By Joey Bachich
Staff Writer
The College started off the football season hot, with a comfortable 41-21 home victory over first-year program Eastern University. Senior quarterback Trevor Bopp was the star of the show, throwing for a school-record 405 yards and four touchdowns, while also getting another touchdown on the ground.
The Buildup
The Lions this season are one of the dark horses in the NJAC looking to crack the top three in the standings. Last season, the Lions finished with a record of 3-6 and lost three of those games by one score or less. This team is on the upswing and the Lions are returning a bulk of their squad heading into the 2023 season.
The defense was solid, barring a few outlier games last season, but the offense seemed to be more hot and cold rather than consistent. The good news is that many of those same offensive pieces are returning and have a good chance at becoming more comfortable in the offense. Key offensive returning players including senior quarterback Trevor Bopp and senior tight end Thomas Burke, who missed week one with a pulled hamstring but should be able to return next week.
Junior running back Jayson Schmidt looked to have the running back job won with his performance last season, so this opening game is important to see the use of the running back room.
The defense is returning a ton of talent including two fifth years in nose tackle Ryan McGuire and defensive back Cole Groschel who both were All-NJAC second team players last season, along with senior linebacker Logan Flaherty.
The Game
In the first half of the game, the Lions came out a little slow from an offensive standpoint. Bopp was rushed into a bad throw early that led to an ugly interception. However, dusting off some cobwebs, the offense really found a rhythm in the second quarter. Bopp looked very good when forced outside the pocket and rushed for a good amount of yards.
The biggest standout of the first half was sophomore receiver Ryan Gil who had some great looks on screens along with a highlight play in the endzone catching a touchdown over a defender. The defense looked lights-out besides one long drive from the Eagles.
The first half ended 24-14 in favor of the College. In the second half, Bopp played his best half of his career as a Lion. He stayed calm under pressure and really used his mobility to create a lot of plays. Bopp had a total of five touchdowns and 405 passing yards, which broke the record for most yards in a single game for the College, previously held by Bob Lockhart in 1980 with 383.
Bopp looked incredible and put together nice drives and seemed to light a spark that the Lions needed when the game got close.
Barring a fumble in the second quarter, Jayson Schmidt had a great game taking a large percentage of snaps at running back, but junior running back Al-Shakier Drake was a nice change of pace on a number of the plays with some impressive bursts of speed. The defense seemed to have a bend but don't break mentality, getting an interception late in the game by sophomore Jack Young to put the game on ice. Jayson Schmidt capped off the game catching a late shovel touchdown to secure a 41-21 win for the Lions, moving them to 1-0 on the season.
When asked about the mentality of the team this year, fifth-year captain and criminal justice major Cole Groschel said, “This game mentality wise, we weren’t there…we have a hard schedule coming up so mentally and physically we have to get there.”
When asked about how, as a captain, he gets his teammates on the same page, Groschel said, “I try to lead by example and at halftime. I try to pump the guys up…as a captain, along with another captain Ryan McGuire, we try to do as much as we can because this game was a lot closer than it should have been.”
What’s next
The College is looking to keep the good times rolling with the next two non-conference opponents. On Sept. 8th the Lions will play away at Franklin and Marshall College, who started the season 1-0 with a win against Lebanon Valley College, 16-12. On Sept. 16th the Lions come back home and play against Muhlenberg College, who sit 1-0 with a win over Moravian, 53-12. The Lions look to go 3-0 before the important conference games start with a leg up over the competition.
