Football downed by Trinity
Nick Kmetz '12 evades a tackle during Colby's season-opening loss to Trinity.
A spirited Colby crowd was not enough to help the football team overcome Trinity College’s vaunted defense as the Mules dropped their opening game 28-10 this past weekend.
After an evenly played first half, which found the Mules down 10-4, Trinity pulled away with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to seal the game. The final yardage total favored Trinity 278-274.
The Bantams opened the scoring in the first quarter when Ben Crick found the endzone on a 42-yard rush on the opening play of the drive. Trinity stretched its lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Hedley Jennings scored on a two-yard keeper. The scoring drive was set up when Colby’s attempt at a fake punt resulted in an incomplete pass and Trinity took over on downs.
The deficit did not demoralize the Mules, and they responded quickly with a 22-yard field goal by David Bendit ’13 that cut the lead to 14-3 with 12:20 to play in the second quarter. The possession was highlighted by a 51-yard pass from senior quarterback Nick Kmetz ’12 to tight end Spencer Merwin ’12 that brought Colby down to Trinity’s 13-yard line. The offense stalled a few plays later, and the Mules were forced to settle for a field goal.
Later in the quarter, the Colby men reached into their bag of tricks when Merwin, taking a pitch from Kmetz, hit receiver Nick Joseph ’14 in the back of the endzone for the Mules’ lone touchdown of the day. The reception capped off a nine play, 34-yard drive for Colby.
The story of the second half was Trinity’s defense. The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) number-one ranked defense from last year, the Bantams shut Colby down the rest of the way, only allowing the Mules inside their territory twice. Kmetz, under pressure much of the day, was sacked five times and picked off once. Equally impressive was Trinity’s rush defense, which held Colby to 75 yards throughout the game. “They are physical, and they are aggressive,” Kmetz said when describing the opposition’s defense.
Trinity stretched its lead to 21-10 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jennings to A.J. Jones ’15, with about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter. The Bantams’ final touchdown came with 1:30 left to play in the game on a four-yard run from Dante Astheimer, just a few plays after a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave Trinity a first down deep in Colby territory.
Kmetz ended the day with 24 completions for 196 yards. Receiving leaders for Colby were Rob Turner ’13 with four receptions for 48 yards and Merwin with two catches for 60 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, the Mules were led by Mike Hyatt ’14 (eight tackles) and Brian Mellett ’12 (six tackles).
The Mules next game will be played against Middlebury College on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. in Middlebury, Vt.