After an inspiring 7-0 victory over Hamilton in which they won a game for the first time in two years, the Cards (1-2) were unable to make it two straight as they were downed 24-21 by the Colby Mules (1-2). Despite a strong defensive effort for the second straight game, the Mules were able to convert a last-minute field goal with the game tied at 21 to give Colby the decisive edge.
The Cardinal defense entered the contest without allowing a touchdown in their past two contests against Middlebury and Hamilton, but failed to keep their streak intact against Colby. The Cards failed to keep the relentless Colby run game in check throughout the day, as the Mules gained 118 yards on the ground on 42 attempts. The Cardinals also allowed three touchdowns through the air, as Colby’s Justin Smith ’07 threw for 209 yards with three touchdowns.
The Cards struck first in the contest as graduate student Quincy Francis forced a fumble and returned it 38 yards to give the football team an early 7-0 lead. The lead was short lived, however, as Smith led Colby to two consecutive scoring drives, each ending with a Smith touchdown pass to give Colby a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Wesleyan scored 14 unanswered points off of two rushing touchdowns in the second and third quarters, with touchdowns coming from Joe Pepe ’07, normally stationed on the defensive end of the ball as the starting defensive back, and running back Phil Banks ’07. The lead lasted until the 11 minute mark in the fourth quarter, as the Mules’ Smith threw for his third touchdown pass of the game to tie the game at 21.
The Colby defense held the Cardinals in check in the fourth quarter, as it forced a Wesleyan punt in Cardinal territory which the Mules returned 27 yards to the Cardinal 36 yard-line. A minute and a half later, Colby kicker Brian Bachow ’09 notched a 22-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining to give the Mules a 24-21 lead.
Pepe gave the Cardinals one last chance, as the star defensive player returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards near midfield with only Bachow standing in the way of the end zone. However, Bachow was able to wrap up Pepe in a key special teams tackle, as Pepe was denied his second touchdown of the game. With time remaining for a few more plays, quarterback Zach Librizzi ’08 connected with graduate student Matt Barnum with six seconds left to the Colby 31 yard line, but was unable to convert on a last second Hail-Mary pass as time expired to give the Mules the victory.
One bright spot for the Cards was the inspiring play of Pepe, who was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball. In addition to his rushing touchdown, Pepe recorded nine tackles, forced two turnovers and broke up a pass. As if his efforts on the offense and defense weren’t enough, Pepe returned four kickoffs on special teams for a total of 63 yards.
On that day, Librizzi threw for 232 yards on 18 completions, with his lone interception coming on the final pass of the game. Banks was unable to replicate his impressive performance from a week ago where he rushed for 92 yards against Hamilton, as the Colby defense held Banks to just 14 yards on 11 carries. Mark Noonan ’08 and Barnum led the team in receiving as they combined for 147 yards receiving on 11 receptions.
Up next for the Cards is a road match-up with the winless Bates Bobcats on Oct. 14, who sport a 0-3 record.
Leave a Reply