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Volume CXXXIII, Number 3 |
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Big plays in second half teaches Polar Bears to keep fighting
BOBBY DESAULNIERS
STAFF WRITER
The scrimmage format for the NESCAC rotates every two years. For two years, the Bears scrimmage Williams and play Middlebury in their first game. The next two years carry the opposite format. The past two season openers have been played against Williams, who has recently boasted impressive seasons, including winning the league last season. Usually, it is a large swing for the Bears depending on which team they will open against. Over the last few years, the scrimmages and the game against Williams were not pretty. This year was different. This year the Bears took a step forward.
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| Players, feeling confident and strong, spend some extra time on the fields in order to be ready for the next game against Amherst . (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
Defensively, Bowdoin showed schematic tightness and intensity. Defensive end Chris Wagner '04 was in the backfield so often it was almost as if the Middlebury offensive line could not see him. The defense, as a whole, shut down Middlebury's running game.
Offensively, the bears played to their strengths. The running game for Bowdoin was on point, as juniors Rob Patchett and Chris Stratton ran up and down the field all over Middlebury. Strong play by the offensive line cleared the holes well for Patchett and Stratton.
However, the quarterback situation was still unresolved before the scrimmage. Juniors Tom McMahon and Mike Ferrante both looked to have first game jitters at Middlebury. No starter was declared as a result of the scrimmage. Red zone turnovers killed the Bears in the scrimmage.
Going into the opening game against Williams, Bowdoin knew they had to do two things. One was to shut down the historically strong passing game of the Purple Cows. The other was to control the line of scrimmage as Williams fields the most impressive defensive front seven in the NESCAC. The Bears were moderately successful in both categories.
The game started off rather dismally. In the first quarter, the Bears had only nine offensive plays. For those keeping track at home, that was three straight series of three and out. Thankfully, the defense kept the Ephs scoreless in the first quarter, giving the offensive time to work its kinks out.
The second quarter saw much of the same from the Bears offensively. Although the Bears gave the run a few more first down tries and were successful running inside, they went into the locker room with frustration and no points to show for it.
The big question mark remained to be the quarterbacks. Ferrante, who played the first quarter and a bit of the third, and McMahon, who took the snaps in the second quarter along with the remainder of the game after Ferrante went down with a concussion that knocked him into next month, combined for 84 yards total all game. The combination of persistent pressure from the Williams defensive line and the tight man-to-man defense that stuck to the receivers proved to be a deadly combination for Bowdoin's passing game. McMahon's shoulder ailment was certainly an issue of concern for the Bears as, after McMahon, Bowdoin has only one quarterback in its arsenal.
The Bears failed to put together a great drive in the first half which kept the defense on the field for extended drives. It was a matter of time before the Ephs put a few in the end zone. They did so in the second quarter as the cow's fullback Tyler Shea put 21 points on the board before half time.
The second half was a different story. With their backs to the wall, down 21-0, Bowdoin came out flying. Their first possession was a nine play - 65 yard drive that ended sweetly with a goal line touchdown by Patchett. This set the tone for the second half.
The defense continued to stuff the run and contain Williams QB Jeff Reardon's passing attack. Reardon threw for over 300 yards on the ever youthful defensive backfield of the bears. However, youngster Brendan Murphy '07 picked off two passes and the DBs, as a unit, prevented Williams' big play capabilities well.
The Bears could only put one more score up before the end of the game, but they outscored the division champions 13-3 in the second half. Here is where the article could go one of two ways. Option A: Talk about how far the Bears have come and how much their defense has improved. Option B: Quit the inspirational rambling and get real. I choose the latter.
The Bears are a good football team. They return good players at key positions and now have speed at their skill positions. This season, there is no excuse why the Bears can not play the way they did in the second half. Patchett put up a great majority of his 118 yards rushing in the second half, and the defense threw a wet blanket over the volatile Williams offense. The Bears need to do this consistently.
A now frustrated sports writer, who doubles as the center on the team, sits at his computer wondering how, in the past two games, it took over a quarter for the offense to come alive. The only answer he can muster is that it takes Bowdoin a few drives to realize how good they are. As opposed to comparing them to their former selves of the past few years, they can be compared to, and declared better than, a good amount of teams in the league. They must enter games with this state of mind.
No more "great effort Bowdoin" articles coming this season.
As nice as it was to prove to Williams that we meant business in the second
half, it is still marked as a loss in the books. It's time for the Bears
to wake up and take their game up a notch. They need to realize that they
are good and play with the confidence that winning teams exude every week.
Now is the time.
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