Panther turnovers prove costly

Author: Benji Thurber

The visiting Williams Ephs overcame a onepoint halftime deficit to hand the Middlebury Panthers their first loss of the season, 30-22, on Saturday, Oct. 13. The Ephs, who improved to 2-2 on the season, relied on a relentless running game to take control of the second half. The Panthers, who fell to 3-1 and down to second place in the NESCAC standings behind Tufts, amassed over 400 yards of total offense but turned the ball over five times.

"We had a lot of yards, but we were not an efficient offense," said Head Coach Bob Ritter. "We made some great plays, but we also robbed ourselves of opportunities to get into the end zone. A good team like Williams will make you pay for that. The defense played very well for the first three quarters, but once they got the lead and could be patient, they wore us down a bit."

After a bad snap by the Panthers on fourth down led to a short punt, the Ephs began their first drive at the Middlebury 40-yard line.

On their second play from scrimmage, running back Brian Morrissey bounced to the outside of the field and found room to run for 34 yards into the end zone. Williams' Scott Sobolewski converted the extra point attempt, putting the Ephs up 7-0 early.

On two straight possessions, Middlebury quarterback Donald McKillop '11, the reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Week, drove the Panthers into the Ephs' territory but threw an interception that ended the drive.

The Middlebury defense, which did not allow Williams to capitalize on any of the Panthers' four first half turnovers, forced the Ephs to punt each time.

With 13:55 remaining in the second quarter, Middlebury was finally able to capitalize. McKillop capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to a diving Andrew Matson '09 in the right corner of the end zone (see photo story, page 24). Anthony Kuchan '11 converted the extra point to tie the game 7-7.

On the first play of the Panthers' next drive, running back David Randolph '08, who ran for 124 yards on 14 carries, broke loose for an 83-yard run. Gary Cooper '11 ran up the middle for a two-yard touchdown on the next play, and Kuchan kicked another extra point to put the Panthers up 14-7.

Williams immediately responded with an 11-play, 73-yard drive, culminating in a three-yard touchdown run by Morrissey with 5:39 left in the second quarter. Panther linebacker Erik Woodring '08 blocked the extra point attempt, allowing Middlebury to maintain a 14-13 lead at halftime.

Williams regained the lead with 5:22 left in the third quarter by grinding out an 11-play scoring drive that took nearly five and a half minutes off the clock.

The Ephs used eight running plays, ending with a two-yard touchdown rush by Brian Egan, to build a 20-14 advantage. The Panthers looked to answer back on their next possession at the start of the fourth quarter, but were unable to convert on fourth-and-one on the Williams 23 and turned the ball over on downs.

Williams pushed the lead to 23-14 on a Sobolewski field goal with 10:33 remaining, and after the desperate Panthers turned the ball over on downs on the Middlebury 25, Morrissey, who finished with 27 carries for 137 yards, added to the lead with his third rushing touchdown of the game.

Down 30-14, McKillop led a 14-play scoring drive, finding Matson in the corner of the opposite end zone. The Panthers completed a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 30-22 with 1:10 left, but were unable to recover the onside kick and the Ephs ran out the clock.

Matson, who had 11 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, believes that the young Panther offense, despite its success, is still developing.

"We believe in each other, and everyone in the unit is focused and determined to win," said Matson. "That said, we still have to sharpen up a bit and cut down on mistakes as we go deeper into the season."

Woodring led the Panthers with 19 tackles and a fumble recovery and Brian Marcks '09 added 12 tackles.

The Panthers' McKillop completed 26 of 45 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions, and his Williams counterpart, Patrick Lucey, completed 18 of 30 passes for 171 yards and one interception.

The Panthers will look to rebound on Oct. 20 when they travel to play Bates. The next home game is the following Saturday, when Trinity College comes to Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium.