ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team closed out its Midwest Conference North Division schedule with a 28-21 loss to visiting University of Chicago Saturday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. The defeat drops the Scots to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference to finish in fourth place in the North Division. The Maroons (6-3) clinch second place in the North with a 4-1 league record.

UChicago scored the lone points of the first quarter on its first drive, with Marco Cobian connecting with Caden Kalinowski on a 32-yard touchdown pass. Macalester tied the score with a 73-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Cody Petrich (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) to senior receiver Alec Beatty (Topeka, Kan./Topeka). The drive also included a fake punt on fourth-and-two, as first year receiver Peter Vitalis (Shafer, Minn./Chisago Lakes) received the snap and threw a 16-yard pass to senior defensive lineman Ben Lewis (Bothell, Wash./Seattle Prep) for a first down.

Still in the second quarter, Cobian hit Kalinowski with a 73-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead. The Scots tied the score again with a 10-play, 96-yard drive capped by another trick play. On an end-around play, Beatty pulled up and threw a touchdown pass to senior receiver Jonathan Knee (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) from 30 yards out to tie the score at 14-14. With just over a minute on the clock before halftime, the Maroons were able to move down the field and score on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Cobian to Dante Nepa for a 21-14 lead at the break.

UChicago appeared to take control of the game by returning the kickoff to start the second half for a touchdown, but a penalty negated the play. The Maroons pushed the ball down the field and looked to be headed for another score until sophomore Sam Jakshtis (Hardwick, Mass./Worcester Academy) picked off Cobian in Macalester territory to end the threat. Later in the third quarter, UChicago drove 72 yards for another Cobian-to-Kalinowski touchdown pass to lead 28-14.

Macalester came up short on its next two drives, stalling at the UChicago 4-yard line on one drive, before finding the end zone with 3:12 remaining in the game. Petrich connected with Beatty on an 11-yard touchdown pass to cap a 10-play, 68-yard drive that made the score 28-21. The Scots attempted an onside kick, and senior kicker Henry Chaussee (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes) recovered his own kick to give Macalester the ball. But the Scots failed to get a first down, and the Maroons ran out the clock.

Petrich, playing in his first game since suffering an injury on Oct. 6, completed 32-of-48 for 294 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Knee caught 11 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Beatty had 97 yards on eight receptions. With his performance on Saturday, Beatty now has 1,049 receiving yards on the season, which breaks his own record of 1,035 set last year. Senior running back Jeremy Stephan (Duluth, Minn./Marshall) also caught seven passes for 50 yards. The defense was led by junior linebacker Josh Bartz (Omaha, Neb./Brownell-Talbot), who had 13 tackles, and first year defensive back Maxx Malone (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee), who had 12 tackles. Cobian finished with 273 yards passing with four touchdowns and one interception, while Nick D'Ambrose rushed 18 times for 107 yards.

Before the game, the Scots honored their 15 seniors on Senior Day. This is the sixth consecutive class to post a winning record during their four years at Macalester.

Macalester ends the 2018 season at home against Illinois College, who finished in fourth place in the Midwest Conference South Division. The game, which is a part of Midwest Conference Championship Week, begins at 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.