Football Can't Take Earlham

DeWitt Makes First Appearance as Quarterback

With a 35-7 loss to Earlham and a Yeoman football record of 0-3, many students are giving up hope of seeing a football victory this season. They still have some good chances to win a couple of games this year against Case Western Reserve and Hiram in the near future. Senior Captain Ryan Catignani put it simply saying, 'Losing sucks!'

Oberlin's offense got off to a slow start this week with first-year Troy DeWitt making his first start at quarterback. Oberlin moved the ball fairly well throughout the game, but every drive until the fourth quarter ended in either a punt or a turnover.

On the other hand, it only took until the second quarter for Earlham's offense to start scoring points. Running back Jermel Hurt started the scoring with a five yard run early in the second quarter. Earlham would score 17 points before Oberlin's offense finally got on the board. A well put together drive in the fourth quarter, with big receptions by senior Jesse Cretaro and first-year Brian Senne, was capped off by a one yard DeWitt touchdown run.

This wasn't a game without excitement. Oberlin's offense made five trips to the red zone, but came away with one score. Senior lineman Jordan Kaltman said 'We would get inside the 20, and just fizzle out.'

Cretaro had similar views saying, 'If we would have put the ball in the endzone it would have been a totally different game.'

Sophomore Cody McCoy, 110 pounds soaking wet, delivered the biggest hit of the season right in the chest of an Earlham defender, which received a big cheer from the estimated 500 fans. He also lead the Yeomen with seven receptions for 48 yards.

Earlham also provided entertainment, with two plays of 90 yards or more. Senior Emily Jack, after witnessing the 90 yard Quaker run stated, 'Wow, that was intense!'

The Yeoman may have only scored seven points on Saturday, but had their best offensive output of the year with 305 of their 541 yards this season. They also had 22 first downs in comparison to six last week and nine versus Swarthmore. This shows great growth in the more than 30 first-years on the team, and continued growth may result in wins.

As for the defense, two plays were the difference between 21-7 and 35-7. A 90 yard run in the first half by Hurt, and a 98 yard pass reception in the second by Will Hughes were backbreakers for Oberlin's defense.

Field position was also a factor, with Earlham beginning drives at Oberlin's 36 and 10 yard-line, resulting in a field goal and a touchdown. Junior David Smolev, who had five tackles and a pass deflection to stop a touchdown said 'To many mental mistakes ended up costing us the game.'

To their credit, Oberlin's total defense is ranked sixth out of 10 teams in the conference, a mark uncommonly high for the Yeoman.

Oberlin will be at home again this week, with a game against 0-2 Case Western Reserve University. Case and Oberlin have had similar difficulties this season. Case has not scored an offensive touchdown and only has 14 points in two games. They give up an average of 41-points per-game in comparison to Oberlin's 38 point-per-game average.

Both teams will be hungry for their first win of the season on Saturday, which will make for a very exciting game. There will be a defensive battle on Dill field Saturday, and the offense that turns the ball over the

least will be the difference. The win will more than likely go to the team that makes the fewest mistakes on both sides of the ball.

With the continued maturity of Oberlin's young team, and execution in the red zone, the Yeoman may get their first win. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Dill Field.