From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago football team scored five touchdowns in the first quarter and rode a wave of big gains to capsize Cornell College 55-10 on Saturday.
The Maroons and the Rams both evened up their season records at 2-2.
UChicago's 55 points scored were the most in a game since 2010, which featured 61 points versus Carnegie Mellon University. The 45-point margin of victory was the Maroons' largest since beating Eureka College 51-6 in November 2007.
Chandler Carroll was the engine of Saturday's early scoring outbreak. The senior running back racked up 148 total yards and ran for three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. His first scoring scamper saw him juke over the left edge and then cut through the defense for a 47-yard touchdown with 9:53 on the clock.
Carroll proceeded to bookend the next drive with a 25-yard catch to start and a two-yard plunge into the end zone to finish. Two possessions later, the senior burst through a giant hole on the left side and sped away for a 43-yard touchdown.
The big plays kept coming fast and furious. Cornell immediately followed up with an 82-yard touchdown pass to shrink the deficit to 21-7. But UChicago freshman quarterback Campbell Garrett responded right back less than a minute later with a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Trevor Anderson. The junior adjusted to the ball in the air, caught it over his defender and took a straight line down the right side into the end zone.
Three plays later, junior safety Jeremy Vincent hauled in an interception to give the ball right back to the offense. Garrett capitalized with a 46-yard touchdown heave to senior wide receiver Jamie Rieger. As the first quarter came to a close, the Maroons were firmly in the driver's seat with a 35-7 lead.
The Rams marched a 12-play drive into UChicago territory to open the second quarter. But freshman defensive tackle Jackson Ross stymied the effort by intercepting a pass behind the line of scrimmage.
Cornell eventually managed a 29-yard field goal with six minutes left in the half. Then it was Dante Nepa's turn to provide perhaps the best highlight of the afternoon. Garrett hooked up with Nepa on a timing route up the right sideline for a first down. But the 6-foot-4 sophomore wide receiver kept going, dragging the opposing cornerback for a full 20 yards before spinning loose in the red zone and jogging in for a dramatic 70-yard touchdown.
The final minute of the half saw junior Mike Kurzydlowski convert a 24-yard field goal to stake his squad to a 45-10 advantage at the break.
With a big lead in hand, UChicago simplified its offense in the second half and was content to hand the ball off at every opportunity. A scoreless third quarter gave way to a 36-yard field goal by Kurzydlowski to open the fourth.
Riley Trettel put a bow on the contest with three minutes remaining. The freshman running back dashed through Cornell's defense for a 55-yard touchdown that finalized the scoreboard at 55-10.
The Maroon offense was dominant, totaling 547 yards and 8.2 yards per play. UChicago stayed balanced with 264 passing and 283 rushing yards.
Garrett submitted the best game of his young career, completing 11 of 19 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Carroll ran for 136 yards (8.0 yards per carry) and caught three passes for 36 yards. Trettel submitted 65 rushing yards.
Nepa led the receiving corps with 92 yards on three catches, followed by Anderson (71 yards) and Rieger (46 yards).
As well as the offense performed, the Maroons were equally potent defensively as they forced eight turnovers in the game. The secondary were ball hawks with four interceptions, which included two by Vincent, another by sophomore safety Bill Rotnicki and one by Ross. Cornell struggled on handoffs throughout the game, resulting in four fumbles that the defense pounced on each time. Freshman defensive lineman Ross Martin recovered two fumbles while sophomore Ben Christensen and junior Kevin Stadtler Jr.snagged one apiece.
The Rams were limited to 335 yards (223 passing, 112 rushing). UChicago tallied seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.
Ross posted a team-high nine tackles, one interception and one tackle for loss. Sophomore linebacker Henry Winebrake made eight tackles and one tackle for loss. Senior defensive end Peter Casey had three tackles and one sack. Junior defensive tackle Michael McGinley put up five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.