The Yeomen were dealt a tough Homecoming defeat last Saturday against the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops, falling 29–16. The game, which celebrated the Yeomen’s 125th year of football, left the team in search of its first win as it dropped to 0–4 overall and 0–3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

“It was a rough loss because we were in it with them the entire time,” said first-year defensive tackle Justin Godfrey. “At any point either of us could’ve pulled ahead.”

The first half offered a promising start for the Yeomen who were only down 14–13 by its end. But the team stalled on offense during the second half as it was outscored by the Bishops 15–3.

Despite Oberlin possessing the ball for over 31 minutes, the Bishops dominated the Yeomen in total yardage, 429–263. Senior co-captain and wide receiver Justin Cruz cited issues with consistency and cohesion as the Yeomen’s major troubles.

“We’ve got to play four quarters of football — and that’s more of a mental thing, I guess,” Cruz said. “There’s games where we don’t show up in the first half necessarily, and then we show up in the second half, or vice versa.”

Still, the weekend offered ample opportunity for newcomers to find their footing. First-year defensive back Jubreel Hason made his first career start Saturday, finishing with a team-high 12 tackles with one sack.

“I think our defense played better than we’ve played in our last three games which is awesome,” said first-year defensive lineman Justin Godfrey. “We really stepped up this game.”

As the team approaches the halfway point in its season this weekend, Head Coach Jay Anderson sees much room for improvement. Last year, the team had its fair share of struggles as well, finishing 3–7 overall and 3–6 in the NCAC.

“I don’t think that we’re playing a good brand of football right now,” Anderson said. “I think that we have to compete to try and get better.”

Anderson echoed Cruz’s comments on the team’s consistency, saying the team could improve by “being more consistent across the board in all three phases, playing better offensively, staying on schedule, making plays and scoring touchdowns.”

The Yeomen hope to turn their momentum around in their next game against the Allegheny College Gators in Meadville, PA, tomorrow. The Gators are 0–4 overall and 0–3 in conference play.

With a three-year winning streak over the Gators on the line tomorrow, the Yeomen will look to duplicate their success from last year when they rolled past Allegheny 48–9. Traditionally, this battle against the Gators has been a momentous one for the Yeomen — last year, they set the school record for 690 offensive yards during the game.

“This week against Allegheny is actually really big for us,” Cruz said. “If we could come out with a win and get some momentum going for our other games that would be great.”

Anderson is also enthusiastic about the team’s chances.

“I’ve got this great plan,” Anderson said. “It’s called winning.”