<< Front page Sports September 10, 2004

Football loses close one in opener to Case

It’s good: The Yeomen practice special teams in practice as they prepared for Case Western Reserve.
 

The 2004 Oberlin College varsity football campaign began last Saturday when the Yeomen traveled to Brush High to battle the Case Western Reserve University Spartans. Oberlin has not beaten Case since 1982 and this year was no different, as the Yeomen suffered an 18-15 defeat.

“[We] played it like a first game,” senior quarterback Ryan Squatrito said. “[We] never got into an offensive groove.”

Case secured an early lead and racked up nine points before Oberlin responded late in the second quarter. The Spartans first got on the board with a touchdown in the first quarter but junior linebacker Vance Murphy blocked the conversion kick.

Case then scored in the second quarter off a field goal by All-UAA first team selection Joseph Brenner.

With 2:54 left in the first half, Oberlin went on a scoring frenzy. Squatrito connected with first-year Cassius Harris for a 60 yard touchdown pass. After a failed extra point, tight defense by sophomore Jon Woods caused the Spartans to fumble and Oberlin recovered the ball at its own 33-yard line.

Taking advantage of this possession, Squatrito threw to junior Andrew Crosby for a 14-yard touchdown with six seconds left on the clock. Senior Steve Willever completed the extra-point and Oberlin finished the half with a 13-9 lead over Case.

The Spartans kicked off the scoring in the second half with a field goal by Brenner. With 3:23 left in the third quarter, the Yeomen extended their lead when senior Jon Ramsier tackled a Case running back in the Spartans’ endzone for the safety, bringing the score to 15-12.

As the two teams entered the fourth quarter the game turned into a battle of special teams. With 7:52 left in the game, Brenner tied the game by kicking a 39 yard field goal.

Oberlin special teams, plagued by poor snaps, mishandled punts and blocked place kicks was unable to score much needed points that could have secured an Oberlin victory. Relying once again on Brenner, Case scored a field goal in the last minute of the game to snatch the victory.

Despite the loss, head coach Jeff Ramsey thought “the Oberlin defense did a nice job.” Ramsier racked up eight tackles while Murphy and senior Vorris Mayes recorded six and five, respectively.

Willever thought the Yeomen went into the game “confident, ready to play and ready to win.” The team may not have capitalized on this mentality in their opener but it is an attitude that should serve the Yeomen well during what could be a breakthrough season.

Oberlin football has been steadily improving under the leadership of coach Ramsey and the team’s 2003 record of 5-5 was the best in years. If the growth trend continues, this could be a winning season for Oberlin football.

With the loss to Case behind them, Oberlin football has begun preparing both offensively and defensively for this Saturday’s game against Franklin and Marshall.

While not a conference game, the match versus Franklin and Marshall does have significant value to the seniors. In their tenure at Oberlin, these senior athletes have never beaten the Diplomats but hope this year will mark the turning point of the rivalry. The game will be held at 1 p.m. on Oberlin’s own Dill Field.


 
 
   

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