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Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 |
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Last chance to score
BOBBY DESAULNIERS
STAFF WRITER
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| Rob Patchett ’05 catches the ball during an early season practice. Patchett has been injured for most of the season, but will return tomorrow to play against Colby. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
This Saturday, the Bowdoin football team will square off against the Colby White Mules in its last game of the season. Going into the game, the Bears remain without a win for the season. For Colby, this game is big because it would complete a winning season, ending at 5-3. The Bears are determined to deny them of this honor.
The season has been disappointing for the Bears. Suffering close losses to Hamilton, Wesleyan, and Bates, they have tasted defeat to the point of disgust.
Last week's loss in Lewiston was terribly painful for the squad. With the Bears down by three with only a few minutes left to go in the game, Bates looked to their running game to carry them. It did. Each run for the Bobcats was just long enough to keep a first down in sight. Each run burned seconds off of the clock. The 25-second play clock almost ran to its end between every play. For everyone wearing black and white, those 25 seconds felt like an eternity.
With less than a minute to go, the Bears got the ball back. Quarterback Ricky Leclerc '06 completed two passes, one for a first down. However, the Hail Mary pass with only seconds left on the clock fell just out of reach of the receivers in Bates's end zone. Time expired and Bowdoin left the field with its seventh loss of the season.
The Bears have not been using their running game as effectively as they did in the earlier part of the season. Key injuries have been a source of this. In the air, Bowdoin has made incredible strides since Leclerc returned. Like anything else, it takes time to develop and produce a rhythm. This is a new weapon for the Bears to use, but it is clearly in its developmental stages.
The main reason for the rushing drought over the past weeks was injuries. It started with week three when two-year starter Jim Weeks '04 went down with a torn hamstring. Since then, the offensive line numbers have diminished. Back-ups Craig Drauschke '06, Justin Kievits '06, and Jason Riley '06 are sidelined for the rest of the season. As of late, the ankles of starters Shaun Gagnon '05 and Bobby Desaulniers '04 have been a concern. I almost forgot Rob Patchett '05, who has not played a whole game in weeks.
One good sign is the return of these players this weekend. Patchett will return as the starter for the tailback slot. Gagnon, Desaulniers, and Weeks will all return to anchor the interior part of the line, a place where Patchett hit many holes earlier in the season.
Defensively, the return of Jeff Pike '04 will undoubtedly shock the world. Enough said on that.
A season riddled with injuries will come to an end this weekend. They have one last chance to pull out a win. There is no doubt the Bears are hungry for this win. Even with the persistent losses, Bowdoin comes out each week willing to do whatever it takes to win. The rivalry with Colby is a bitter one. The game will be ugly and bloody. The Bowdoin seniors will have their moment in the sun with a win that will blind the Bears from their previous shortcomings. It will be glorious.
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