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Vikings Overcome U of C Football Squad
CHICAGO, IL (September 13, 2005) - The North Park University Vikings football
team is 2-0, thanks to a mobile defense that accounted for six points,
defeating the University of Chicago 19-14 at home Saturday.
Fans quickly went quiet after the Maroons jumped to a 7-0 lead just 1:06
into the game. They came to life again later in the quarter when Tim
Rotenberry snatched an interception and ran it back 58 yards for a
touchdown, fighting through two tacklers for the last two yards.
"That's why he was first-team All-Conference last year," said Coach
Robin Cooper. The score was the first time the Viking defense had
intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown during Cooper's
five-year tenure, he said.
The Vikings scored again with 10:21 to go in the half, when quarterback
Mike Haehn (16-38-4) connected with Brandon Watts on a four-yard slant
over the middle. The extra point was blocked, putting the Vikings up 13-7.
The Maroons, who had boasted a 3-0 record against the Vikings, looked
like they were ready to take control of the game again when they marched
down the field and scored on a nine-yard run with 2:26 left. The extra
point was good, and the half ended with the Maroons leading 14-13.
The third quarter belonged to both teams' defenses, with neither offense
able to put up points, but 41 seconds into the fourth quarter, Haehn
connected with Jon Harris for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The two-point
conversion failed.
History nearly raised its ugly head with less than 2:30 to go. The
Vikings were ahead 19-14 and had the ball at the Maroon 8 yard line yard
line when Haehn almost threw the game away. On a third down, he fired
the ball inside, only to have it picked off by Nate Hines at the Chicago
three yard line. Hines seemed to have a sure shot at the end zone, but
Haehn made a strong tackle at the Viking 46 yard line. The defense
prevented a first down to close out the game.
Haehn, who threw four interceptions, was supposed to throw the ball away
if no one was wide open, Cooper said. Even if the Vikings had not
scored, the Maroons would have been stuck on their own two yard line.
"That's the thing about him," Cooper said. "He's got such a strong arm,
but sometimes you have to take the bad with the good."
The defense once again held solid. A nine yard sack and tough coverage
in the secondary sealed the game. "The defensive line played strong,"
Cooper said. "They did a pretty good job of keeping pressure on the
quarterback."
The defense held the Maroons to just 235 total yards. The Vikings
stuffed the line to limit Chicago to only 83 yards on 38 attempts for an
average of only 2.2 yards per carry.
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