The Maroons will be back at home this Saturday when they take on the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon. The South Siders are coming off their first road win of the season, taking down the Sewanee Tigers 49–30. Chicago will look to ride this momentum into a nonconference match-up with the Tartans, who are a very respectable 5–3 and are currently riding a three-game win streak.
The Maroons will look to build upon an all-around impressive game last Saturday, where the offense was able to break ten school passing records and the defense was able to hold its ground after allowing the South Siders to go down 17–0 in the first quarter. Fourth-year quarterback Burke Moser again led the charge, as he smashed five individual school records. Moser established new marks for passing yards in a game (558), touchdown passes in a game (7), passing yards in a season (2,861), passing touchdowns in a season (24), and passing attempts in a season (406). Moser has a chance to continue to add to these records with two regular season games remaining.
“We were struggling at first, and then I think we found our rhythm in the second quarter. We just started airing it out,” Moser said of Saturday’s contest. “We have worked really hard all year long on deep balls, and it showed Saturday. With two games left, we look to continue that success by just staying confident and doing what we do.”
Moser was aided by big days from first-year wide receiver Dante Nepa, who went for 190 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches; third-year running back Chandler Carroll, who had nine receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns; and fourth-year wide receiver Syd Reynolds, who went for 106 yards and one touchdown on just three catches.
The Maroons will look to utilize their potent offensive attack against a Tartan defense that is only allowing 234.6 passing yards per game. Carnegie Mellon’s offense also averages an impressive 37.4 points per game. The Maroons will look to extend their offensive success while looking to continue to improve on the defensive side of the ball.
“Well it’s no secret, Carnegie is a really solid opponent. They are coached well and are sound defensively. We are going to have to put up points to keep up with their offense, but as a team we should be able to come out on top if we stick to our gameplay and get ahead early,” Moser said.
While the Tartans do present a big challenge, Moser and the Maroons are ready to finish out the season strong and build on their recent success.
“This last win was huge for us; it kind of felt like we were getting the monkey off of our back as we had not won a road game all year before Saturday,” Moser said. “We are 4–4 with two games left, and the results of those games will truly define the success of our season. There is a lot to play for, and everyone is aware that it is going to take two great weeks of practice to be ready.”
Kickoff is set for noon at Stagg Field, where the Maroons will look to keep their at-home record spotless.
