Going into their next game against Heidelberg having not won a game yet this season, Crusader football reflects on last Saturday’s loss to Marietta.
Coming into the game, Capital was looking for their first win against the Pioneers. The Crusaders looked good in the first half, only letting Marietta score one touchdown. Once halftime was over, the 7-0 score was swamped with Marietta touchdowns, ending the game with Marietta winning 44-7.
Quarterback Andrew Ray’s first collegiate touchdown pass was a 19-yard pass to David Barnett, and the only score for Capital. Senior linebacker Kole Carter was able to rack up 12 tackles and an interception on defense.
“I think [the loss was due to] a combination of multiple things. Definitely an execution error,” senior cornerback Avery Sylvester said. “You can see at times where, like offense, defense, and special teams just aren’t executing.”
Senior running back Evin Butler said that the team can learn good technique, but being able to use those techniques in the game is what really matters. Being able to go out on the field and perform like in practice is important to win games.
Giving up three interceptions and two fumbles in their game against Marietta, the Crusaders are working on reducing the number of turnovers that they give up. The team has been working throughout the week to better handle the ball offensively and get more touchdowns.
“Ball security is always a top priority on offense,” said Butler. “… I think we are taking the right strides in practice to get better with that.”
Putting more pressure on offenses to reduce the number of touchdowns, is an aspect that the defense is working on. Implementing what they work on in practice into the game is a work in progress. Sometimes it just means that the players need a clear mind for games.
“Overall I think defensively we … started to think too much,” Sylvester said. “Don’t think. You play. We practice all week, that’s when you can think.”
In the third and fourth quarter, Sylvester said he thought that the defense started to get down on themselves, and they were thinking too much about what they needed to do to get back in the game instead of playing. A clear mind to help with the execution of techniques is important.
Determined to get their first win of the season, the Crusaders look ahead to their next game to rebound and turn their season around for the better.
The Crusader football team hopes to get their first win, traveling up to Tiffin, Ohio, to face Heidelberg University Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
