October 27, 2011
Last week, football coach Steve Stetson said, “we’re going to alter little” in the team’s gameplan. But right now it appears that the Continentals aren’t going to experience sustained success with their current strategy.
The Continentals simultaneously put together their worst offensive and best defensive showings of the season in their 13-7 loss to previously winless Colby on Oct. 25. The Continentals dropped under .500 for the first time this season and have lost three straight games.
The Continentals tripled their turnover total for the season. Jordan Eck ’13 threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, and James Stanell ’14 lost two fumbles. But that trend is less likely to continue than their inability to move the ball on offense.
Eck threw for 247 yards on 46 attempts, a measly 5.4 yards per attempt. Stanell gained 44 yards on 14 carries for an average of 3.1 yards per carry. The Continentals put together just one drive longer than four minutes—a six-play, 61-yard effort that led to a missed field goal from 36 yards by Garrett Hoy ’13 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Their best drive of the game was their lone scoring drive, a nine-play, 61-yard sequence that lasted 3:42 and was capped off by a 2-yard score by Stanell. Otherwise, the Continentals didn’t have another drive longer than 31 yards. They have scored 21 points in their last four games, three fewer than their total in their opening-day win against Tufts.
Hamilton’s defensive performance was extraordinarily impressive considering the six turnovers. The defense allowed just 199 yards of offense on 14 possessions. They forced four turnovers, all in the first half, on three picks and a fumble.
It’s clear that the defense doesn’t need to change anything. Their rush defense is allowing 3.6 yards per carry, and their pass defense has picked off four passes and held opponents to a sub-50 percent completion rate. But the offense is going to have to adjust.
Running the ball more would be a start. We saw Stanell have a great deal of success with more touches last season, and he would definitely provide the offense with a spark. That would probably allow the offense to stretch the field more through the air. The vast majority of Eck’s pass attempts have been in front of the sticks, and he has just two completions over 30 yards.
Hamilton’s last three opponents of the season, Williams, Middlebury and Bates, have a combined record of 7-8. Though Williams (3-2) beat Hamilton 38-7 last year, the Continentals have a strong enough defense to keep Williams in check. Furthermore, they won’t have to deal with graduated quarterback Pat Moffitt, who threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns against the Continentals last year.
Hamilton played both Middlebury and Bates close, losing 30-26 to Middlebury and 28-18 to Bates. The Continentals have the talent to finish the season with a 3-0 stretch, it’s just a matter of using that talent well.