Football deals the Cards a familiar loss

Author: George Mayer

It was not exactly pretty, but the Middlebury football team still managed to earn themselves a hard fought 10-7 win over Wesleyan Saturday afternoon in their season-opener on Youngman Field. Leading the way for the Panthers was their tenacious defense and exceptional special teams play that produced an extremely unconventional 10 points.

After punter Steve Hauschka '07 pinned the Cardinals inside their own 10-yard line early in the first quarter, senior defensive lineman Kevin Ryan '07 sacked Wesleyan quarterback Zach Librizzi in the end zone for a safety. Later on in the quarter, Hauschka booted another perfect punt to pin the Cardinals on their own one-yard line. Two plays later, Alex Buggy '07, considered by many to be the most colorful player in the NESCAC, tackled running back Phil Banks in the end zone for the team's second safety.

Early in the third quarter, Wesleyan brought out a little bit of trickery to take the lead 7-4. Librizzi threw a lateral pass to Mark Noonan out on the flat, who proceeded to hit Danny Granatell in the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown pass.

On the ensuing Middlebury drive, senior quarterback Tiger Lyon '07 threw an interception to Wesleyan's Jeff McLaren. Although the Cardinals were unable to produce any points off the Middlebury turnover, they were able to pin the Panthers on their own two-yard line. Despite the fact that things looked grim for Middlebury at this point in the game, linebacker Eric Woodring '08 never worried. "We were moving the ball all day on them and had twice as much time of possession as they did," he said. "I had enough confidence in Lyon and Hrdina to lead our offense and get us the win."

Running back Stefan Hrdina '07, along with Lyon, proved Woodring right by leading the Panthers on a 77-yard, 10-play fourth quarter drive, capped off by a game tying 19-yard field goal by Hauschka. Middlebury's drive was highlighted by some trickery of their own. Wide receiver Derek Polsinello '08 threw a pass off an end-around right into the hands of tight end Jamie Staples '07 for a gain of 29 yards on second down and two.

Defensive back Brian Young '08 ended the Cardinals' next drive with an interception. Senior captain Scott Secor '07 believes that Young's interception was the turning point of the game.

"We had just tied the game and Wesleyan was driving past the 50," Secor said. "I think Brian's interception really gave a spark to our offense and our entire team. At that point I felt like the momentum shifted entirely to our sideline."

Middlebury followed Young's interception with the game-winning drive, sparked by two huge receptions by wide receiver Andrew Matson '09, the second being a 27- yard pass and catch on third down and ten. Hauschka nailed a 23-yard field goal with 3:10 left in the game and the Cardinal's coffin.

The Panther defense ensured the victory by refusing to allow Wesleyan to get into field goal range. Woodring led the way for the Panthers, recording 14 tackles on the day, eight of which were solo, helping him earn NESCAC defensive player of the week honors. And Buggy provided valuable intimidation at the line of scrimmage, in addition to his safety, which will most likely haunt Librizzi in his sleep for a long time to come.

Middlebury heads to Waterville, Maine next weekend to face NESCAC powerhouse Colby on their home field. The Mules are coming off a 27-10 loss at the hands of Trinity last weekend. The Panther players are expecting the game to be extremely hostile.

"Colby plays real smash mouth football," Buggy said. "They are extremely physical but I think we can definitely beat them, especially with their coming off a loss."

Secor believes that Colby's loss to Trinity only means the Mules will be even more ready to play come Saturday. Secor also acknowledges the fact that starting the year with a win is huge. "It is very important to start off with a win considering the rough starts we have had the last few years," he said. "I think how we won is even more important. I felt like we completely dominated the first half and to be losing 7-4 all of a sudden in the third quarter was a little bit of a shock. To fight back from that and pull out a win in the fourth quarter means a lot. I think it was a huge step in the right direction for this team."

As long as the defense stays dominant and the offense remains as clutch the Panthers may head out of Maine at 2-0.