Scott BresslerMaybe all is not lost. Last week, Washington University’s football team suffered a complete blowout, falling to 10th-ranked Wheaton College 55-14. This week, the Bears came from behind to defeat No. 14 North Central 16-13 in Naperville, Ill.
“This week’s win has nothing to do with last week’s loss. We just went out and played,” said senior captain Mike Elliot.
The Bears went into the locker room at halftime trailing 10-0, but a dominant second half gave WU a 16-13 win. The win was Wash. U.’s first win against the Cardinals in four meetings and their first win against a ranked team since 2001, when the Bears defeated Albion College 17-7.
The Bears marched down the field to open the third quarter, capping a 6:48 drive with a Matt Glenn touchdown run from a yard out. The 81 yard drive made the score 10-6 and began a half dominated by the Red and Green. Wash. U. held the ball for 18 of the 30 minutes in the second half en route to their comeback.
With Wash. U. down 13-9 at the 7:38 mark, quarterback Buck Smith led the Bears downfield to the North Central 22. However, four straight incompletions gave North Central the ball with a chance to put away the game. Instead of running on second and eight, quarterback Kyle Kniss threw an interception to Dan Mulholland, which he returned 19 yards to the North Central 14. Mulholland had a particularly successful day, also recovering a fumble in the first half.
Given a second opportunity in Cardinal territory, Smith connected with senior wide receiver Joe Lubelski on fourth and ten for a 14 yard touchdown to make the score 16-13. When asked how the game differed from last week, Head Coach Larry Kindbom stated, “I believe our players just had the resolve to play better at opportune moments.”
Kniss and the Cardinals mounted one final drive downfield, but it ended with another interception by sophomore Tim Machan, his team-leading fifth interception in four games. The Bears then kneeled on the ball to seal the victory.
The Wash. U. defense sparked the offense once again. Both teams gained under 300 yards of total offense, so the late turnovers by NCC were key in the Bear’s comeback.
Elliot explained the defensive game plan, emphasizing that, “Our defense had one goal going into the game: stopping the run. We knew North Central relied heavily on their run game and didn’t have a great throwing quarterback, so we concentrated on stopping the run. Once we were able to do that their offense became much more predictable. We hit them all night, and by the second half, we were able to control the game.”
The Bear defensive strategy clearly worked, as the Cardinals ran for 79 yards and threw for 150 with three turnovers.
The Cardinals also forced three turnovers on defense, but the Bears played a clean final 10 minutes to win the game.
“[This game] reminded them of the importance of football being a team game. Without the defensive stop, we would not have had the opportunity to drive the ball. I know finishing what you start is important if you wish to play for championships. Our players tasted that,” added Kindbom
The Bears begin a three game home stand on Saturday against Rhodes College at 1 p.m. Rhodes leads the all-time series 22-20-1. The fans that traveled to North Central made a big difference and Kindbom is urging everyone who is free to attend the game.
“We need the fans to make this a Washington University celebration,” he said. “They make a difference.”