Bantams Win Highly Anticipated Matchup Versus Williams
David Allen
| |
|
When this season's Bantam football schedule was made available last spring, the game that was the most highly anticipated was Saturday, Sept. 27's contest in Williamstown, Mass. The recent history between these two rivals speaks for itself, as the last two games between them have been hard-fought and significant. In 2006, which was the last time the Bantams were in Williamstown, Williams College snapped Trinity's 31-game win streak with a 41-16 thumping. Trinity was able to enact revenge against the Ephs last season, with an epic 46-40 triple overtime victory that will be talked about for years to come. On Saturday, Sept. 27, another chapter was added to this storied rivalry, as the Bantams handed Williams their first home loss since 2004 with a hard fought 20-17 victory, improving to 2-0 on the season.
The game got off to a fast start as the Bantams specials team allowed a 40-yard return by Williams tailback Elijah Weeks '09 on the opening kickoff. With the ball on the Bantam 47-yard line, the Ephs were poised to strike early, however, Williams' fortunes changed quickly as Bantam defensive back Conor Quinn '09 intercepted a throw made by Patrick Moffitt '11 on the first play from scrimmage. With the momentum suddenly in Trinity's favor, the Bantams' offense wasted no time in moving the ball 35 yards in five plays to the Williams' 29-yard line. It was on the sixth play where disaster struck as Bantam tailback Bobby Jackson '10 fumbled the ball, and Williams recovered. After only four and a half minutes of play, there had already been two turnovers. However, the tempo of the game slowed significantly, as both defenses stepped in and allowed three and outs. The next substantial drive belonged to Williams, who orchestrated a ten play, 23-yard drive that was capped off by a 39-yard Scott Sobolewski '10 field goal with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter.
With the Ephs out to an early 3-0 lead, the Bantam offense wasted no time in responding with an extraordinary three play, 71-yard scoring drive that included a 38-yard run by Jackson, and a 27-yard touchdown pass from Eric McGrath '09 to Michael Galligan '11 with 2:07 remaining. This impressive display gave the Bantams a 7-3 lead, which they would hold on to for the remainder of the quarter.
At the onset of the second quarter, the Williams offense continued to successfully move down the field against the Bantam defense. Ultimately, the Ephs would finish the drive with a touchdown of their own, as Brian Morrissey '09 rushed into the end zone with 13:11 remaining in the half to give Williams a 10-7 lead. The Bantams drove down the field looking to regain the lead, however the drive faltered as McGrath threw an interception to Sean Milano '09 at the Williams' 36-yard line. The Ephs took advantage of this opportunity and moved down the field on an eight play, 65-yard drive capped off by a 38-yard touchdown pass from Moffitt to Stew Buck '09, with 5:51 remaining in the half to give Williams a 17-7 lead. The Bantams were unable to do anything with their next possession, as Williams forced a quick three and out. All of sudden, with 2:30 left in the half, the game was beginning to resemble the 2006 meeting between these two teams.
In sports, every championship-caliber team has a moment during the course of the season where they're able to come together as one and persevere through adversity. At the end of this season, the Bantams will most likely look back at their final drive of the first half as this moment. Facing a daunting Ephs defense, McGrath and the Bantams offense were able to execute a masterful 92-yard drive, which was capped by a one-yard touchdown rush by Ollie Starnes '10 with 0:13 remaining in the half. This was textbook two-minute football, as the Bantams ran the no-huddle offense to perfection, with McGrath showing his true poise and maturity as starting quarterback. While the Bantams were down 17-14 at the half, momentum was clearly in their favor.
The Bantams opened the second half as they had closed the first, in full control of the game. This was evidenced by Starnes' 30-yard touchdown rush off a direct snap with 11:35 remaining in the third quarter to make the score 20-17. The Bantams defense took over for the remainder of the game, as they did not allow the Ephs any closer than the Bantam 25-yard line. Furthermore, the Bantams were helped by the fact that Williams used all three of their timeouts in the third quarter, which hampered the Ephs' ability to orchestrate successful drives in the fourth quarter. The score did not change for the remainder of the game, as the Bantams held on for a 20-17 win.
McGrath went 17 of 29 for 204 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Starnes gained 119 yards on 24 carries, while Jackson chimed in with 51 yards of his own on six carries. Galligan led the receiving squad with eight receptions for 93 yards and one touchdown, with Connor Wells '09 chipping in with seven receptions for 96 yards. Ben Sherry '11 led the defense with 13 tackles and a sack, while Quinn added two interceptions.
The Bantams will look to take this momentum to Clinton, N.Y., this Saturday, Oct. 3, against the Hamilton College Continentals.
Be the first to comment on this story