CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago football team returns to action on Saturday afternoon with a road trip to Iowa to take on the Grinnell Pioneers.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO NOTES:

* The Maroons enter the weekend with a 5-1 record overall and a 5-0 record in Midwest Conference play.
* The 5-0 start to conference play for UChicago is their best start since 1913 when the Maroons won both the National Championship and Big Ten Championship.
* UChicago recorded back-to-back shutouts earlier this season for the first time since 2023 with their 52-0 win over Knox and 66-0 win over Lawrence.
* Walter Kilgore is one of only two players in NCAA Division III with multiple 50+-yard field goals this season.
* Kilgore has also made 27 out of 28 extra points, and he had his streak of 38 consecutive PAT kicks snapped last week.
* The UChicago defense has been excellent through the first six games of the season, holding their opponents to 21 points or fewer. This is the first time since 1999 that they have allowed 21 points or fewer in their first six games. They rank ninth in NCAA Division III in scoring defense, allowing 10.6 PPG.
* The Maroons lead NCAA Division III in third-down defense, allowing their opponents to convert just 14.8% of the time.
* UChicago has rushed for over 300 yards as a team in two consecutive games for the first time since 2021.
* Morrison Giggetts ranks third in the country in yards per kickoff return with an average of 35.6 yards per return.
* Brothers Jack Ruff and Max Ruff have each thrown a touchdown pass three different times this season. This season marks the first time in recorded UChicago history that a pair of brothers have thrown a touchdown in the same game.
* Following their clash with Grinnell, the Maroons will return to Stagg Field for a potential winner-take-all game with (RV) Monmouth where the winner will be in the driver's seat for a potential MWC title and NCAA tournament berth.

GRINNELL COLLEGE NOTES: 

* Grinnell enters the weekend with a 1-5 record overall and a 1-4 record in Midwest Conference play.
* The Pioneers are coming off a 70-0 loss to Lake Forest on Saturday in a game that the Foresters tallied over 600 yards of offense.
* Stephen Bailey leads Grinnell with 470 yards and three touchdowns in six games.
* Vincent Shen has been the top receiver for the Pioneers with 11 catches for 152 yards, and Marcus Sung leads the rushing attack with 243 yards.
* Luke Konczal leads the defense with 70 tackles, and Tony Lee has a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
* The Pioneers are looking to avoid their first five-game losing streak since losing the final six games in the 2023 season.
* Following their game with UChicago, Grinnell will travel to Illinois College for their final road game of the season against the Blueboys on November 1.

SERIES HISTORY:

* The University of Chicago leads the all-time series 7-6 over Grinnell.
* The Maroons have held the Pioneers to single-digit points in four of their last five meetings with an average score of 48-6 in their current five-game winning streak.
* UChicago won last year's matchup with a 42-6 final score. Teddy Gouldin threw for 241 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win.
* The last win in the series for Grinnell came in 1982 when the Pioneers won 17-15 on their home field.

MIDWEST CONFERENCE STANDINGS:

	Team	Conf.	Overall
T1	(RV) Monmouth	5-0	5-1
T1	UChicago	5-0	5-1
T3	Illinois College	3-2	4-2
T3	Lake Forest	3-2	3-3
T3	Ripon	3-2	3-3
6	Knox	3-3	2-4*
7	Cornell (IA)	2-3	2-4
T8	Beloit	1-4	1-5
T8	Grinnell	1-4	1-5
10	Lawrence	0-6	0-6*

* The game between Lawrence and Knox was cancelled prior to it being played. Therefore, Knox is credited with a win and Lawrence is credited with a loss in the Midwest Conference, but both overall records remain the same.