The Colby Echo

Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Sports

After falling to a 0-2 record, Colby hopes to rebound against Wesleyan University this weekend in Connecticut.

The Colby Mules football team traveled to Middlebury, Vermont on Sept. 29 in hopes of building on it well-played game the previous weekend against the Trinity Bantams. Unfortunately for Coach Ed Mestieri and the Mules, Middlebury proved to be a tough test. Middlebury quarterback Donald McKillop '11 threw for three touchdowns and ran for one more as the Panthers took advantage of six Mule turnovers and won 41-0 on Saturday.

Middlebury opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 66-yard touchdown run and exploded out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first. Down by 28 points at the half, Colby left itself with an uphill battle for the rest of the game. The Mules moved the ball well in the first half but were plagued by turnovers. McKillop continued hitting his receivers in the second half; throwing for one more touch down and running for another to take a 41-0 lead early in the third quarter and effectively put away the Mules. To the credit of the team, the defense shut out the Panthers the rest of the game and the offense continued to move the ball effectively although it couldn't find the end zone.

Billy Ryan '08 had a nice passing day for the Mules throwing 8-12 for 75 yards. On the receiving side, the Colby quarterbacks spread the ball around evenly to their talented group of receivers. Justin Candon '08 led the group with four catches and Ernie Bove Jr. '10 and Dan Prunier '10 had 30 yards receiving each. Prunier also significantly contributed to the Mules' efforts by rushing the ball a total of 53 yards on eight carries. Mike Cuqua '10 had 12 carries for 51 yards and Captain Chris Bashaw '08 totaled 48 yards on 15 carries. In total, the Mules running backs carried the ball 35 times for an impressive 152 yards. If the coaching staff can continue to be committed to the run, it will reap benefits for Colby later in the year. It should also be noted that the offensive line did a great job opening holes and provided running lanes for the Mules three running backs to all have big days.

In other New England Small College Athletic Conference news, Trinity College beat Williams College 46-40 in OT in a shootout in Hartford, Connecticut. Bowdoin, after gathering a huge win last week against Williams and cementing itself as the surprise team of the NESCAC, slipped up and got pounded by Amherst 30-9. Trinity and Middlebury lead the conference with 2-0s record thus far in the season. Colby will travel to Wesleyan University this weekend to play the Cardinals in a 1:00 p.m. contest. Wesleyan is 1-1 with a loss to Middlebury and a win against Hamilton College. The Mules will look to get back on track and secure a victory before taking on Amherst College at home the on Oct. 13 and then beginning the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin challenge.

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