Maroons' bid to pull off an upset versus the Midwest Conference's top team fell short against the swarming Lake Forest defense, and UChicago closed out the 2024 campaign with a hard-fought 28-9 loss on Saturday in Hyde Park.
 
RESULT
Lake Forest College – 28
University of Chicago – 9
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• University of Chicago's (6-4, 6-3 MWC) defense was dealt a tough opening hand, as Lake Forest (10-0, 9-0 MWC) returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Maroons' 45-yard-line. The Foresters then found the endzone through the air on 4^th and goal from the UChicago 15 to sprint out to a 7-0 lead just over 3 minutes into the game. That would be the only scoring of the first 15 minutes.
• The Maroons' offense carried a promising drive into the second quarter, but the possession stalled at the Lake Forest 5-yard-line, and UChicago was forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by first year Walter Kilgore to cut the Foresters' lead to 7-3. A 4-point deficit was as close to catching the visitors as the Maroons would ever get, though, because Lake Forest went on to score the game's next 14 points. A pair of rushing touchdowns from 6 and 14 yards away put Lake Forest ahead 21-3 late in the second stanza. The Foresters attempted to boost their lead further in the final stages of the second, but junior Josh Minton broke up a pass on 4^th and goal from the UChicago 8-yard-line with 10 seconds remaining in the first half to keep the score 21-3 Lake Forest at halftime.
• In the third quarter, the punters dominated while both offenses struggled. Sophomore Tad Tan pinned the Foresters inside their own 20-yard-line twice, while Lake Forest's special teams enjoyed similar success in the field position game. The game went to the fourth quarter with the Maroons still in an 18-point hole.
• Early in the fourth, UChicago's offense finally broke through. Junior quarterback Jack Ruff found senior wideout Diego Solis on a critical fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive, and then senior running back Kyle James lugged a 7-yard screen pass into the endzone for 6 points. The Maroons' fake extra point failed, and they trailed the visitors 21-9 with 12:06 remaining. Unfortunately, James' touchdown was the last score the UChicago offense was able to muster in the ball game, as the Lake Forest defense hardly yielded an inch the rest of the game. The Foresters' defensive unit entered the contest ranked first in the MWC and they played like it, getting home for 4 sacks and holding the Maroons to just 146 yards of total offense. A 1-yard touchdown plunge made the score 28-9 with 4:33 remaining, and that sealed things for the visitors. Lake Forest snapped UChicago's 4-game winning streak, dealing the Maroons a 28-9 loss in the season finale.    

UCHICAGO STAT TRACKER
Passing Yards – Jack Ruff (47)
Rushing Yards – Kyle James (49)
Receiving Yards – Diego Solis (35)
Tackles – Michael D'Orazio (11)
 
For up-to-the minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.