Team reactions

“It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s all kind of a blur right now. I can’t even describe it.”
—junior Kelsey Robb

“Once you are fortunate enough to experience one [championship] and then it’s been about 10 years, you realize how hard, how special, how much you must have a little left, how fortunate you are to have that magical chemistry, and you try so hard…Once you separate yourself, you realize how special this is.”
—head coach Nancy Fahey

Even when I was shooting those last free throws, I was thinking [that] it’s still not over. I just couldn’t believe it until the confetti started falling, and it was real confetti, not the confetti in my dreams…To get to the goals that you set, it feels so good.
—graduate student Jaimie McFarlin

I had to wait ‘til the buzzer sounded before I could actually believe this was happening. I was still in shock when the buzzer went off. We hope we left you with a little piece of the legacy that we hope to establish here.
—senior Janice Evans

It’s kind of hard to describe this feeling that we just had with the team, that no matter what was going to happen, we were going to be able to overcome it and win the game.
—sophomore Claire Schaeperkoetter

Fan reactions

Fans either went on fan buses or drove themselves to support the Lady Bears.

Coming back from down 12 with eight minutes to go in the first game, I’m going to be honest, I thought we were going to lose. The girls held through, and they played a great game.
—senior Tim Machan of the Phi Delta Theta Bomb Squad on his favorite memory

When we won, the confetti was falling on the team…the pictures and all the cheering…Overall, it was an awesome experience.
—freshman Justin Eisenberg on his favorite memory

Senior offensive lineman Jared Daiber prepares for the snap during a 23-0 victory against Rhodes College. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

For seniors Tim Machan, a defensive back, and Jared Daiber, an offensive lineman, the football season is far from over. Despite a 28-8 loss in the last game of Washington University’s 2009 season, the two will be playing one more game.

Machan and Daiber have been selected to play in the 2009 Tazón de Estrellas, on Saturday, Dec. 19, on the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de México near Mexico City.

“It is almost like having two last games,” Daiber said. “It was nice to have my last game with [Washington University], the team that I’m closest to and the team that I really know the teammates the best, but it was also good to know that it wasn’t really my last game and that I get to play one more time.”

The two have known about their nominations since early November.

“It means a lot. I was nominated by [Coach Kindbom], so it means that he had the confidence in me and the belief in me that I was a good enough player to represent our team and our country for the Division III level,” Machan said.

Senior Tim Machan returns a punt in a 23-0 victory vs. Rhodes College on Oct. 3. Machan ended the season with three interceptions and 43 solo tackles. Two Bears football players, Daiber and Machan, have been selected to play in the 2009 Tazón de Estrellas in Mexico this month. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

The game pits an NCAA Division III all-star team, Team Stars and Stripes, against Mexico’s best college players. Tec Monterrey is the premier private university system in Mexico. Its teams have captured eight of the past 10 Liga Major football national championships.

“They don’t have divisions for their college teams, so we’ll be playing pretty much the best [players] that they have,” Daiber said. “It’s a little intimidating, but I’m pretty excited.”

Team Stars and Stripes is composed of players representing a total of 35 universities from 20 states. The roster was announced on Dec. 2.

“I’ve always played with some really good players…but I’m pretty excited,” Daiber said. “It’ll be really interesting to play on a team where everybody really knows what they’re doing. If we get to know each other the week that we’re [in Mexico], it’ll be fun to see what we can do.”

The team will practice at the Tec Monterrey (CEM) facility in Atizapán de Zaragoza near Mexico City, from Dec. 14-18. During the week, they also will visit the Aztec Pyramids and the nation’s capital.

“I’ve never been to Mexico,” Machan said.

Machan was second in tackles (67) and interceptions (three) for the Bears this season. A first-team all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection in 2007 and 2009 at defensive back, he has registered 183 career tackles and ranks seventh in school history with 12 interceptions.

“It’s a reward for a good career,” Machan said. “I’ve started for three years, played a lot of football here at Wash. U. and I think it’s a recognition of my efforts. Like I said, I am very honored and by no means have felt entitled to something like this.”

Daiber started all 10 games for the Bears this season, earning a second-team all-UAA selection. He is a three-time UAA All-Academic Team selection.

“Linemen don’t really have any stats, so it’s kind of hard to be honored,” Daiber said. “You don’t really get shout-outs, or you’re not really often player of the week…so it’s really nice to be recognized for my individual accomplishments.”

A crowd of around 10,000 is expected to attend the game.

“That’s a lot more people than I’ve ever played in front of,” Machan said. “It’s going to be a big crowd, a big atmosphere for a game, and I get to represent America and Wash. U.”

Junior Tom Gulyas rushes forward in an Oct. 17 game against the College of Wooster. Gulyas had a game-high four catches for 40 yards in a 21-13 loss to Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

“Special teams…is really no different than offense or defense. We’ve been playing well but not well enough long enough,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “I think if you play well enough long enough, you score more points, you get more shutdowns and then you don’t have the quirky kind of things that we had on special teams.”

On a 55-yard CMU punt with 1:14 left in the third quarter, senior defensive back Tim Machan fumbled the catch at the Wash. U. 10-yard line. The Tartans recovered, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown rush a minute later.

The Bears’ ensuing possession ended with the same result. Sophomore punter Austin Morman fumbled a bad snap from junior offensive lineman J.J. Gotlieb, which was also recovered by Carnegie Mellon.

Starting at the Bears’ 15-yard line, it only took two plays to take the lead. A 2-yard rush put the Tartans on top for good, 14-13.

“Our defense puts a big emphasis on when we’re put in a bad situation…where the opposing offense gets the ball inside the [20-yard line]. We really stress holding them to a field goal or getting turnovers,” junior defensive back Brandon Brown said. “We just couldn’t come up with those stops yesterday.”

CMU put together a 75-yard, 8:32 touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. The 15-play series consisted of 14 carries, ending on a 1-yard touchdown run.

“After the second touchdown, it was 14-13. We were losing. It wasn’t a question of anything, at that point, other than the offense has to score more points,” junior runningback Jim O’Brien said. “We just knew that no matter what, we had to get on the [scoreboard] again. For whatever reason, we couldn’t do that.”

Given possession with only 1:36 left in the game, junior quarterback Stephen Sherman’s desperation pass was picked off, securing victory for the Tartans.

“It was just hard to come back,” Morman said. “Once they had momentum, we kept fighting, but it just didn’t work out.”

Despite holding the Tartan passing offense to only 30 yards, the Bears defense allowed 234 rushing yards.

“The defense played lights out the first [three quarters],” Brown said. “The rest of the game, I don’t know what happened, but, the momentum shifted from us being up 13-0 to them getting that quick touchdown and getting right back in the game. They took it from there.”

Senior co-captain Andrew Berryman led the team with 13 tackles, while Machan had nine. Brown and sophomore linebacker Kyle Larkin each added eight tackles.

The Bears took the lead early in the first quarter. O’Brien broke loose on Wash. U.’s second play of the game for a 42-yard rush. Junior Tim Johnson ended the drive with a 36-yard field goal.

“We had to settle for some field goals and didn’t sustain [many] drives,” O’Brien said. “A huge difference in that game was that we just couldn’t finish once we got down in the red zone…with touchdowns.”

Senior halfback Greg LaChaud caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 12:30 left in the second quarter, pushing the score to 10-0.

Johnson hit another field goal, this time from 27 yards out, 8:33 through the third quarter. The Tartans took the lead minutes later.

“When you’re in control of a football game, at some point you have to put it away,” Kindbom said. “If you don’t, you’re just leaving the door of opportunity open for that other team.”

Washington University (3-5, 0-1) takes on the University of Chicago (4-3, 0-1) on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the final home game of the season. The team’s 14 seniors will be honored shortly before kickoff at 1 p.m.

Tim Machan returns an interception against Rhodes College on September 4. Machan led the Bears with eight tackles in a 23-0 win. (Joshua Goldman | Student Life)

In a must-win game against Rhodes College Saturday, Oct. 4th, senior defensive back Tim Machan perhaps made the biggest play of the day only seven minutes into the game. With the Lynx driving into the red zone, Machan intercepted a pass into the end zone, returning it 33 yards. The Lynx would be shutdown for the rest of the game. Machan’s interception and team-leading eight tackles earned him Student Life’s Male Athlete of the Week.

Student Life: Take us back through that interception.

Tim Machan: I think they were down to like the 10-yard-line. We were in a zone coverage. I just got a good read on my receiver’s route, got my eyes back to the quarterback and saw the ball coming. I stepped up, and I got a nice return…I think there was one guy I had to beat and I would’ve been gone.

SL: That big of a play has to do something for not only the defense, but for the entire team. What kinds of things were you hearing and seeing after that interception?

TM: It had been the first moment this year where I felt that the team really kind of collectively celebrated. Even in the Westminster game, we had flashes of it…but it really seemed to kind of bring everyone together and then move forward together, and we just dominated the rest of that game.

SL: Just a small fact, but that interception put you at No. 10 for career interceptions at Wash. U.. Does that mean anything to you?

TM: Not right now. Maybe in 10 or 20 years, when I’m telling my kids or my nephews and nieces about it, that’ll be something I’ll enjoy, but right now, it’s not all that important to me. In that game, we had four people get interceptions. That’s the more important stat, when we succeed as a team and as a defense. I’d be lying to say that it’s not fun, but that’s not why I play football.

SL: What are you looking to do every time you step onto the field for a game?

TM: When we take the field, what I’m looking to do is “use my techniques and play my assignment”, and that’s something that I hadn’t always done. At the beginning of this year, I had struggled a little bit, but when I got back to that, I noticed a difference in my play. It’s not worrying about the statistics, it’s not worrying about the big hit, it’s worrying about the little things you have to do; where you line up, what your first movement is, who you’re reading, how long your eyes are there before you’re back to the quarterback. When you focus on those things, then big plays come.

SL: It’s your senior season; you only have a few games left. What is something you want to accomplish by the end of the season?

TM: I want to win a UAA championship. That’s something that hasn’t been done since I’ve been here. The guys who graduated last year hadn’t done it. The guys who graduated the year before had done it as freshmen. My brother was in that class…and that’s something that is important to me.

Tim Machan and the Bears take on undefeated No.11 Wabash College this Saturday, Oct. 10.

Junior running back Jim O’Brien eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards in a Wash. U. 23-0 pounding of Rhodes College. O’Brien ran for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

Junior runningback Jim O’Brien answered those questions on Saturday, earning a career-high 146 rushing yards in the team’s 23-0 win over Rhodes College (2-3).

“[The win] added another level of confidence for the team,” O’Brien said. “Just knowing that we’re going to [stumble] no matter what…and just knowing that we can rebound like that shows a lot about the team and how we carry ourselves.”

The Bears (2-2) ran for a net 222 yards, a season high, and had a 378-273 offensive advantage over Rhodes.

“One of the stresses that we had early…this week was to come out fast and come out strong,” O’Brien said.

On the opening possession of the game, Rhodes threatened to score. With the ball at Wash. U.’s 9-yard line and positive yardage gained on all 13 plays of the drive, a touchdown seemed inevitable.

Senior defensive back Tim Machan intercepted an end-zone pass and returned it to the 33-yard line. The Bears had four interceptions in the game, while Machan led the defense with eight total tackles.

“We knew that we were backed up against the wall…in any situation, you’re hoping for a turnover, but we were just hoping to force a field goal,” Machan said. “Then the quarterback kind of overthrew the ball and I was in the right position for it.”

O’Brien took over the first quarter. With 4:25 left in the quarter, he punched in a 2-yard touchdown to give the Bears the lead. O’Brien’s 37-yard rush previously on the drive set up the score.

In the first half alone, O’Brien picked up 78 yards on nine carries. His performance broke the career 1,000-yard rushing mark.

“I think yesterday I just was able to get out into open space a little bit more,” O’Brien said.”The [offensive] line was just creating the holes…so I definitely give 100 percent credit to the line.”

An unsuccessful Lynx fake-punt led to Wash. U.’s next touchdown. Junior quarterback Stephen Sherman found sophomore receiver Easton Knott wide open in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown reception.

Senior halfback Greg Lachaud tacked on another six points with a 1-yard touchdown rush with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The seven-play, 76-yard drive came entirely on the ground.

Up 20-0 with 3:20 left in the game, sophomore Brandon Rogalski sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal. The field goal was the Bears’ first successful kick in seven games.

“It feels very good to get the shutout, having the offense put points on the board, and the defense plays well,” Machan said.

Sophomore punter Austin Morman was key in the win, averaging 43.2 yards per kick, while Sherman went 11 for 17 for 113 yards and a touchdown.

“We went into the game knowing that field position and special teams were going…to be a big part of winning the game,” Morman said. “I just tried to put [the ball] as far back, inside the [20-yard line], as I could and hopefully giving the defense good position, so they could play as well as they did.”

The Bears will travel to Crawfordsville, Ind., on Saturday to take on No. 12 Wabash College (4-0).

“Yeah, they’re ranked…but we’ve got a feel for them,” O’Brien said. “We know that they’re not superhuman…that they’re just like us; that they’re just going out there to play.”