There were some bright spots for the Colby College football team in last week’s season-opening 30-10 loss at Wesleyan, but head coach Jack Cosgrove knows his team made far too many mistakes. The Mules have to clean those things up to have a chance Saturday in their home opener against Amherst.
“We had some moments we really looked like a good football team, then we had some moments we looked like a really bad football team,” Cosgrove said after Thursday morning’s practice.
Colby committed four turnovers in the loss at Wesleyan. That was frustrating when ball protection was a point of emphasis in the preseason, Cosgrove said.
“They know. They’re aware of it. We spend a lot of time on it, so that’s very discouraging to see that happen,” Cosgrove said. “Things that are really not acceptable happened, and they can’t anymore.”
When the Mules did hold on to the ball, they missed opportunities. Colby’s game-opening drive stalled inside Wesleyan’s 10-yard line when the Mules failed to convert a fourth and one at the 6. Another drive inside the Cardinals 10 stalled, and Colby had to settle for a field goal.
“That’s a momentum killer, and a big boost for them,” Cosgrove said. “There were good things, but certainly not to the level, not to the volume, we need.”
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Nokomis Regional High School graduate Andrew Haining made his debut at quarterback for Maine Maritime Academy last week in the second quarter of a 48-6 loss at Plymouth State. A freshman, Haining completed 11 for 16 passes for 132 yards with one touchdown, a 19-yard pass to Dominic Casale with 2:20 left in the game.
Haining said his nerves almost got the best of him, but he settled down.
“The plan has been the first two weeks that I needed to be ready to play at any point. For the first time in nearly seven years of being a starting quarterback, it was the first time of me being nervous,” Haining said. “It was so serious I had to get some Tums from the trainer because of the nervous heartburn. And I definitely learned that the game at the college level Is significantly faster and much more athletic.”
Haining also had six carries for 16 yards. Haining and the Mariners host Massachusetts Maritime at noon Saturday in the 47th Admiral’s Cup game. Mass Maritime won last season’s meeting, 22-7. Maine Maritime last won the Admiral’s Cup in 2016.
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The Maine Maritime-Plymouth State game also was the Bussell Bowl. Maine Central Institute graduate Eli Bussell is a junior linebacker at Plymouth State and is currently second on the team with 12 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss, as well as a fumble recovery. He made four stops in the win over MMA.
Eli’s brother Seth, also an MCI graduate, is a freshman defensive lineman at Maine Maritime. Seth made one tackle in the Plymouth State game.
The Bussell brothers were MCI teammates when the Huskies won the 2016 Class D state championship, 20-14, over Lisbon. Eli Bussell scored the winning touchdown on the game’s final play, running in after dropping the hold on a potential field goal attempt.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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