The Continentals dropped to 1-6 on the season after an unfortunate loss in a tight defensive struggle against Colby College.
Although the teams combined for almost 600 yards of offense, both sides had a hard time making any individual drive go the distance. The defense had one of their best showings yet, holding Colby to only three scores and 242 yards—the fewest they’ve allowed so far this season. The unit also managed to force a fumble and held Colby to just 12 first downs.
The Continentals received the opening kickoff and drove to the edge of the Colby red zone before a turnover on downs. Colby drove the ball back down the field on their first possession, eventually scoring to jump out to a 0-7 lead late in the first quarter. The Continentals orchestrated a long drive that stretched into the second quarter, reaching the Colby 23 before QB Luke Kurzum ’27 threw an interception under heavy pressure. The teams traded punts, but Colby suffered a special teams catastrophe late in the first half when Tami Smart ’28 knocked the ball out of Colby punt returner Cormac Wright’s ’26 hands and scooped it up to send the offense back onto the field at the Colby 4. Kurzum ’27 dashed into the end zone on the first play of the possession to tie up the game 7-7. The teams traded punts again before Colby managed to reach the end zone again after a long run by dual-threat QB Patrick Miller ’29 set them up at the Hamilton 25. Left with only 1:48 in the half, the Continentals couldn’t get a drive going and went back to the locker room down 7-14.
Colby’s opening second-half quickly stalled and was punted away. Shortly after, the Continentals managed to drive downfield, but settled for a chip-shot field goal after failing to convert at the foot of the Colby end zone. Subsequently, the teams traded five punts, but it was Hamilton’s turn to suffer a special teams mis-que, as the punt returner fumbled the ball at the Hamilton 30, setting up a Colby field goal to bring the score to 10-17. The Continental’s final drive failed to manifest, and Colby finished out the game in victory formation.
Red Zone play continues to be one of the team’s biggest issues on both sides of the ball- The Continentals have the worst red-zone offense and defense in the NESCAC, scoring on only 61.1% of their deep drives while having allowing points on 100% of their opponent’s red-zone appearances. This is especially frustrating given that the team has one of the best passing offenses in the league, but it needs to be a focus for both sides of the ball going forward.
On the bright side, it was a breakout day for two Continental receivers. Jack Hoag ’27 and Mitchell Ivatts ’29 racked up 115 and 65 yards respectively, as both caught more passes than they had in all of their previous games combined this season. Perennial WR1 Matthew Kearns ’28 had a relatively quiet day, but still managed to demonstrate his big-play capabilities as he snapped up almost 20 yards on his sole reception of the day. Especially with Ivatts ’29 quickly establishing himself on the team, QB Luke Kurzum ’27 should have plenty of able targets to strike going forwards.
The Continentals will play in their final home game of the season this Saturday against a 3-4 Middlebury team as they seek out their second win of the season.
