Last Saturday, Colby Football traveled to Hamilton, NY for their longest road trip of the season, hungry for a win. The Continentals defeated the Mules last year on Homecoming weekend after the One Colby protest delayed play.
Hamilton came into the game with a 2–3 record after beating Williams last week at their place. The Mules came in with the opposite record of 3–2 after a successful homestand against Amherst the previous week. A win for each team would provide peace of mind heading into the later stages of the season.
Hamilton managed to charge the ball down the field for a 1st and Goal at Colby’s 8 yard line; however, a penalty slowed them down and they settled for the field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Matt Hersch `23 did not respond well, throwing an interception on his second passing attempt of the day.
With their offense scoring on the first drive of the game and defense securing a key turnover, the Continentals took the ball back into Colby’s half with momentum on their side. Hamilton’s quarterback made short gains, completing passes and taking it himself and eventually handed it off at Colby’s 6 for the touchdown. The extra point was missed, putting the Continentals up 9–0 early in the game.
Colby’s next drive was unsuccessful. The team resorted to a punt, with Lowel Carr `24 pinning Hamilton at their own 18. Despite the momentum, Hamilton was unable to produce anything, punting the ball themselves. Colby started the drive at their own 45.
Hersch relied on the feet and hands of Keon Smart `24 to carry the Mules to Hamilton’s 20; however, a blocked field goal attempt kept Colby scoreless. The Continentals followed up the defensive play with a field goal of their own, increasing their lead to 12–0.
The Mules were finally able to sneak the ball through the uprights to make the score 12-3 going into the half. Colby needed to make some adjustments to contain Hamilton and overcome the two-score deficit in the second half.
The Mules came out of the locker room with a turnover on downs; however, following a Hamilton punt, Hersch completed a 29-yard touhdown pass to Jack Sawyer `25, cutting the deficit to 12–10. Colby finally managed to reign in the Continental’s offense, as the third quarter finished without another score.
To start the fourth quarter, Hersch handed the ball off to Smart, who punched in a touchdown. Sawyer caught the 2-point-conversion to make the score 18–12. The scoreline held for the rest of the game, with Colby successfully managing to overcome a nine-point deficit for their fourth win of the season.
Currently standing at third in the conference, the Mules look forward to traveling to Middlebury next Saturday. The Panthers are ranked second in the NESCAC.
~ Rohan Sinha `24
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