Terriers smash defenseless Yeomen

Saturday afternoon was not exactly the kind of road trip that the Yeomen had planned. Fresh off a stimulating victory, the team headed to Hiram College to take on a Terrier team that was rebuilding. But Hiram had too much for Oberlin, and the Yeomen did not play the game that they had planned. They lost 48-12.

The game started well for the Yeomen, as the defense stopped the Terriers in three plays. Oberlin's offense, which had been so impressive in their first drive against Thiel, sputtered. Bad field position was a key player in this, and Oberlin would be faced with bad field position all day. "Their kicker," said Coach Pete Peterson, "is a weapon." The Yeomen were also without standout wide receiver junior Felix Brooks-Church, still lame from a hamstring injury, and running back senior Brian Salter, who had a sprained ankle. But Salter's replacement, first-year Adisa Chaney was splendid, rushing for 72 yards on 16 carries, until a gruesome leg injury in the third quarter ended his day - and season.

But Hiram was scoring. Led by a sturdy little fellow named Kris Geibel, the Terriers soared to a 28-0 lead. "We didn't have enough intensity," said defensive end sophomore Rick Kocher. "We'll be better next week." Some of this had to do with Salter's injury, but quarterback James Parker said, "Individually, we have to get ourselves up to play the game hard." Oberlin did not match the emotional fire of their first game in this one at Hiram.

Hiram took advantage of many Oberlin mistakes in the first half, including a blocked punt, an interception, and numerous drive-killing penalties. The Terriers were not flawless themselves, as they would turn the ball over four times on the day. But for Peterson, his team's mistakes were crucial. "We did not execute well. We had numerous penalties, motion problems, and mistakes. We had several big plays called back."

The penalties also helped keep Oberlin deep in their own territory and blunted any offensive momentum.

The Yeomen finally got on the board in the second half. Linebacker first-year Ryan Catignani intercepted a tipped pass and returned it to the Hiram 25 and the Oberlin offense began to click. Finally, after the injury to Chaney energized the Yeomen further, Parker scored the first rushing touchdown of his Oberlin career to get the team on the board.

Hiram fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Yeomen, led by the renewal of the Parker-Anthony Johnson combination, scored again to close the lead to 28-12. That was all the Yeomen would get, however, as Hiram scored three times in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Individually, it was a big game for Parker, who passed for 255 yards, and Johnson, who leads the conference in receiving after catching 11 passes for 123 yards. Tight end sophomore Jason Ross also had a solid game, catching 9 balls for 84 yards. Defensively, Catignani and Jason Quinn both had interceptions, and the defensive line was effective again.

This week the Yeomen play arch rival Kenyon, and Parker expects his club to be pumped up for this game. "We have to be more emotional and execute."

Peterson hopes that the Yoemen will build on their successes against Hiram, most notably the presence of the running game, the play of the offensive line, and forcing turnovers. "If those things happen for us, we're going to do all right."