Trouble at the starting line: Football falls to Carnegie Mellon 28-7 in season opener

Heman Duplechan | Contributing Reporter

The Washington University football team struggled to impose themselves on both sides of the ball, opening their season with a 28-7 loss against Carnegie Mellon University Saturday.

The game started well for the Bears, and the offense pieced together a couple of first downs before eventually being forced to punt. However, that first drive was a sign of false comfort, as Wash. U. struggled to get good field position throughout the rest of the game.

Sophomore defensive back Jeff Marek makes a tackle aganist a player from Carnegie Mellon University during the Washington University football team’s home opener this weekend. Wash. U., which graduated most of its starting offense last year, struggled offensively in the game, losing 28-7.Courtesy of James Byard / Wustl Photos

Sophomore defensive back Jeff Marek makes a tackle aganist a player from Carnegie Mellon University during the Washington University football team’s home opener this weekend. Wash. U., which graduated most of its starting offense last year, struggled offensively in the game, losing 28-7.

“It was very much a field position game,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “We couldn’t get [good field position] with our special teams or kickoff returns…and there were also one or two big plays that really hurt us.”

With each drive starting deep in the Bears’ own territory, the Wash. U. offense struggled to find a good rhythm. Carnegie Mellon’s offense, meanwhile, put on a clinic in the first half. With Alex Cline—the Tartans’ quarterback—heading a fast-paced, run-heavy offense, Wash. U.’s defense struggled to keep up for most of the game.

“Our thought process is to always stop the run,” Kindbom said. “But then, of course, we gave up a few passes early. That’s always the thing with trying to stop the run: Teams will try and spring passes on you.”

Carnegie Mellon opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run, capping an impressive nine-play, 90-yard drive.

Wash. U. would continue to go three-and-out for the majority of the half, completing only three of 19 third-down attempts on the day.

Carnegie Mellon’s offense, however, continued to click on all cylinders. Cline and wide receiver John Prather established a lethal connection, as Cline was able to cut through the the Red and Green secondary with deep passes to Prather time and time again. Prather finished the game with 146 receiving yards, one of the biggest reasons the Bears’ defense was forced to stay on the field.

“He had a big game against us last year,” senior cornerback Nate Lowis said. “We were prepared; we just didn’t execute.”

Carnegie Mellon’s success with the run and passing games allowed their offensive coordinators to get creative with their play calling. The Tartans used some perfectly executed quarterback option schemes to set up a one-yard touchdown run from Cline, followed by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Prather that put them up 21-0 at halftime.

Desperate to find some momentum to begin the second half, Wash. U.’s defense locked down and began to make life a bit more difficult for the Carnegie Mellon offense. However, just when Carnegie Mellon’s offense began to sputter, its defense came up with the big play, and a pick-six put the Tartans up 28-0.

Although the scoreline did not look favorable, Wash. U. continued to fight until the final whistle.

“During the second half, everybody stayed positive,” Lowis said.

The Wash. U. offense was able to string together a 10-play, 65-yard drive in the fourth quarter, culminating in a six-yard touchdown run by senior running back David Nees.

The Red and Green now face the tall task of getting back on track before facing the University of Chicago Saturday.

“Obviously, [the Tartans] outplayed us, and they were the better team today,” Lowis said. “We just need to get back to practice and work harder.”

Kindbom still sees a bright future for his team, despite nearly the entire starting offense graduating last year, including a record-setting starting quarterback, a star wide receiver and an all-conference tight end.

“I feel good about this team,” Kindbom said. “We just need to get older fast.”

Experience is often the best teacher, and for the younger Bears, this game will serve as a lesson and a swift introduction to football. Kindbom, for his part, has always believed in letting players learn through repetition and through their own growing process in games.

“I have always believed that you should hand the game over to your players,” Kindbom said. “If they can do what you want them to do on the field, they will begin to see things that you can’t see on the sideline.”

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