Ben Taylor
Sports Editor
The Fighting Scots football team began their season last Saturday evening with a lackluster performance against Washington & Jefferson University, losing 58-21 and not scoring at all in the final quarter. The Wooster defense allowed touchdowns its first three times on the field.
The Presidents scored every time they touched the ball in the first quarter save their final possession, during which they lost a fumble on their first play. The first half saw Wooster down 42-14, and, though Washington & Jefferson slowed down their output in the second half, things never significantly improved, Wooster losing the second half 16-7.
Wooster did manage to amass 387 yards of total offense. Washington & Jefferson, though, nearly equaled this total with passing yards alone, going for 329 yards through the air. The Scots led in almost no positive statistical categories other than possession, fourth down efficiency and fumbles recovered. However, they did lead the game in sacks allowed, interceptions thrown and penalty yards.
This is not meant to paint a bleak picture concerning the rest of Wooster’s season; Washington & Jefferson, while not nationally ranked, received a number of votes to be ranked, so the discrepancy in talent between the teams put Wooster at a disadvantage from the get-go. Additionally, Wooster received a number of contributions from freshmen and sophomores, who can only be expected to improve as the season continues; the top three receivers for the game were all underclassmen.
Among these was wide receiver Darrian Owens ’17. Owens led the team in catches with three for 41 yards and a touchdown. Despite the lopsidedness of the score, Owens expectations for the rest of the season have not been diminished. “I thought the game went well for our first with the new coaches,” he said. “We played a great team with a lot of experience and really saw what we needed to get better at. My hopes for the rest of the season are to finish strong, [win the] NCAC and hopefully make a solid run in the playoffs.”
The Fighting Scots certainly have a long road ahead of them if they hope to achieve such lofty goals, but if the young players keep producing the way they did in the opener, success will not be far behind.
Wooster next plays Oberlin College during homecoming weekend at 1 p.m. on Sep. 21.