Matthew Reichert ’28
Staff Writer
The magic number is 20. The Holy Cross defense cannot allow 20 points because the offense cannot score 20 points. 17 against Northern Illinois, 16 against New Hampshire, 7 against Rhode Island, 10 against Yale. The offense cannot score 20 points; the defense must not allow 20 points.
Kickoff to Fordham. Long pass. Long run. Touchdown, kick, seven points and the magic number is down to 13. Kickoff to Holy Cross. Dropped pass, missed throw, dropped pass. Punt.
Fordham has the ball again. They punt, and the punt is short. Holy Cross lets the ball fall and roll, and the punt goes long. Two plays later and it is third down. The ball is snapped, a flag is thrown against HC, and I expect a replayed down.
The quarterback scrambles, he throws an interception, and I expect Fordham to take the ball in the Holy Cross zone. The ref blows the whistle, he announces the quarterback went out of bounds before the interception, and I am relieved. The quarterback ran out of bounds six yards behind the line of scrimmage on third down and I am relieved. This offense is bad.
Fordham’s ball. Ten plays later, Fordham touchdown, seven more points, fourteen total,
and the magic number is down to 6. Holy Cross has the ball and some hope appears: Clerveaux runs three times for 30 yards, Punni runs two times for 18 yards, and Swanson runs once for the touchdown. The game is in reach.
Holy Cross is down one possession and Fordham has not yet reached the magic number.
But, the Rams have the ball. The Fordham quarterback completes a thirty-one yard pass and this is a touchdown. The extra-point is missed but this does not matter: Fordham has scored 20 points. The magic number is zero and I’ve lost hope.
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I suppose, going to a Catholic school, I should not have been too shocked by a miracle. But, when the quarterback of Holy Cross throws the ball downfield screen after screen and the receiver reaches out, drop after drop, and the pass is caught for 31 yards, I am surprised.
When the drive ends in a touchdown, I am hopeful once again. When the next drive ends in a touchdown as well, the third in a row, and Holy Cross scores its twenty-first point, my faith is restored.
I believe once again that I am watching a team that, even if all evidence all season has been to the contrary, can win like it has for the past six years. Then, the second half begins.
Punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs, interception—in between these Holy Cross drives
Fordham makes two field goals and the Crusaders lose 26-21. I think that third touchdown, that final scoring drive was just a death rattle.
The program that had won six straight Patriot League titles, that went undefeated when the now seniors were once first-years, has yet to win a single game this year, and I do not know if it will.
They scored 21 points against the worst defense in the Patriot League. The team they lost to was one they had beaten eight times in a row. Fordham started the season 0-4. Holy Cross football has declined.
I hope I do not have to wait a year or years for this team to be great again. For three drives at the end of the half, Holy Cross football looked as it should. For the rest of the game it looked like something else. What it will look like for the rest of the season and the years to come, I cannot say. We’ll see.
Featured image courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics
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