Football still has lone win

It's been a tough three weeks for the Yeomen.

Against Ohio Wesleyan University on the 11th they surrendered 465 yards on the ground in perhaps their weakest performance of the year, losing 50-12. Against Denison University on the 18th the team played at full strength for the first time all year, but still lost 54-18. And last week, against Case Western Reserve University, they were dominated on the line of scrimmage and lost 42-6. All in all, things are not going well for the Yeomen.

Against Ohio Wesleyan, the team came out deflated. Quarterback senior James Parker played banged up, as did Offensive Lineman senior Garth Stidolph and Defensive Tackle sophomore Sean Nagle. The Yeomen were without Cornerback sophomore Jabari Spruill, Wide Receiver junior Felix Brooks-Church, and Offensive Tackle first-year Jordan Kaltman.

The team refused to accept their depletedness as an excuse, but coach Pete Peterson said, "It's been tough. I'd like to see us at 100 percent for a change." But Oberlin's small roster combined with Ohio Wesleyan's potent Wing-T rushing attack meant a long afternoon for the Yeomen.

Against Denison the Yeomen looked like they had mustered some offensive momentum for the first time in a month. They closed to within 21-12 with just a few minutes left in the half, but Denison struck with a long pass, scored, and never looked back. Parker returned to his old self after getting beaten around by Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan, passing for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Yeomen were buoyed by the solid effort.

Against Case Western the Yeomen ran into a strong defensive unit. But the Spartans were the second team that failed to score against the Yeomen in the first quarter, and hopes were high. Case Western scored three rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, and as the game progressed the fatigued Oberlin defensive line found themselves getting pushed farther and farther off of the ball.

It looked again like the Yeomen had something going in the third quarter as Parker hit Brooks-Church for a 3-yard touchdown, and then the Yeomen marched right down into scoring position.

But the offense sputtered and the Yeomen gave the ball back on downs. They would not threaten again. Running back senior Brian Salter said, "It was a disappointing loss. But we're looking forward to this week."

Thus the Yeomen enter the game this weekend against the College of Wooster with the deck stacked pretty well against them. The Fighting Scots are one of the top teams in the conference, and look to be emotionally fired up after the game last year, in which the two teams played with furious intensity all game long.

Of course, do not expect the Yeomen to come out flat. Brooks-Church has been awaiting this rematch for an entire year, and is finally showing how dangerous he can be when healthy. Against Case Western he had a season high 120 yards receiving and in the process became Oberlin's all-time leader with 1493 yards.

And Peterson knows his team can be up to the task. "We can be solid on defense, and explosive on offense," he said. "Our guys have played hard. We're just in a slump. You get out of slumps."

The Yeomen will have to be at their absolute best against a Wooster team that is larger, stronger, and more talented than they are. But these Yeomen know all about adversity. This has been a trying and, for one fabulous moment, exhilarating season. One game versus Wooster is just another bump in the road.