October 18, 2012
Down 13-7 with under eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter against Bowdoin last Saturday, the Hamilton offense took control of the ball at its own 33 yard-line. A disappointing 0-4 start to the 2012 campaign loomed in the not-so-distant future, but first-year Head Coach Andrew Cohen and his Continentals refused to panic.
They stuck to the script and turned to what they know best: running the football. Tailback James Stanell ’14 and quarterback Jeff Hopsicker ’15 combined for 26 yards on five consecutive rushing plays, including a pivotal conversion on third down and four, to keep the chains moving in to Polar Bear territory. With just under sixth minutes left, Hamilton’s hard-nose ground attack had pushed the Bowdoin defense back on its heels, creating an ideal big play opportunity for an offense that has desperately lacked in that department all season long.
Selling the run for the sixth straight time on first and ten, Hopsicker faked a pitch to Simon Jia ’16, made himself comfortable in a well-fortified pocket, and then rifled a deep ball down the sideline
to a streaking Joe Jensen.
Jensen, the speedy sophomore wideout who snagged his first career touchdown in the season opener against Amherst on September 22, corralled Hopsicker’s heave of faith just as his lanky limbs crossed the goal line. Garrett Hoy ’13 sure-footedly chipped in the extra point, and, all of a sudden, Hamilton found itself in the lead for the first time in two weeks. Once they took the lead, they refused to give it back.
“Jensen came up with a big catch,” Hopsicker said in what can only be described as an understatement. “Coach made the call for us to go deep, and everyone carried out their assignments. James [Stanell] and the line made great blocks and all the receivers ran great routes. It was a great offensive team play.”
Saturday featured a great team defensive effort for Hamilton, too. All-NESCAC performer Dan Peters ’13 registered the Conts’ first interception of the season the fifth of his career while fellow NESCAC standout Mike MacDonald ’13 notched a season high 16 tackles.
MacDonald led a front seven that easily posted its best performance of the season thus far, holding Bowdoin’s rushers to just over 100 yards on Saturday. Hamilton’s defense was torched for over 300 rushing yards per game in the season’s first three weeks, allowing an unsustainable average of 42 points per contest.
Saturday’s game was also notable because it marked the first matchup between Coach Cohen and his former team. Cohen served as the Polar Bears’ defensive coordinator in 2011 before replacing Steve Stetson as
Hamilton’s head honcho for 2012.
“Coach knew about some of the personnel that they had,” Hopsicker explained when asked about the extent to which Cohen’s having worked for Bowdoin helped the Continentals prepare for Saturday’s game. “We were able to better familiarize ourselves with them.”
The Continentals’ first victory was especially gratifying considering the drubbing that the team received at the hands of the undefeated Trinity Bantams in front of a home Alumni Weekend crowd on Oct. 6.
“It felt great to get in the win column,” reflected Hopsicker, who relieved senior southpaw Jordan Eck in the fourth quarter after having served as the Continentals’ starter for the first three games. “It was a great team win and I think it will give us more confidence and momentum going into the next game.”
Hamilton will make the NESCAC’s longest possible road trip this weekend when they they pay a visit to the 0-4 Colby Mules. A win on Saturday will set Hamilton up perfectly to get back to .500 in front of the hometown fans against Williams on Oct. 27.
In order to make that happen, Hopsicker said, “we need to continue to get better, execute our assignments, and play hard for the whole game.”