Colby College was on a three game winning streak, and was looking like a frontrunner in the conference. Hamilton College was on the road, winless this season, and on a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. All signs were pointing to a blowout loss. But the tides have seemingly turned in the Continentals’ favor as they pulled off a two-score victory over the Mules. In front of a crowd of 1750 — almost 80% of Colby’s student body — Hamilton College (0–5) played Colby College (3–2). Pigs must be flying as the Continentals won their first game of the season, scoring the upset by a score of 17–6.
The first quarter started with a Colby drive going deep into Hamilton territory, but a critical fourth down stop with a pass breakup by defensive back and kicker Tighe Hoey ’25 turned the ball over to the Continentals on downs. Hamilton then started on their own 32 and went three and out with a 44-yard punt by Hoey. Hoey once again created an important pass break up on Colby’s Cormac Wright ’26 to end a short drive at the Continentals 13. Throughout this game, Hoey was Hamilton’s version of Travis Hunter, a two-way player impacting the game on both offense and defense.
Hamilton started a long six-minute drive that ended in a blocked field goal from the Continentals 45 by Colby’s Andrew Hart ’25. After an uneventful first quarter, Colby kicked a 39 yard field goal after a quick drive — half of the total points that the Hamilton defense would allow over the course of the game. A few incompletions from Hamilton quarterback Luke Kurzum ’27 and Colby’s Thomas Keeling ’23 led to quick swaps of possessions. A fumble recovery on the Mules ’36 by Hamilton’s Hayden Zeller ’24 in the final four minutes of the half led to Hamilton’s first points of the night: Kurzum completed an incredible 34 yard pass to Lucas Perez-Segnini ’25 for the touchdown. This was Perez-Segnini’s second touchdown of the season. A few meaningless possessions for both teams ended the half, with Hamilton leading at the break for the first time this season.
Going into the second half of the game with a 7–3 lead, Hamilton tried to keep their foot on the gas, but they went three and out. A few possessions later, Colby was able to put together a drive to the Continentals 8-yard line but were stopped and had to settle for a field goal thanks in part to a great defensive effort by Hamilton’s Chase White ’25. The Hamilton defense would not allow them to score again; long drives by the offense and strong defensive plays ensured that the Continentals stayed in front. A long drive into the fourth quarter ended in a 13-yard rush by Kurzum for Hamilton’s second touchdown. Kurzum’s strong performance may help the Continentals’ quarterback search as the team has rotated through three this season. The next meaningful drive occurred with nine minutes left in the game with a six-minute drive ending in a Hamilton field goal from 33 yards out. This would be the final blow as the game ended with Hamilton kneeling to run out the clock, sealing a 17–6 victory.
Hamilton’s most impactful players of the game were from the defense. Hamilton limited the Mules to 12 first downs, with Colby’s offense going 0 for 3 on fourth down conversions. The six points Colby was able to score were the fewest the Continentals have allowed in a game since a 16–6 win against Williams on Oct. 29, 2016. Cole Rivell ’24 led Hamilton with nine tackles. He is tied for second in the NESCAC with 55 stops. Hoey broke up three passes and averaged 37.9 yards on seven punts. He landed four of those punts inside the Mules’ 20-yard line, consistently forcing Colby to start their drives from near their own goal line. This is not to discredit Kursum, who had one of his best performances of the season, completing 15 of 22 passes for 143 yards, and gaining 62 on the ground. The rushing touchdown was his first. Hamilton’s next game is at home against the Tufts Jumbos at 1 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Steuben Field.
