Football loses UAA opener

A week after trouncing Colorado College, the Tartans
(3?3) experienced a trouncing of their own when they took on the University of Chicago Maroons (2?4) on Saturday. The Tartans? 35?6 loss was particularly costly as it came during their first conference game.
Both teams entered Saturday?s contest coming off of large victories last week ? the Tartans trumping Colorado College
63?26 and the Maroons shutting out Washington University 27?0. The Maroons however, would prove to be a much more formidable foe than Colorado.
?We will be tested on both sides of the ball this week against Chicago. They are a much better team than Colorado,? said Tartan head coach Rich Lackner. ?We?ll see where we stand on a team on Saturday,? he continued. Hopefully Saturday?s blowout loss at the hands of the Maroons was a poor indication of where the team is standing.
The Maroons started the game with the ball and on their first possession were able to drive 75 yards for a touchdown. The Tartans? special teams were able to block the point-after attempt, giving Chicago a six-point lead.
The Tartans returned the kickoff to their 27-yard line, but their offense was not able to sustain a drive and they were quickly forced to punt. Once again, Chicago was able to move the ball with ease against the Tartans defense, picking up three first downs in three plays and putting them in scoring position. The Tartans defense stiffened up in the red zone, though, forcing Chicago to attempt a 37-yard field goal which missed wide right due to strong winds.
On the ensuing possession, the Tartans established a drive, picking up two first downs on a scramble by senior quarterback Jarrod Highberger and a pass from Highberger to junior wide receiver Mark Davis. The drive ended abruptly, though, several plays later, when a pass intended for sophomore halfback Robert Gimson was intercepted by Chicago sophomore linebacker Tony Insalaco. To make matters worse, the Tartans were flagged for a personal foul on the play, giving Chicago an extra 15 yards.
Throughout the first half, and throughout the game, the Tartans were plagued by myriad errors, such as fumbles, penalties, and interceptions, all of which prevented their offense from establishing any sort of consistency. Chicago, behind a well-balanced offense that effectively employed both the run and the pass, was able to move the ball well and entered halftime leading the game 14?0.
While the Maroons were able to move the ball fluidly, the Tartan offense was virtually nonexistent. At halftime the Tartans had managed only
58 yards of net offense. A telling statistic, and a testament to the play of Chicago?s defense, is that at halftime sophomore fullback Travis Sivek, who leads the Tartans in rushing yards and touchdowns, was held to a mere 10 yards rushing.
The Tartans fared no better in the second half on either side of the ball. The offense remained unable to sustain drives and the Maroons? offense appeared to be gaining yards at will against the Tartan defense.
Perhaps nothing epitomized the Tartans? play more than a series late in the second quarter. The Tartan defense had forced Chicago to punt deep in their own territory. The snap on the punt was fumbled by Chicago, and as a result the Tartans got the ball in scoring position on the Chicago 22-yard line.
The next four plays for the Tartans were a holding penalty, a rush for no gain, and two consecutive sacks by Chicago resulting in a net 21-yard loss. Simply put, regardless of what the Tartans tried, nothing would go their way.
The Tartans ended the game gaining 146 yards of offense. Their running game, which has been their primary offensive strength, was held in check by the Chicago defense and limited to 59 yards on 31 attempts. Sivek scored the Tartans? only touchdown late in the third quarter, but the extra point attempt was blocked.
The defense, which has been
the team?s strength this season, could not figure out how to stop Chicago, which moved the ball well on the ground and through the air. Ultimately, Chicago netted
469 yards on offense, with over 300 yards and all five touchdowns coming through the air.taking on Washington University on Saturday at noon. A week after trouncing Colorado College, the Tartans (3--3) experienced what it feels like to be trounced when they took on the University of Chicago Maroons (2--4) on Saturday. The Tartans? 35--6 loss was particularly costly, as it came during their first conference game.

Both teams entered the Saturday?s contest coming off of large victories last week ? the Tartans trumping Colorado College 63--26 and the Maroons shutting out Washington University 27--0. The Maroons however, would prove to be a much more formidable opponent than Colorado College. ?We will be tested on both sides of the ball this week against Chicago. They are a much better team then Colorado,? said Tartans head coach Rich Lackner. ?We?ll see where we stand on a team on Saturday,? he continued. Hopefully Saturday?s game was a poor indication of where the team is standing.

The Maroons started the game with the ball and on their first possession were able to drive 75 yards for a touchdown. The Tartans? special teams were able to block the point after attempt, giving Chicago a six-point led.

The Tartans returned the kickoff to their 27-yard line, but their offense was not able to sustain a drive and they were quickly forced to punt. Once again, Chicago was able to move the ball with ease against the Tartans defense, picking up three first downs in three plays and putting them in scoring position. The Tartans defense stiffened up in the red zone, though, forcing Chicago to attempt a 37-yard field goal which missed wide right due to strong winds.

On the ensuing possession, the Tartans established a drive, picking up two first downs on a scramble by senior quarterback Jarrod Highberger and a pass from Highberger to junior wide receiver Mark Davis. The drive ended abruptly, though, several plays later, when a pass intended for sophomore halfback Robert Gimson was intercepted by Chicago sophomore linebacker Tony Insalaco. To make matters worse, the Tartans were flagged for a personal foul on the play, giving Chicago an extra 15 yards.

Throughout the first half, and throughout the game, the Tartans were plagued by myriad errors, such as fumbles, penalties, and interceptions, all of which prevented their offense from establishing any sort of consistency. Chicago, behind a well balanced offense that effectively utilized both the run and the pass, was able to move the ball well and entered halftime leading the game 14--0.

While the Maroons had been able to move the ball fluidly, the Tartan offense was virtually nonexistent. At halftime the Tartans had managed only 58 yards of net offense. A telling statistic, and a testament to the play of Chicago?s defense, is that at halftime sophomore fullback Travis Sivek, who leads the Tartans in rushing yards and touchdowns, was held to a mere 10 yards rushing.

The Tartans fared no better in the second half on either side of the ball. The offense remained unable to sustain drives and the Maroons offense appeared to be gaining yards at will against the Tartan defense.

Perhaps nothing epitomized the Tartans? play more then a series late in the second quarter. The Tartan defense had forced Chicago to punt deep in their own territory. The snap on the punt was fumbled by Chicago, and as a result the Tartans got the ball in scoring position on the Chicago 22-yard line.

The next four plays for the Tartans were a holding penalty, a rush for no gain, and two consecutive sacks by Chicago resulting in a net 21-yard loss. Simply put, regardless of what the Tartans tried, nothing would go their way.

The Tartans ended the game gaining 146 yards of offense. Their running game, which has been their primary offensive strength, was held in check by the Chicago defense and limited to 59 yards on 31 attempts. Sivek scored the Tartans? only touchdown late in the third quarter, but the extra point attempt was blocked.

The Tartan defense, which has been the team?s strength throughout the season, could not figure out how to stop Chicago?s offense, which moved the ball well both on the ground and through the air. Ultimately, Chicago netted 469 yards on offense, with over 300 yards and all five touchdowns coming though he air.

The Tartans will get a chance for redemption next week when they continue conference play, taking on Washington University on Saturday at noon.