Dill Field saw the Oberlin Yeomen for the last time this season and said goodbye to the senior class of 2005. Fourteen seniors played in front of a home crowd one last time on Saturday. Unfortunately, their last home competition ended in a loss.

The Oberlin Yeomen hosted the Ohio Wesleyan Bishops in a battle full of first half flare that fizzled into a second half of turnovers and defensive stops.

The game opened full of promise for the Yeomen. One minute into the first quarter, on the second play of the game, first-year wide receiver Chris Schubert sprinted for 75 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. But the Yeomen’s 7-0 lead lasted for a mere two minutes. Almost immediately following the Yeomen score, the Bishops came back with an 80-yard drive ending in a score. However the kicking squad came up short on the extra point, leaving the score 7-6.

After an Oberlin fumble on their own 45-yard line, the Bishops regained control of the ball. Seven plays later, OWU again found the end zone and completed a two-point conversion to put the score at 14-7.

Opening the second quarter, the Bishops scored once more on a four-yard touchdown pass and increased their lead to 14.

“We moved the ball pretty well offensively, but then we stalled and gave up three straight touchdowns on three plays defensively, which really hurt us,” said Head Coach Jeff Ramsey.

The Yeomen were not finished. In the last minute of the first half Oberlin struck back and cut their deficit to seven on a two-yard rush by senior running back Chris Jordan.

The second half opened rather uneventfully in terms of offense with no points scored from either side until late in the third quarter when OWU kicked a 35-yard field goal and upped the lead to 24-14.

“Our defense really stepped up and I thought we had a chance, we just couldn’t finish drives,” said Ramsey.

The Yeomen had one more significant chance in the fourth quarter, but it was squandered when Jordan fumbled the ball on the OWU four-yard line. As time ran out, the Bishops preserved their lead and were victorious over the Yeomen.

Despite the loss, seniors Ryan Squatrito and Vinnie Hachigian highlighted their last Oberlin appearance by completing six out of seven passes and recording 12 tackles, respectively.

The Yeomen travel to Hiram College next Saturday in search of their first win of the season. They play at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will close Oberlin’s season.

“It’s going to take a focused, concerted effort to win on Saturday. Hiram is just like we are, 0-9. It’s going to take a good team effort,” said Ramsey.