MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The University of Chicago football team picked up its first win of the Craig Knoche era on Saturday afternoon, defeating Cornell (IA) 28-12 behind a dominant defensive effort and timely scoring.

After forcing a punt on the Rams' opening drive, the Maroons threatened early but were stopped by an end-zone interception. UChicago broke through in the second quarter, marching 47 yards in seven plays before Miles Parlet capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. Later in the half, Jack Ruff connected with Mackey Keenan on an eight-yard strike to finish off a 13-play, 60-yard possession and extend the lead to 14-0.

The Maroon defense stifled Cornell throughout the opening half, holding the Rams out of UChicago territory until the final 30 seconds before halftime.

In the second half, the defense continued to shine. On Cornell's best chance of the day, Josh Minton broke up a fourth-down pass inside the red zone to preserve the shutout. Early in the fourth quarter, Simon Tchakarov made a game-breaking play with his first career interception, returning it 23 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 advantage.

Cornell finally got on the board with a touchdown drive, but UChicago answered with a scoring march of its own, capped by Avondre Kelley's first career touchdown to seal the 28-12 victory in the Midwest Conference opener.

Jack Ruff led the passing attack with 96 yards and a touchdown on 13-20 passing. Collin Argue led the receiving attack with 31 yards on 3 catches, and Jake Lowry added a team-high 6 receptions out of the backfield. Miles Parlet added 91 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Maroons.

On the defensive side of the ball, Anthony Nittoli led the Maroons with 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Zach Meyer added the lone sack, and Jurgis Schmedlen added a pair of QB hurries.

Reigning MWC Special Teams Player of the Week Tad Tan was excellent in the punting game, flipping the field on nearly every kick. He had 6 punts for an average of 46.8 yards per punt. He also added 2 punts over 50 yards (60 and 61) and pinned 3 punts inside the 20 yard line at the 19, 9, and 1.

With the win, UChicago improves to 1-1 on the season. The Maroons return home on Saturday, September 13, to host Illinois College in a key Midwest Conference matchup at Stagg Field.