Middlebury offense sputters in 20-7 defeat Blocked punt by Dom DiDomenico '06 leads to only Panther touchdown

Author: Jonathan Brand

Even before the game started, everything went awry at Alumni Stadium on Saturday. A transformer blew out on campus and the press box lost power, rendering the scoreboard inoperable for the first three quarters. By the time power was regained and the board came on in the fourth quarter -displaying a 14-0 lead for Colby - the game was effectively over. Middlebury's offense proved unreliable in their biggest challenge of the season so far, falling at home to Colby in the season opener, 20-7.

The offense has been the Achilles heel for Middlebury (0-2) this season, and they did not perform well against unquestionably the best defense in NESCAC. They failed to score any points and turned the ball over three times against a Colby defense that allowed a stingy 8.1 points per game last season.

Quarterback Tiger Lyon '07 seemed uncomfortable throughout the game and threw two interceptions, including one that Colby defensive back Mike Bracco returned for a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Lyon finished the day having completed 20 of 26 passes for 172 yards. Stefan Hrdina '07, who ran for a whopping 238 yards last week, gained 96 yards on the ground.

"We were able to get some things going but we always seemed to stall when it really counted," Hrdina said of the offense's inability to produce.

Colby (2-0) looked as if they would demolish the Panthers early after backup quarterback John Bateman found tight end Roddy Ames deep down the field for a 44-yard touchdown on the first series of the game. But the Middlebury defense kept the score relatively respectable, settling in after the quick score in the first quarter to keep the game close as the Panthers went into halftime down 7-0.

"Our defense played extremely well and gave us the opportunity to win the game," Hrdina said.

In fact, it was the defense that managed to put points on the scoreboard for Middlebury in this game. In the fourth quarter, Colby punter John Goss bobbled a low snap at his own 31-yard line and Scott Secor '07 broke through the offensive line to block the punt. Nathan Shreve '08 scooped the ball up at the seven-yard line and ran it across the goal line to pull the Panthers within two scores, but the scoring started and ended there.

Middlebury has not started 0-2 since the 2003 season, when they opened with losses versus Wesleyan and Colby. However, their season could take a turn for the better over the next few weeks, as they play teams who currently have a combined record of 1-5. The Panthers have proven their defense consistently, but the offense must start contributing for the team to have a chance at an even remotely successful season.

Hrdina feels the team can start to make those changes, however. "The coaches are putting us in the right place and it is on us to make it happen," he said, "So it's going to have to be our performance and execution that improve."