Washington University’s football team didn’t get the outcome they were looking for in their final home game of their season and the final home game of head coach Larry Kindbom’s career. Instead of a triumphant victory to send their seniors off, the Bears suffered a loss against Millikin University, 35-28.

The game started off well for the Bears. They nickel-and-dimed their way down the field, mostly through quick passes from senior quarterback Johnny Davidson. Senior wide receiver Tim Matthiessen caught two short passes on in-breaking routes on back-to-back plays to get the Bears within striking distance. On the third play, Matthiessen executed a double move, faking inside before running a fade towards the corner of the endzone. Davidson found Matthiessen wide open to put the Bears up, 7-0. That was the last snap for Matthiessen. A pulled hamstring would end his day and leave the Bears with fewer options to attack the Millikin defense.

Curran Neenan | Student Life

Quarterback Johnny Davidson is tackled by a Millikin defender. Davidson’s passes accounted for all four Wash. U. touchdowns, but he later threw the decisive interception in overtime.

Millikin received the ball with 12:08 left in the first quarter. They held it for the next nine minutes and three seconds. Nothing about Big Blue’s first drive looked easy. It featured multiple third down conversions and scrambling from their quarterback. However, they slowly but surely edged down the field before running back Richard Cosey ran it into the endzone, tying the game, 7-7.

The second drive for the Bears was far less successful. A sack on third down cemented a three and out. Millikin fared no better in their next drive, giving the ball right back to Wash. U. after four plays. After another three and out by the Bears, Millikin had another long, gritty drive down the field. This one was punctuated with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Smith, putting Millikin up, 14-7.

Wash. U.’s offense was lethargic for most of the second quarter. Millikin loaded the box to stop the run and Wash. U.’s passing game couldn’t get off the ground. Davidson missed throws. When he did place the ball well, his receivers couldn’t hold onto it. Senior running back Emmanuel Engermann dropped a pass and muffed a punt. These small flaws in execution hamstrung the Bears’ attempt to tie the game. The lone bright spot was Davidson’s punting, which controlled the field position battle for the Bears. Late in the second quarter, Davidson pinned Millik1n inside the five-yard line. Big Blue was forced to punt from the shadow of their goal post and only managed to get the ball 30 yards away from the endzone. Davidson took advantage, connecting with senior Nick Watts on a long pass for the game tying touchdown, 14-14.

For Millikin, Cosey ran for 102 yards in the first half. He carried the ball 22 times in the first 30 minutes of the game. Wash. U. only ran 26 plays. Cosey’s workload reflected the different offensive approaches of each team in the game. When Millikin drove the ball down field, it was labored and exhausting for both teams. Wash. U., on the other hand, struck quickly or not at all.

This trend held in the second half. Millikin marched down field before scoring when a receiver turned a slant into a 30-yard touchdown. Wash. U. responded in two plays. Engermann redeemed himself by turning a first down reception into a long game by tiptoeing down the sideline after the catch. Sophomore wide receiver Jared Harrison caught a fade in the endzone on the next play to level the score.

“That’s just how it should be,” Engermann said of his catch and Harrison’s touchdown. “To me, that’s just getting the job done.”

The Bears scored again in the fourth quarter. Tight end Sam Fenske caught a long pass to get the Bears in scoring position that caught another long pass to put the Bears up, 28-21. They didn’t have the lead very long; on the next drive, Millikin plowed their way into the red zone. The drive nearly stalled when junior Peter Pigatti and senior Michael Prescott sacked quarterback Cal Pohrte on third and goal. But on fourth and goal, Pohrte came up clutch, finding his receiver in the end zone for the game typing score.

Neither team could generate any meaningful opportunities in the final minutes of regulation. Wash. U.’s best chance was dislodged from senior Mitchell Groen’s hands on the Bear’s last drive. Groen appeared to have caught the ball, which would have set them up in field goal range. But when he hit the ground, he lost control of it. He came out of the game with concussion-like symptoms shortly after. Groen’s drop sapped the last bit of momentum that Wash. U. had going. The drive stalled out and the teams went into overtime.

Groen and Matthiessen could have been game-changing factors for the Bears. Matthiessen was dominant in his single series. Groen would have been a target for Davidson if he hadn’t sustained a head injury. However, the injuries to these two players could have still been overcome by Wash. U.

“Once you’re into a game, you play,” coach Kindbom said. “You don’t have time to think about it. Could we have done different things? Maybe, but we prepare for this every week. We plan on being in overtime games, being able to play for it. We had a pattern and a plan, and it didn’t work well enough today.”

Millikin got the ball first in overtime and they took care of business. They scored a touchdown, putting the pressure on Wash. U. to respond. Davidson tried to respond quickly, throwing long on first and second down. His first pass was beyond his receiver’s reach. His second was right within the reach of a defender. Millikin intercepted the ball to end the game.

The seniors on the team took the loss hard.

“We didn’t make enough plays at the end of the day and it really sucks to finish on Francis Field with a loss,” senior Jeff Gurley said. “And especially for Coach K[indbom] to not be able to give him that win. It breaks all of our hearts.”

While the loss was difficult, it didn’t detract much away from the reverence and reflection that senior day entails. The opportunity to play on Francis Field and for Coach Kindbom will be more salient for the seniors than the loss will be.

“This is a legendary place,” senior Jeff Marek said. “I remember coming here on my visit and wanting to play down here. So many great memories have been made down here. It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but there’s nothing quite like playing here at Francis. Especially with a guy like Coach K.”

For Coach Kindbom, the game was bittersweet. Not because of the loss, but because of the significance of moving on from Francis Field, a place where he has spent much of his adult life.

“I’m a little sad because I love our fans, I love our university, I like to be able to be here when we play. But how can I feel badly about being blessed for 31 years?”

The Bears will close out their season next week at Augustana College.