Football ends season with 28–21 win over Chicago

The Carnegie Mellon football team concluded this year’s season at home with a 28–21 victory over the University of Chicago Maroons last Saturday at Gesling Stadium. The win put the Tartans at 5–5 for the season, continuing the 34-year streak of non-losing seasons.

Sophomore outside linebacker Socrates Zacharias commented on the team’s victory. “We all knew that 33 years of not having a losing season was on the line,” he stated in an e-mail. “Having the alumni and coaches remind us all week of the storied tradition of Tartan football really made us come out fired up and ready to add another year to the list.”

Saturday’s game started with the Maroons gaining possession and recording a touchdown near the eight-minute mark to take a 7–0 lead. The touchdown was scored by Chicago wide receiver Clay Wolff, and the play took the ball 29 yards in eight plays. Chicago’s Ryan Verissimo tallied the extra point for the Maroons.

Soon after, Carnegie Mellon took possession of the ball, with sophomore fullback Anthony Ruzga rushing for the Tartans’ first touchdown with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter. The Tartans took the ball 44 yards in 11 plays to equalize the score 7–7, with the addition of senior Colin Marks’ extra point.

In the second quarter, the Tartans scored a touchdown with 3:10 on the clock with Ruzga once again putting points on the scoreboard for Carnegie Mellon, giving the Tartans an advantage for the first time in the game and bringing the score to 14–7.

At the 10:10 mark in the third quarter, the Tartans scored their third touchdown to give them a 14-point lead over the Maroons with the score at 21–7. The touchdown was scored by sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Staso, who received a 43-yard pass thrown by junior quarterback Phil Pantalone.

Carnegie Mellon’s fourth and final touchdown was scored in the third quarter, again by Ruzga, to bring the score to 28–7, with a converted kick from Marks. He rushed 114 yards on 29 carries and Saturday’s game marked the fourth time this season that he has rushed over 100 yards.

The fourth quarter began with the Maroons taking possession, and they scored with 13:14 left on the clock. The touchdown was brought in by Wolff with the ball rushing 70 yards in 10 plays. The score was brought to 28–14.

The Maroons closed the gap with 2:46 left in the fourth quarter, with Wolff tallying the final touchdown of the game, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the Tartans. The game ended with a final score of 28–21 to make this the 34th consecutive non-losing season for Tartan football.

“I can speak for most of the team in saying that the win was dedicated to our coaches and alumni, as well as being a testament to the seniors,” Zacharias wrote. He added, “I’m happy that the seniors were sent off right.”