With a 42-3 triumph over Denison University last Saturday, the Oberlin College football team finished the season with at least a .500 record for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The victory boosted the Yeomen’s record to 5-5 (4-2 NCAC), their best overall record since finishing the 1974 campaign 5-4 and their best NCAC record ever.

By defeating the Big Red (2-4 NCAC, 3-7 overall), Oberlin also claimed a share of second place in the NCAC along with Wittenberg University and Wabash College. The Yeomen have not placed so high in the conference since they joined in 1984.

“[It] shows the dedication of the coaching staff and especially the players to overcome challenges and reach our goals,” senior defensive back Kevin Jackson said.

“All in all, we had a great season,” junior defensive back Vorris Mayes said. “We surprised a lot of people. A lot of people picked us not to win any games this season.”

The game did not start off promisingly for the Yeomen. A miscue 14 seconds after kickoff put Denison into scoring position early, as the Big Red intercepted Oberlin quarterback junior Ryan Squatrito on the Oberlin 36-yard-line.

Seven plays later, Denison put the first points on the board with a 23-yard field goal. After that, however, Oberlin dominated.

On the next drive, the Yeomen went straight into action. The offense drove 64 yards down the field in nine plays to take the lead on a four-yard touchdown run by senior running back Travis Oman. With 8:23 left in the quarter, Oberlin was on top 7-3.

After the first touchdown, the Yeomen seemed to find the Midas touch, scoring the next three times they got their hands on the ball. The streak was highlighted by a 48-yard touchdown pass from Squatrito to senior wide receiver Brian Senne to bring the score to 28-7.

Meanwhile, the Yeomen defense prevented the Big Red from putting together sustained drives.

“We played well,” head coach Jeff Ramsey said. “We dominated the line of scrimmage. It was a good thing to see.”

Oberlin opened the second half with a strong defensive stand, but another quick miscue led to a Big Red threat. Denison recovered a fumble off the Yeomen’s punt return to regain possession at the Oberlin 21.

The defense stood tough again, however, as first-year defensive lineman Geoff Redden sacked Big Red quarterback John Stoll for a 17-yard loss on fourth down, forcing the Denison offense off the field.

At the end of the third quarter, the Yeomen stopped the longest Denison drive of the day, 54 yards in 15 plays, and turned it into points of their own.

Sophomore linebacker Vance Murphy picked off a pass at the Oberlin 21 and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 35-3.

The exclamation point for the Yeomen came on a nine-yard touchdown run from Oman with 53 seconds left in the game.

When the buzzer sounded, the Yeomen had left the Big Red in the dust, outscoring them by a whopping 39 points.

“[Denison was] trying to establish a run and couldn’t so they had to throw the ball, which they couldn’t do,” Ramsey said. “They took a lot of chances defensively and we took advantage of that.”

“That game was one of the most awesome games I’ve seen at Oberlin,” Mayes said. “That’s how football should be played.”

For next year, the Yeomen are hoping to build on what they learned this season and take it a step further.

“Our goal, of course, is to finish first,” Ramsey said. “There will be some hard replacements, especially for this senior group. We’ll have to fill some holes but I think we’ll be able to do that very well.”