Football tumbles to Thiel in blowout loss

It's only two weeks into the Crimson Thunder's season under new Coach Jeff Ramsey, and already there is a recurring pattern. Unfortunately, it is an old pattern, a pattern that is synonymous with almost any Oberlin sport. It's an unmistakable lack of depth. Those three words have been chanted like a mantra around North Field. In Phillips, large, sweaty males can be seen with pursed lips chanting "lack of depth, lack of depth."

This past Saturday against Thiel, the mantra rang true, but this time it was even more heartbreaking. Not unlike the previous match at Swarthmore, in which the Thunder were down only 13-6 at halftime before Swarthmore reeled off 29 unanswered points, Oberlin lost the war of attrition, unable to put together consistent offensive series in the second half. Despite being down only 26-12 at halftime, Oberlin was unable to match up against Thiel's power game during the third and fourth quarters and lost by an embarrassing final of 63-12.

The Thunder shot out of the tunnel winning the toss and moving the ball on their first drive. Going with a no-huddle offense to catch the defense on their heels, first-year Josh Shapaka caught a pass from first-year quarterback Chris Moffatt for 15 yards on the first play. Shapaka then ran for 13 yards into crossing onto the Thiel side of the 50. After a Thiel penalty and some more small gains by Shapaka,Moffatt found sophomore tight end Bob Montag, who then rumbled into the end zone, notching the first points of the game, and more importantly, a resounding start for a struggling team.

Thiel then went to its game plan, pounding the ball up the gut of the Yeomen's defense. Riding the legs of 240 pound fullback Josh Harakal, the Tomcats marched down the field and, aided by a personal foul, scored. In this fashion, Thiel continued to put together a mean ground game, pounding the ball down the Thunder's throats throughout the first half.

Meanwhile, Oberlin would get worse and worse field position as the half wore on, leaving their undermanned offense with few opportunities for a quick, easy score.

That didn't stop the Crimson Thunder, of course. With under a minute to play, Moffatt dropped back and unleashed a bomb that first-year wideout Cody McCoy caught and ran into the endzone just as he was tackled. The sideline went crazy. The crowd in the packed stands of Dill Field went nuts. The Thiel sideline looked depressed, as several players took their helmets off in disgust. The Yeomen were back in the game.

But football is a game where mental mistakes can be crucial, especially when they contribute to, or as it turned out on this play, crush momentum. And this play was the mother of all momentum breakers.

Call back the celebration, quiet the crowd. And sure enough, the cruel, yellow bundle of smooth cotton lay on the field after the play, mocking the Crimson Thunder and their efforts to get back in the game. Offensive holding was the call, robbing Oberlin of its revitalizing touchdown.

The second half was not that different from the first, other than the fact that Oberlin's defense came up with big plays, turning the ball over and giving the offense a chance. However, all the Thunder could manage was a touchdown pass to sophomore Geno Walker. Thiel continued to pound the ball on the ground, mixing in some play-action and running up the score.

"We fell on our faces the second half," said Head Coach Jeff Ramsey. "The turning point was us not playing second half offensive football. The defense did a fine job [four turnovers]. We made progress though the score didn't show it. They were just a more physical football team than us."

"It was a good game until the second half," said first-year defensive linemen Rob Moffatt. "Once we started to lose people, [it was hard]. We've got a lot of talent, but not a lot of depth."

Senior cornerback Jabari Spruill pointed to mental breakdowns. "Little mental mistakes really hurt us. Hopefully our offensive execution will be better [tomorrow]."

Junior linebacker Rich Kocher sprained his ankle, Rob Moffatt tore a bicep and senior Chris Bedford suffered a mild concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit. Moffatt and Kocher will play, and Bedford is questionable for the Earlham game.

Coach Ramsey will stick with the same game plan, varying the pass and the run, and hopes to put the ball in the gamebreakers' hands. "We need to give the ball to Shapaka and McCoy," he said.

Spruill reiterated the coach's comments, extending the idea to both sides of the ball. "We are trying to put people in positions to win," he said. "That's what we have been practicing this week. These are guys who we want to lay it all down for."

OC will try some new looks during this Saturday's game against the Earlham Quakers. Walker and Spruill will get offensive snaps. Sophomore Gary Arbuckle will switch to defensive line, while Rob Moffatt will switch to offensive guard.

Tomorrow's game is at 1:30, and we expect another loud, packed crowd. If you cannot attend the game, then tune in to WOBC at 91.5 FM for the live broadcast.