Second-Half Woes Hand Football Opening Loss

Author: Neil Onsdorff

It was a hazy, cloudy, overcast, intermittently rainy Saturday afternoon as Middlebury College football kicked off its 2002 season. As the sun started to break through towards the end of the second half the Panthers saw their 14-point lead disappear like parking on campus as the team fell to the Wesleyan Cardinals 24 to 21.
It is fair to say that on Saturday the better team did not win the game — the team that possessed the momentum at the end of the game did — and unfortunately for Middlebury fans, it was not the Panthers. Yet, it was not only a game of huge momentum swings but also a game of missed opportunities that most likely caused recurring headaches to Coach Bob Ritter and his staff.
The game marked the first regular season meeting between the two New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foes in three years and featured an All-Vermont quarterback match-up with Middlebury sending in Williams transfer Michael Keenan against Wesleyan's Brannon Carney. Both teams came out of the gates pumped-up and ready for a fight. "I could not wait to finally get out on the field and play with a Panther jersey on," said Keenan. "The big crowd gave me a sense of electricity that I was able to bring to the offense".
Wesleyan brought to the field an extremely liberal offense as on its second play of the game, a 5-yard slant pass turned into a 90-yard track meet which ultimately left the Panthers secondary looking lost. This served as a first half wake-up call for the Panthers defense as it buckled down for the remainder of the half, yielding only 50 more yards in the half and keeping the Cardinals to one negative yard rushing.
The Middlebury offense also looked sharp by taking advantage of both the run and the timely pass to move down the field in the first quarter. The Panthers used a steady diet of run on first and second down and then looked for big plays through the air on third and fourth down.
On the Panthers' first scoring drive, Middlebury was faced with a fourth and long deep in Cardinal territory. The Panthers lined up to kick a field goal but Wesleyan, seeing one-time stud quarterback Denver Smith '03 as holder, called a timeout as it smelled a possible fake kick. Middlebury during the timeout switched the play to quarterback Michael Keenan, who looked fantastic all game. The result was a Keenan completion to wide out Tom Cleaver '04 across the middle for the tying score. Cleaver said, "It was a great game for us, and I was glad to see some passes come my way. Unfortunately we had some timely let downs that really hurt in the momentum department. I look forward to next week to see if we play well for a full 60 minutes".
Cleaver, who scored twice during the game, brings a sensational story as he did not see any action last year because of a season ending injury. All were happy to see him back on the field and able to play football.
Another player who did not play at all last season, or the season before, is middle-linebacker Willis Allen '03, who played himself into the starting lineup for a defense that played great until the end of the third quarter.
That third quarter proved the turning point. After a huge hit on quarterback Keenan, who had to leave the game for a series, Mike Frissora '03 eventually missed a long field goal. With the drive yielding no points, Wesleyan was then able to score two big touchdowns through the air.
As a tough second half came to a close, Middlebury's offense once again stalled and failed to score. A 15-yard punt left the Cardinals with fantastic field position. Then a huge penalty and a heads up quarterback scramble left Wesleyan with only a 25-yard field goal try, which the kicker easily converted to put them ahead 24-21. Middlebury was unable to get close enough and as time expired, so did Middlebury's aspirations of winning its home opener.
The Panthers travel to Waterville, Me., for a showdown with the White Mules of Colby this Saturday. Continuing its difficult NESCAC schedule the Panthers will return home a week from Saturday when they take on the Amherst College Lord Jeffs. The game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Youngman Field