The Bears improved to 5-3 on the season after defeating UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University 16-8 one the opening weekend of UAA play.

The Tartans were limited to only 50 yards of passing for the entire game and did not score until 4:05 left in the fourth quarter.

WU’s special teams unit made its presence felt on the very first play of the game, with Sophomore Greg Larson forcing and recovering a fumble. With this fumble recovery, the Bears started their first drive of the game at Carnegie Mellon’s 22-yard line.

The offense only needed five plays to get into the end zone. Sophomore Jim O’Brien put the Bears on top, 7-0, on a two-yard touchdown run.

In the first quarter, the Tartans were forced to punt three times and had an average starting position of their own 17-yard line.

A 30-yard pass from quarterback Buck Smith to senior tight end Miles Chan early in the second quarter set up the Bears’ next score. Brandon Rogalski’s 30-yard field goal, with 9:36 left in the half, extended the score to 10-0.

Reminiscent of the opening play, Carnegie Mellon fumbled the following kickoff. Sophomore Alex Akman recovered the ball on the Carnegie 21-yard-line, setting the Bears up with another great opportunity to score

“Special teams played a major role in the game. The two turnovers with our kickoff units provided us with an early lead and great change of field position. It was important that we came out of the gate quickly, and we did,” Head Coach Larry Kindbom said.

However, Tartan linebacker Socrates Zacharias intercepted Smith’s 3^rd-and-13 pass, ending the drive. Carnegie Mellon would be stopped on 4^th-and-1 at Washington’s 11-yard-line on their ensuing drive, a crucial play for the defense.

“Our coaches consider a fourth-down stop a turnover, and it really is. It’s a big deal when you can get a fourth-down stop like that. Luckily, we were able to do that,” senior defensive back Drew Makar said.

On their next possession, the Tartans again looked to score. With only 15 seconds left in the first half, kicker Colin Marks attempted a 25-yard field goal, hoping to put points on the scoreboard. Makar came from the outside and blocked the kick, preserving the shutout. The block was his third of the season.

“It kept the game a two-possession game by blocking the kick, so I think that was pretty important for our team. In terms of how I’m doing it, I think it’s just a matter of getting off the ball and getting a jump,” Makar added.

Another big passing play came from Smith in the third quarter, a 53-yard pass to sophomore Tom Gulyas. The very next play went into the end zone, a two-yard touchdown pass to junior Greg Lachaud. Rogalski missed the extra point attempt, but Wash. U. was ahead 16-0 midway through the third quarter.

Carnegie Mellon would not go quietly. After taking advantage of a Wash. U. fumble, the Tartans put together a three-play scoring drive, getting into the end zone on a 31-yard pass. The two-point conversion was successful, cutting the Bears’ 16-point lead in half.

Wash. U. would hold on to the lead for the final four minutes, winning the game.

Washington’s offense put up 319 total yards, while Smith finished the game 23-of-31 for 226 yards through the air.

The Bears will try to add to a two game winning streak on the road next weekend against the University of Chicago.

“Our youth is starting to mature, our depth has grown, and our experience is getting healthy. At this point of the season, we need to just come out and play, have fun and compete,” Kindbom said. 

“This team will be very different than last year’s squad,” Head Coach Larry Kindbom said. “We feel our defense is solid and has big play capabilities. Our offense is young, but we have some strong returning leaders in some key positions,” Kindbom added.

“I think the defense is going to be spectacular. Our secondary is going to be amazing. We’re going in with the mindset that we have a top-five defense in the country,” senior co-captain Adam Hartzler said. “We’re going to leave our mark. This year, we might be the best defense in four years,” Hartzler added; he and classmate Brent Sensenich, who is also a co-captain, lead the defense.

Kindbom said of the defense, “We have several ‘veterans’ that are exerting a strong, positive leadership to the talented underclassmen. More than just being good encouragers, though, they are making plays in practice every day.”

A strong defense truly empowers the offense as well. “We’re practicing against a Top-15 defense,” senior quarterback Buck Smith said. “It’s definitely great to play behind such an opportunistic defense. It allows you to step onto the field and take risks.”

As a junior, Smith threw for 1,891 yards with 13 touchdowns, a personal best. Now in his final year, Smith will have a completely new receiving core. To improve on last year’s season, he will need to establish a connection with these players immediately.

Getting an early start, Smith spent his summer at the University, running plays with the new starting receivers and trying to establish familiarity. “It’s a growing process for the wide receivers, a comfort level that will build through practice,” Smith said.

This inexperience shows heavily in the offensive line. “We lost two really good seniors from the line,” Smith said. After being sacked 24 times last year, Smith will need to trust in an offensive line with little experience. However, the trust and confidence will come, he believes, in practice.

The road to the playoffs will not be easy for the Bears. Being a Pool B team, winning the UAA conference does not automatically earn Washington University a playoff spot. In fact, even with a perfect record, there is no guarantee that the team will get a spot in the postseason.

“It’s all about who you beat and how you beat them,” Smith said bluntly. With a tough schedule featuring ranked teams such as Wabash College, Wittenberg University and Case Western Reserve University, the Bears should have plenty of opportunities to make a case for a playoff bid.

“I’m excited for the challenge. We’re going to go out there and compete with them. To be honest, it’ll be a fun way to end out my career,” Hartzler said.

The team’s first game is Sept. 6, at home against Greenville. When asked about this game, Hartzler said, “There’s nothing quite like that feeling of getting ready for that first game of the season. The first play of the game. Knowing that this is my last go-around, it will be an emotional time.  It’s going to be awesome.”