Wash. U. defenders Jonathan Werthman (39) and Josh Hartman (58) try to bring down U. of Chicago’s Marcelo Alanis during Saturday’s Founder’s Cup game at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field in Chicago. (Photo courtesy: U. of Chicago Athletics)

Scoring by Quarter1234T
Washington University777021
University of Chicago14100731

by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

CHICAGO — With nine new starters on its offense and an almost completely new set of second-string players since it played its last game nearly two full years ago, the Washington University football team knows it might take some time for it to find its stride.

That was especially the case on Saturday, when the Bears traveled up north to play their annual Founder’s Cup game against longtime rival, the University of Chicago.

The host Maroons have a veteran club that despite also having not played since 2019, they have played a bunch of games together. And that experience showed in the game against Wash. U., as U. of Chicago controlled the momentum from the start and pulled out a 31-21 win over the Bears in both clubs’ 2021 season opener.

Senior running back Nicolas D’Ambrose led the way for U. of Chicago, with 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 47-yard run that set up a score in the first quarter and a 58-yard dash midway through the fourth that gave the Maroons a lead Wash. U. couldn’t overcome.

U. of Chicago got on the board on the opening drive of the game, when it went 75 yards on 15 plays and took nearly six minutes off the clock. The Maroons capped that drive with a 20 yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Philip Martini to junior wideout Gabe Solis.

Wash. U. tried to answer back on its first possession, but new quarterback Matt Rush threw an interception on his third pass of the season that gave U. of Chicago the ball back. Four plays later, D’Ambrose broke free for that 47 yard dash that gave the Maroons first and goal at the Wash. U. 7 yard line.

Two plays after that, Martini found Zack Olson for a 6-yard score and a 14-0 lead.

Wash. U. didn’t hang its head though. The Bears took the ball right down the field on their next drive, with the big play being a 64-yard touchdown strike from Rush to sophomore receiver Collin Hoyhtya.

That made the score 14-7 and it looked like Wash. U. had finally found its rhythm, especially after it stopped U. of Chicago on its next possession, and drove the ball deep into Maroon territory to give themselves a chance to score. But another interception ended that drive and gave U. of Chicago the ball back again.

The Maroons took advantage, when D’Ambrose scored his first TD of the game — a two-yard burst over the goal line to give U. of Chicago a 21-7 lead.

It looked like that might be the score heading into halftime, as Wash. U. had trouble moving the ball in the final minutes of the half. But the Bears got three key third-down conversions to keep the drive alive, before capping it off with another touchdown toss from Rush to Hoyhtya.

That one was a 17-yard pass that made the score 21-14. U. of Chicago’s Will Goodman connected on a 38 yard field goal as the first-half clock ran out and the host Maroons went into the locker room ahead 24-14.

Late in the third quarter, Wash. U. got one of its few breaks in the game, as a short U. of Chicago punt gave the Bears the ball at midfield. Wash. U. made sure to take advantage, as it converted the great field position into a touchdown, which came on a 23-yard pass from Rush to junior receiver Jack Jopes.

The touchdown toss was Rush’s third of the day, to go along with a game-high 328 yards, and it pulled Wash. U. to within 24-21. But that was as close as the Bears would get, as D’Ambrose broke free for that 58-yard score just three plays later and almost as quickly as Wash. U. had cut the score, U. of Chicago went back up 10.

Wash. U. had two possessions in the final nine minutes of the game, but the Bears couldn’t find the end zone and were forced to walk away from their first game in two years with a disappointing loss.

The Bears will get two weeks to think about Saturday’s defeat, as they don’t play their next game until September 18. In that time, Wash. U. will probably spend a great deal of time working on some things they struggled with against U. of Chicago, such as penalties (Wash. U. had eight for 64 yards) and defending the running game (U. of Chicago had 191 total rushing yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry).

One thing, the Bears should be happy about is the success of their own passing game. Even with the two INTs, Rush had a good game and Hoyhtya was fantastic as Wash. U.’s big play receiving target, after finishing the day with six catches for a game-high 127 yards and two touchdowns.

When the Bears do get back to game action, it will be for their own home opener — on September 18 — at Francis Olympic Field against North Park College. Opening kickoff for that game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Washington University at University of Chicago — Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
9:45 – UoC – TOUCHDOWN – Gabe Solis 20 yd pass from Philip Martini (Will Goodman PAT) — UoC 0-7
5:36 – UoC – TOUCHDOWN – Zack Olson 6 yd pass from Philip Martini (Will Goodman PAT) — UoC 0-14
2:49 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Collin Hoyhtya 64 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — UoC 7-14
2nd Quarter
6:26 – UoC – TOUCHDOWN – Nicolas D’Ambrose 2 yd run (Will Goodman PAT) — UoC 7-21
1:15 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Collin Hoyhtya 17 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — UoC 14-21
:00 – UoC – FIELD GOAL – Will Goodman 38 yd field goal — UoC 14-24
3rd Quarter
2:03 – WashU – TOUCHDOWN – Jack Jopes 23 yd pass from Matt Rush (Chris Vartanian PAT) — UoC 21-24
4th Quarter
9:38 – UoC – TOUCHDOWN – Nicolas D’Ambrose 58 yd run (Will Goodman PAT) — UoC 21-31