Collin Hoyhtya makes a deep catch from QB1 Matt Rush. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

As head coach Aaron Keen brought his team to a huddle at the 50-yard line after Saturday’s game, something in the air felt off. Keen’s players weren’t celebrating their big win in a game that clinched the Bears’ fifth straight season with seven or more wins. As friends and family rushed to the sidelines to greet the players, the mood on Francis Olympic Field was reflective, nostalgic, and maybe even somber. 

“Not many teams in the history of Washington University football have won seven games,” Keen said. “For that to be disappointing to the guys on our roster tells us a lot about this team.” 

The Bears picked up that seventh win on Saturday afternoon with a 35-23 win over Carroll University. Their season is officially over, as rival CCIW programs North Central and Wheaton received bids to the NCAA Division 3 football tournament, while Augustana will play in Culver’s Isthmus Bowl next weekend. While the lack of playoff football this year is a disappointing result for a season where the Bears carried high pre-season expectations, they ended on a good note with a resilient win against an upstart Carroll team.

WashU hit the ground running in the first quarter, as freshman Levi Moore found the end zone for a rushing touchdown. This was the third week in a row in which Moore was successfully deployed for a short-distance goal-line rush, a versatile weapon for a WashU offense that will be without graduate student quarterback Matt Rush next year. At the beginning of the second quarter, Carroll fired back, tying the game at seven with 10 minutes to spare in the half. But WashU drove right back down the field, with Rush finding Collin Hoyhtya for the senior receiver’s final touchdown at WashU. 

RB Kenneth Hamilton races towards the end zone. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

Two minutes before halftime, WashU elected to punt after an unsuccessful drive. Hoping to run out the clock, sophomore punter Andrew Grisack placed a perfect ball within five yards of the end zone. In a turn for the Bears, Carroll’s receiver fumbled the reception, and senior receiver Gabe Sirek jumped on the ball for a turnover in prime Carroll territory. Rush ran in for an easy touchdown to give WashU a two-score lead. A last-minute Carroll field goal brought the game to 21-10 at halftime.  

After a touchdown reception from junior Kenneth Hamilton extended the Bears’ lead to 17 at the onset of the third, Carroll came storming back. Carroll found the end zone at the end of the third quarter, but missed the extra point, making the score 28-16. After taking possession back and driving downfield, Hamilton fumbled and Carroll recovered the football. It took just one play for the Pioneers to score, as Carroll receiver Mikey Coleman took a pass for 43 yards to the house. Now, with WashU up by just five points, the game became very tense — and the sizable legion of Carroll fans, who seemingly made the trip all the way from Waukesha, Wisconsin, became very loud. 

Despite the mounting pressure, the Bears didn’t quit.

“We put ourselves in some bad positions during the game,” Keen said. “But I was really proud of the way our guys handled it mentally. They didn’t tuck tail and run or dump their heads down in situations where it would be really easy to do so.”

When freshman defensive lineman Henry Murr appeared to intercept a Carroll pass in the fourth quarter, it seemed like WashU got their big break. But the referee threw a flag against WashU for roughing the passer, overturning Murr’s pick and moving the play up 15 yards. A subsequent Carroll reception brought the play to the goal line, where it looked like Carroll could take the lead. 

No matter what the Pioneers’ offense called, however, the Bears were able to stop them. Carroll tried everything they could, including an incomplete pass broken up by junior Andrew Dotson and even Carroll’s own version of the Philadelphia Eagles’ famed “tush push” play — everything, stuffed by the WashU defense. As junior Josh Hartman brought down Carroll’s running back on fourth down, the WashU sideline went berserk, and the fans in the stands behind them matched their energy. On the next drive, the Bears moved into Carroll territory before Hamilton ran the football in for a game-sealing 22-yard touchdown. With a 35-23 lead, the Bears held on for the last minute, ending the season on a high. 

With their win on Saturday, Bears football finishes their 2023 season with a 7-3 record. The Bears recorded wins against Hendrix, Millikin, Carthage, North Park, Illinois Wesleyan, Elmhurst, and Carroll, while falling to Augustana, North Central, and Wheaton. WashU’s three losses came to the three teams that finished above them in conference standings. 

  Before the game, WashU honored football’s fourteen graduating seniors and fifth-year students, fueling a lot of the nostalgia at Francis following the game. Many key contributors from this season’s team, including Rush, Hoyhtya, Sirek, kicker Chris Vartanian, and linebacker Matthew Schmal, have likely played their final game in a WashU uniform. This senior class had their NCAA eligibility most directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, a quality which Keen believes is a testament to the seniors’ investment in the program. As WashU football looks to the future, the graduating class will forever look back fondly on their time as WashU football student-athletes. 

“This team is a group of guys that pour themselves into hard work and into bettering each other,” Hoyhtya said. “[WashU football] is going to go down as one of the best experiences of my life.”

The Bears line up in formation against the Carroll University Pioneers during senior day. (Sam Powers | Student Life)