David BrodyThis weekend, the Washington University football team traveled to Chicago, Illinois, where they squared off against their University Athletic Association (UAA) rival University of Chicago. The Bears handily won their first UAA game by defeating the Maroons 24-16. With the win, the Bears extended their dominance over the Maroons by having won their last four meetings, and nine of the last eleven. Also, the Bears maintained control of the Founder’s Cup, which symbolizes the first game in which these two teams played each other. Furthermore, the Bears extended their UAA undefeated streak to 13.
The Maroons threatened to score at many times during the game. However, the Bears were able to force a total of seven turnovers to keep the Maroons’ offense in check. The Bears defense played another stellar game to put the Bears back at .500. Specifically, the Bears secondary intercepted six passes, which kept the Maroons’ quarterbacks from getting into a groove. Sophomore Trey Schonter led the way with two picks, 49 yards returned and an emphatic interception return for a touchdown. Sophomores Joe Shaughnessy and Travis Ferber and seniors Jon Kuerzi and John Woock also contributed with interceptions of their own. The other turnover was a fumble recovered by Aaron Albritton. The six interceptions tied a school record which was set back in 1989 against Trinity University (Texas).
On the offensive side of the football, the Bears made the most of their opportunities. The offense was able to capitalize off key turnovers by translating interceptions into quick scores. The offense definitely struggled, for the most part, however, as evident in their rushing game. The Bears’ running backs were limited to negative 16 yards on 33 carries. The passing offense didn’t fare much better as they were limited to just 192 yards along with three interceptions. However, the Bears were very efficient in that they were able to score a total of 24 points despite a slow offensive attack.
The Maroons’ run defense certainly did its part, limiting the Bears to a UAA record low of negative 16 yards on the ground. The Bears managed to maintain their lead without a steady running game in thanks to its defense, which forced seven turnovers. The Maroons had multiple opportunities to tie the game up with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. However, the Bears’ secondary proved to be too much.
Senior quarterback Adam Meranda completed 13 of 30 pass attempts. However, of the 13 completions, two of them were touchdown passes to junior Brad Duesing and senior Jeff Buening. Senior Rick Schmitz led the team with twelve tackles, ten of which were solo tackles.
Big plays were the theme of the game, as there were nine interceptions, four fumbles forced-two of them were lost-and large passing gains for touchdowns. In a game largely decided by a few big plays here and there, the Bears prevailed with the experience of quarterback Meranda, big time receivers Duesing, Buening and senior Scott Armul, and a dominating defense that was relentless in its pursuit to the ball.
At 3-3, the Bears play next week at Francis Field against Case Western; the game is scheduled to kick off at noon. The Bears look to ride the momentum of its defense into another victory, which will put them over .500 once again.