The football team dropped to 3-4 on the season with a 30-12 loss to Williams on Saturday as the Ephs improved their record to 6-1 and maintained their hold on second place in the NESCAC conference.
The Ephs came charging out of the gate in their homecoming game led by senior runningback Tim Crawley, who picked up 141 yards and three rushing touchdowns to give Williams a 20-0 lead over the Cardinals heading into halftime.
This sort of deficit was nothing new to the Red and Black, who had big comeback wins against Hamilton earlier this season and Bowdoin. But in both of these games, the Cards managed to score before the close of the first half; all four losses this year have been colored by an inability to get those first half points.
“We put a good drive together at the end of the first half, but just couldn’t get it in the end zone,” said Zach Canter ’07. “This is a bad habit we have to get away from, because we know that when we can put up some numbers in the first half we can win football games.”
Zach Librizzi ’08 started the game at quarterback after putting together a four touchdown performance last week against Bowdoin, but was replaced by Canter after spraining an ankle on a second quarter scramble. Librizzi picked up nine yards before the injury and left the game after giving the team some life with a first down.
“Librizzi had done a nice job over the past couple of games,” Canter said. “You never want to see the guy in front of you go down, but I had to take advantage of the opportunity and I’m glad to be playing football again.”
Removed after a rough first half in the homecoming contest against Amherst three weeks ago, Canter needed some time before he could help the offense fire on all cylinders. The Cardinal quarterback was under pressure all day, as the Eph linebackers consistently came through on the blitz and the wide outs were all matched up in man coverage, forcing the Red and Black out of their game. Canter was sacked six times, and with the defensive pressure demanding quick throws, three of his tosses were intercepted.
A bright spot for Wesleyan came early in the fourth quarter when running back Garth Mitchell ’08 scored his first career touchdown on a second effort rush from seven yards out. The touchdown got Wesleyan on the board with six, but the ensuing conversion pass from Canter was picked-off in the end zone. Williams notched another score of its own in the third quarter, driving to the Wesleyan ten-yard line and bringing on Matt Gustafson for a 27-yard field goal.
The Williams pocket pressure continued to put Canter in tough situations, as the sophomore was hit in the backfield and stripped of the ball on Wesleyan’s 18-yard line. The Ephs needed only two plays to increase their lead to 24 points, taking an insurmountable 30-6 lead with nine minutes left to play.
But the Cardinals refused to give up. After getting to the Williams 10-yard line on the ensuing drive, a fourth down Canter pass slipped through the arms of a leaping Blake Curry ’07. Undiscouraged, the Wesleyan defense held the Ephs in check deep in their own territory and forced a punt.
Defensive back Bob Coppola ’05 refused to leave his last game against Williams without making some noise. He did so by ripping through the special team’s line to block and recover the Williams punt attempt, giving the ball back to Wesleyan inside the Eph 15-yard line. Canter found Matt Barnum ’06 in the end zone on the first play from scrimmage, but another two-point conversion attempt resulted in an incomplete pass intended for Blake Curry, putting the score at 30-12 in favor of Williams. The Ephs ran out the clock on their final possession to secure the victory.
“The score was not indicative of how tight the game was,” Canter said. “We moved the ball well and had some opportunities we couldn’t convert. Turnovers will kill you.”
With the 7-0 Trinity Bantams coming to Corwin Stadium for the final game of the season, Canter emphasized the need to play mistake-free football.
“It’s no mystery that they’re a good football team. But look at the Pats…all streaks have to come to an end, and if we play our best game, who’s to say that it can’t be us who end it?” Canter said.
The Bantams are riding a 21-game unbeaten streak into this Saturday’s match, which is the longest current streak held by any college football team in the country.
Game time is 12:30 p.m.
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