Kalamazoo 47, Oberlin 2. So began another season of Oberlin football on a warm, cloudless early September day at Dill Field.
The day began with high hopes and high excitement. The Super Chicken, Oberlin's new unofficial mascot, made its Crimson Thunder football debut. Students, alumni, children and adults alike came to root on Oberlin football in hopes of a repeat of last year's opening-game victory. But it was not to be.
Oberlin's passing game sputtered early, helping to dig a deep hole for the Crimson Thunder and giving the Kalamazoo Hornets an insurmountable edge. On the third play from scrimmage, Hornets cornerback Jeff Dillingham picked off a Geno Walker pass on the Oberlin 48 and returned it to the 36. On the very next play, quarterback Auric Hall connected with Brian Alexander for a Kalamazoo scoring strike. The pass would be the only completion for the Hornets on the day, with Alexander, the wideout-quarterback, attempting the only other pass. Tom Hillemeir added on the point after, putting the Hornets up 7-0, which was all they would need.
The Crimson Thunder got the ball back but could do nothing, going three and out, followed by a shanked punt by first-year Bob Montag that went out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage, at the 19. The Hornets capitalized on their good field position, pushing the ball across after a scoring drive of three plays. Hillemeir's extra point kick made the score 14-0 in favor of the Hornets only 3:49 into the contest.
Oberlin's passing game clicked sporadically, most notably with junior Felix Brooks-Church, whose two second-quarter receptions put him in second place all-time in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Brooks-Church was the one bright spot on offense for the day, finishing with a total of 10 catches for 115 yards, 80 more yards than the entire Kalamazoo passing output for the day.
The Hornets hardly needed an air attack in this game. Ahead 21-0 after the first quarter and 41-0 after the first half, Kalamazoo kept the ball on the ground to the tune of 55 carries for 334 yards, just over six yards per carry. Running back first-year Joe Chrzanowski led the Hornets with nine carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45 yard romp in the second quarter, and tailback Jason Barnett shined as well, carrying the ball 10 times for 76 yards, and two touchdowns. Linebacker-tailback Brant Haverdink and tailback Kurt Wagner capped off the Kalamazoo scoring for the day, each bringing the ball across once.
Oberlin's only score came in the fourth quarter, following an impressive 18 play, 69 yard drive that stalled at the one-foot line, with unsuccessful running attempts on third and fourth down. After getting the ball back on downs, Kalamazoo put in first-year quarterback Adam Tubaro, the third of four quarterbacks on the day for the Hornets. After two runs brought the ball out to the seven, Tubaro and first-year tailback Brian Sackett miscommunicated on an option play, resulting in a fumble in the end zone that Tubaro fell on for a safety, putting the game at its final score of 47-2.
Head coach Pete Peterson attributed the Yeomen's poor showing to a lack of execution. "We've got to get our players to move quickly and we've got to get the whole team to execute better on offense and defense," Peterson said.
Despite a catchless performance by senior Anthony Johnson, who last year led Oberlin in catches while setting a Crimson Thunder record, Peterson is not concerned. "You expect quality things from quality people, but Anthony didn't get many opportunities today. I blame myself; I need to get him more involved," Peterson said. "In order for us to be successful, Anthony needs eight or 10 balls in the game."
Junior offensive lineman Kwesi Skinner was disappointed but optimistic following Oberlin's performance. "Our play was there," Skinner said. "We had the effort. We played hard and at the end of the second half we beat them.The way we picked up in the second half is good momentum."
Peterson was as well encouraged by the second-half play, but of the stalled drive said, "We just need to learn how to finish. If you can't run with your best running back behind your best offensive line, you don't deserve a touchdown."
Senior wideout Sean Wesolowski thought inexperience played a part in the Yeomen's inconsistancy. "It was a lot of guys' first college game; a lot of guys were nervous," Wesolowski said. He agrees that momentum from the second half and last year's victory will help against Thiel, but warns against overconfidence. "They're going to be gunning for us," Wesolowski said, " We're going to knock their (head) in the dirt."
Sophomore wideout Jesse Cretaro emphasized the game as a learning experience. "We can't forget; we have to build on this game. We have so many weapons on offense and haven't come close to putting them to use," Cretaro said. Though optimistic, Cretaro also stressed the need to prepare for next week. "Thiel's a different team this year, [but it] runs a similar offense as Kalamazoo," Cretaro said. "They're going to be just as tough an opponent as anyone this year."
Above all, Peterson said, the Yeomen cannot get flustered. "That would be the worst thing, to push the panic button, to start changing things around," Peterson said. "We have an offensive and defensive concept and philosophy. Our problems today were execution. We just need to put them [the players] in situations to maximize their abilities," Peterson said.
Yeopractice: The Crimson Thunder fine tune the quick out. (photo by John Matney)
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 2, September 11, 1998
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