Ben Lepper ‘25
Chief Sports Editor
It was a tale of two programs this past Saturday at Fitton Field. The College of the Holy Cross Crusaders had just come off of a 49-24 shellacking of Yale in their house, while the Colgate Raiders were still looking for their first win. Coming into the matchup, Colgate’s offense had only mustered two total touchdowns throughout their first three contests. For comparison, Holy Cross quarterback Matt Sluka scored six against Yale.
However, once the matchup started, it certainly didn’t appear as if Colgate was a pitiful team offensively. After an efficient two minute scoring drive capped off by a 41 yard Tyler Purdy touchdown run, the Colgate offense marched down the field like a bunch of seasoned professionals. Quarterback Michael Brescia finished it off with a touchdown run of his own, in which he laid down his shoulder and carried three Holy Cross defenders with him. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied seven to seven.
If you left after the first quarter, you would have wondered if the game would be a back-and-forth, evenly matched contest through the other three. It certainly was not. After a slow first quarter, the Crusaders began squeezing the life out of Colgate drive after drive. In the second quarter, the Crusaders would score three touchdowns: one to Jordan Fuller, one to Jalen Coker, and one to Justin Shorter, which was his first score of the year. However, a couple of missed two-point conversions left the score at 26-7 going into halftime.
The domination continued into the second half as Colgate’s offense couldn’t get anything going, thanks in part to Jacob Dobbs’ strong play. Coker and Shorter would score again in the third quarter, bringing the score to 40-7. Then, early in the fourth, Fuller would score his second touchdown of the game and his tenth total on the year, bringing the score to 47-7. There would be no more scoring – the last 13 minutes of the game saw Colgate desperately try to get something going, but being thwarted each and every time.
In terms of individual performances, the Crusaders had a lot to be proud of. Sluka had another great day, completing 16 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Fuller racked up 121 yards and two scores, and one has to wonder how much longer Joe Segreti’s school record of 16 rushing touchdowns in a year will stand, as Fuller now has nine on the ground in four games. Tyler Purdy and Sam Slade also broke off long runs, with Slade gaining 74 yards on one play in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Coker continued his strong season, catching seven balls for 57 yards and two touchdowns, tying the College’s all-time receptions record. But the star in the receiver room this game was Justin Shorter. After a quiet start to the season, the expert route runner exploded, recording seven receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Coach Bob Chesney said that his impact is “dangerous,” and implied that when both him and Coker are at full speed, one will always be open.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Crusaders finally found a way to get to the quarterback. After two straight games without a sack, four players were able to knock Brescia down: Jacob Dobbs, Frankie Monte, and Colin Reynolds and William Robinson, who both recorded half a sack. Dobbs led the day in tackles with 12, followed by first year safety Donovan Comestro, who recorded eight. Speaking of first years making an impact, Eli Thompson recorded two interceptions, both of which came relatively late into the contest.
When asked about his team’s performance after the game, coach Chesney memorably said that “27 [Jacob Dobbs] was playing a little possessed out there.” He’s absolutely right. Dobbs has been having an incredible season, and it’s hard to believe that just a year ago he suffered a major arm injury. His impact on the defense as a leader and a player is unlike any other. When Dobbs was asked about his own performance, he humbly gave credit to the first years. “To watch these young kids grow, and compete,” he said, “there’s no fear. They go in there and they play football and it looks like they aren’t freshmen.”
Shorter, meanwhile, reflected on his breakout performance. “Every game, I’m going in with the same mindset,” he said. “Get open, make plays when the ball’s thrown to me, make my catches.” He also reflected on changing his jersey number from 19 to 5, saying that not only did he wear 5 in middle and high school, but that “it looks good on [him].”
Holy Cross’ next contest will be against Harvard at Polar Park on September 30 for the EBW Classic, while Colgate will have some soul-searching to do before their match at Cornell next week.
Featured image courtesy of Charlotte Fallon
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