Football Prepares for CWRU
by Colin Smith

With a record of 0-2, the Oberlin football team will resume play on Saturday, taking on Case Western University, also 0-2. The Yeomen’s last scheduled game, Saturday, Sept. 15 at Earlham was canceled in the wake of last week’s tragedy.

Avoiding the Pressure: Oberlin’s starting quarterback, first-year Ryan Squatrito, sights the defense out of the corner of his eye before making a pass in practice. (photo by Jonathon Solars)

The North Coast Athletic Conference had initially decided to go ahead with Saturday’s game, but instead announced that all weekend games would be canceled on Friday, Sept. 14, when the Yeomen were expected to leave for Earlham in Richmond, Ind. The conference’s new decision caused “mixed feelings” amongst the team, first-year wide receiver Zach Lewis said.
“Some thought that we should move on and that we owe it to the people affected by the tragedy to keep going with our normal lives,” Lewis said. “Some thought that it is
completely wrong to play football at a time like this.”
Senior linebacker and team captain Sam Hobi disagreed with the NCAC’s decision. “I am appreciative that we have people in administration that care so much about doing what is right. However, I feel that play should have resumed,” Hobi said. “The professional and Division I teams postponed or canceled play mainly on the basis of travel and safety, having 60,000 to 100,000 people organized in one place could be a strategic point for attack. We [the NCAC] followed suit. Conference play does not necessitate air travel, neither would it have housed more than a few thousand people.
The object of terrorism is to “terrorize” to the point of altering behavior. Athletics — prep school, collegiate and professional — are a large part of American landscape and lifestyle. And considering our current level and situation I think that [the Earlham game] would have been an appropriate diversion and a positive event.”
The Earlham game would have been Oberlin’s first conference game. Instead, their first conference game will be at home against Wabash on Sept. 29. On Saturday, the Yeomen will play their first game in two weeks as they travel to Cleveland to face Case Western Reserve University.

Last year, in the third game of the season, the Yeomen lost to Case Western 37-14 at home. This year, at least on paper, the Yeomen appear to have a bit of an edge. Through two games Case Western has scored 28 points and surrendered 66. Seventeen of those points allowed have been in the first quarter, which bodes well for the Yeomen, who have shown a potent first-quarter offense in scoring 21 first-quarter points in their two games.

Overall, the Yeomen have scored 35 while allowing 51. Oberlin has amassed 717 yards and allowed 812, whereas Case Western has generated only 522, while allowing 884. It should be noted, though, that the Yeomen’s two opponents are now a combined 2-3, while Case Western’s are 5-0.

The Yeomen will be looking to build off of their last game, in which they lost 25-21, but held the lead for more than 50 minutes of the game and scored three touchdowns for the first time in over a year.