Nathaniel Margolies | Student Life

The Bears celebrate winning the Founder’s Cup trophy after defeating the University of Chicago on Saturday, November 12.

“This [win] feels amazing,” senior wide receiver Easton Knott said. “It’s just one of those things that hasn’t really sunk in yet. We just wanted to have a lot of fun, and I think it showed in the game. We played our butts off and got that cup back. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”

The Bears fought well against tough teams all season long, from Carnegie Mellon University to Wabash College, but the team knew that the season would not be complete without a win against its biggest rival on senior day. Rebounding from a tough loss last weekend against Case Western Reserve University, Wash. U. played its sharpest game of the year, ending the season on a high note with a 6-4 winning record.

“It’s great to have the cup back,” senior linebacker Nick Hillard said. “It belongs in only one place: St. Louis.”

The Founder’s Cup commemorates the first football game played between two University Athletic Association schools. The Bears lead the Founder’s Cup series 18-7, with a 19-11 record against Chicago all-time.

In all four quarters of Saturday’s matchup, the Red and Green offense clicked on all cylinders both through the air and on the ground, while the defense did their best to keep Chicago out of the end zone, limiting the Maroons to only three red zone possessions, resulting in just a touchdown. The Bears committed no turnovers and capitalized on six scoring drives.

“The big thing was that we took the ball into the end zone a couple of times,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “They had some really good receivers, and I think we did a good job of keeping them from being the highlight of the game. Our guys did a great job of responding to the challenge.”

Paul Goedeke | Student Life

Junior wide receiver Drew Sexton moves down the field on Saturday, November 12. The Bears defeated the University of Chicago to win the Founder’s cup trophy.

Although Wash. U.’s defense gave up 13 points in the first half, they shut the Maroons out throughout the third quarter and forced two timely interceptions and two sacks that prevented Chicago from scoring. Hillard made his presence felt as his 10 tackles helped stop Chicago on several drives.

Burkett scorched the field in the second half with accurate passing, throwing two touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Austin Morman and senior tight end Brennan Fox. The offensive line helped Castellucio run the ball well, as he racked up 139 yards.

“Burkett is just getting better and better every game,” Kindbom said. “He’s been working his way through. It was good to see the way things happened. Obviously, the receivers did a really good job of getting open and changing speeds on routes. It was a great performance.”

For the seniors, winning their last game on Francis Field against Chicago was a sweet ending for their careers as Wash. U. football players.

“Hopefully we’ve left a legacy of hard work and determination,” Knott said. “I think that’s the biggest thing we look at is that we came out every day and we worked our butts off. I think it showed in the end.”

For Kindbom, he’s proud of the passion that his team has brought to the field for every game, play and practice. He hopes to see this spirit carry over to the next season.

“Even though we were not always at our best, we always played passionately,” Kindbom said. “When you’re passionate about something, it’s going to have an effect, and our team certainly showed it.”

Junior Tom Gulyas rushes forward in an Oct. 17 game against the College of Wooster. Gulyas had a game-high four catches for 40 yards in a 21-13 loss to Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

“Special teams…is really no different than offense or defense. We’ve been playing well but not well enough long enough,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “I think if you play well enough long enough, you score more points, you get more shutdowns and then you don’t have the quirky kind of things that we had on special teams.”

On a 55-yard CMU punt with 1:14 left in the third quarter, senior defensive back Tim Machan fumbled the catch at the Wash. U. 10-yard line. The Tartans recovered, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown rush a minute later.

The Bears’ ensuing possession ended with the same result. Sophomore punter Austin Morman fumbled a bad snap from junior offensive lineman J.J. Gotlieb, which was also recovered by Carnegie Mellon.

Starting at the Bears’ 15-yard line, it only took two plays to take the lead. A 2-yard rush put the Tartans on top for good, 14-13.

“Our defense puts a big emphasis on when we’re put in a bad situation…where the opposing offense gets the ball inside the [20-yard line]. We really stress holding them to a field goal or getting turnovers,” junior defensive back Brandon Brown said. “We just couldn’t come up with those stops yesterday.”

CMU put together a 75-yard, 8:32 touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. The 15-play series consisted of 14 carries, ending on a 1-yard touchdown run.

“After the second touchdown, it was 14-13. We were losing. It wasn’t a question of anything, at that point, other than the offense has to score more points,” junior runningback Jim O’Brien said. “We just knew that no matter what, we had to get on the [scoreboard] again. For whatever reason, we couldn’t do that.”

Given possession with only 1:36 left in the game, junior quarterback Stephen Sherman’s desperation pass was picked off, securing victory for the Tartans.

“It was just hard to come back,” Morman said. “Once they had momentum, we kept fighting, but it just didn’t work out.”

Despite holding the Tartan passing offense to only 30 yards, the Bears defense allowed 234 rushing yards.

“The defense played lights out the first [three quarters],” Brown said. “The rest of the game, I don’t know what happened, but, the momentum shifted from us being up 13-0 to them getting that quick touchdown and getting right back in the game. They took it from there.”

Senior co-captain Andrew Berryman led the team with 13 tackles, while Machan had nine. Brown and sophomore linebacker Kyle Larkin each added eight tackles.

The Bears took the lead early in the first quarter. O’Brien broke loose on Wash. U.’s second play of the game for a 42-yard rush. Junior Tim Johnson ended the drive with a 36-yard field goal.

“We had to settle for some field goals and didn’t sustain [many] drives,” O’Brien said. “A huge difference in that game was that we just couldn’t finish once we got down in the red zone…with touchdowns.”

Senior halfback Greg LaChaud caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 12:30 left in the second quarter, pushing the score to 10-0.

Johnson hit another field goal, this time from 27 yards out, 8:33 through the third quarter. The Tartans took the lead minutes later.

“When you’re in control of a football game, at some point you have to put it away,” Kindbom said. “If you don’t, you’re just leaving the door of opportunity open for that other team.”

Washington University (3-5, 0-1) takes on the University of Chicago (4-3, 0-1) on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the final home game of the season. The team’s 14 seniors will be honored shortly before kickoff at 1 p.m.