Chicago Falls to Case in Defensive Struggle
CLEVELAND -- Case Western Reserve University stopped a pair of University of Chicago drives late in the fourth quarter and held on for a 6-0 win over the Maroons in the University Athletic Association football opener for both teams Saturday.
Case halted Chicago on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 4:42 left in the game and thwarted the Maroons on fourth-and-10 from the 14 with :50 to go.
Case scored all of its points in the first half, both on Daniel Vasil field goals. Vasil capped the Spartans' opening drive with a 33-yard try, then connected from 29 yards away early in the second quarter.
The Spartans rolled up 201 yards on the ground. Kenny Riordan gained 103 yards on 17 carries, and Manny Sicre rushed for 83 yards on 20 attempts.
Team Records
Chicago fell to 5-3 overall, 0-1 in UAA play, as its three-game overall winning streak and two-game road streak came to an end. With its sixth straight victory, Case improved to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in UAA play.
Inside the Numbers
Entering the game ranked 17th in the NCAA Division III against the run, Case held the Maroons to 3 rushing yards on 23 attempts.
Danny Polaneczky led the Maroons with 15 tackles.
Dee Brizzolara had 103 receiving yards on five catches for his 14th career 100-yard effort and second of the year.
Brizzolara extended his career-long streak of games with a reception to 27, but his streak of 12 straight games with a touchdown catch came to an end.
Chicago was shut out for the first time since Nov. 3, 2007 (Northwestern, Minn. 37, Chicago 0) - a stretch of 36 games.
Chicago converted only one of 14 third-down conversions, while Case was just 2-for-13.
Case defeated the Maroons for the fifth time in the last six outings overall and notched their fourth straight series win in Cleveland.
