D3-CFB Game Preview: U-Chicago Maroons (0-1) vs. Cornell Rams (0-1)

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Venue & Game Details

Kickoff: 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET

Venue: Van Metre Field at Ash Park, Mount Vernon, Iowa

Surface: FieldTurf

Broadcast: Cornell College Athletics Live Stream / Live Stats

Weather Forecast (Kickoff)

Conditions: Mostly sunny

Temperature: ~78°F (26°C)

Humidity: ~52%

Wind: SSW at 6–8 mph

Impact: Minimal — warm, dry conditions should favor both passing and kicking games.

Injury Report

University of Chicago

No major injuries reported after Week 1 loss to #18 Carnegie Mellon (20–0).

K Walter Kilgore (1st-Team All-MWC in 2024) healthy.

CB Stirling Sakashita (2nd-Team All-MWC in 2024) available.

LB Cole Ostendorf and LB Hugh Rolls — both led team with 8 tackles in opener — healthy.

Cornell College

No significant injuries reported after Week 1 loss to (RV) Coe College (62–6).

RB Trey Anderson (35 rush yds in opener) available.

QB Thomas Monken (54 pass yds in opener) healthy.

Freshman RB BooBoo Browning scored lone TD in opener; available.

Key Player Matchups

QB Jack Ruff (UChicago) vs. Cornell Secondary — Ruff is 7th all-time in school history in completions (241) and passing yards (2,490); Cornell allowed 584 total yards to Coe in Week 1.

RB Trey Anderson (Cornell) vs. UChicago Front Seven — Anderson’s ability to find running lanes will be critical against a Maroons defense that forced 2 turnovers vs. Carnegie Mellon.

WR Corps (UChicago) vs. Cornell CBs — Chicago’s passing game will look to rebound after being shut out in Week 1.

Special Teams — UChicago’s Tad Tan earned MWC Special Teams Player of the Week for a 61-yard punt and 9 punts for 336 yards in opener; Cornell’s Rommel Pinner had 141 kick return yards in Week 1.

Recent Form

University of Chicago Maroons

L 0–20 @ #18 Carnegie Mellon — Defense kept it close early; offense struggled to finish drives.

2024: 6-4 overall, 6-3 MWC (4th place).

Cornell College Rams

L 6–62 @ (RV) Coe — Offense managed just 135 total yards; defense surrendered 8 TDs.

2024: 3-7 overall, 2-7 MWC.

Series History

All-time meetings: UChicago leads 10–3.

Last meeting: Oct. 26, 2024 — UChicago 33, Cornell 14 in Chicago.

Recent trend: UChicago is 6–1 vs. Cornell in the past 7 meetings; Cornell’s lone win in that span came in Mount Vernon (47–34).

Betting Trends & Angles

UChicago: 4-2 ATS in last 6 MWC games (unofficial DIII tracking).

Cornell: 2-4 ATS in last 6 home games.

Totals: Under has hit in 3 of last 4 UChicago games; Over has hit in 3 of last 5 Cornell games.

Situational: Both teams seeking first win under new head coaches Craig Knoche (UChicago) and Curt Ritchie (Cornell).

Game Odds

U-Chicago Maroons        – 14.5

Cornell Rams                     48.5

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, September 12, 2025