This past weekend the Raiders took on the Yale Bulldogs in their homecoming game at Andy Kerr Stadium. Falling into an early deficit, the Raiders could not mount a comeback and fell to the Bulldogs, 39-22.

On a cold, windy afternoon in Hamilton, the Raiders (0-4) sought to turn their luck around and pick up their first win of the season in front of the home crowd on homecoming weekend. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Bulldogs (1-0) also came into Andy Kerr Stadium eager to pick up the victory. Yale capitalized on its early energy and carried a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.

A scary moment occurred in the first quarter when senior quarterback Gavin McCarney, who was returning from an injury, got sacked and, with his helmet off, was cut on the head. After missing a series to go back to the locker room and get fixed up, McCarney came back to finish the game.

Despite racking up over 300 yards of offense, McCarney could not lead the Raiders to victory.

The second quarter became a defensive stand-off, as neither team could find their way on the scoreboard until the Bulldogs extended their lead with just under four minutes remaining to 20. The motivated Raiders took the ball and marched down the field in just over two minutes. Sophomore running back Demetrius Russell capped off the drive with a four-yard run for the touchdown to cut the lead.

The Raiders defense, however, could not hold the Bulldogs offense and Yale marched down the field, perfectly executing the two-minute drill and extending their lead back up to 27-7 with only six seconds remaining on the clock. Going into halftime, the Raiders knew they would need to make serious adjustments in the second half to give themselves a chance.

After giving up an early field goal in the third quarter, the Raiders defense stepped up and gave the Raiders offense the ball back. McCarney capitalized, and hit senior wideout Dan Cason for a 44-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 30-14.

After holding the Bulldogs to a field goal, the Raiders commanded a 75-yard drive that took 11 plays and ended with a McCarney rushing touchdown from one yard out.

Following a successful two-point conversion, the Raiders were down 33-22 with 13 minutes remaining, but that would be as close as they got. The Bulldogs tacked on a touchdown with six minutes remaining and took the contest in the end by 17.

“I think the team needs to improve on the little things such as dropped passes, penalites and protecting the ball,” Cason said. “I feel as if that has been playing a big part on why we are not performing up to

our capabilities.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders struggled, allowing over 500 yards of offense, which included 236 yards from junior tailback Tyler Varga. Junior linebackers Vinny Russo and Kris Kent pitched in with nine tackles but they could not do enough to stop Varga. On the edges, junior defensive backs Mike Armiento and Demetri Diamond pitched in with nine and eight

tackles respectively.This weekend the Raiders are idle as theyprepare to take on Cornell the following Saturday.

“We are going to focus on playing better as a team. No one on our team is giving up because we still can accomplish everyone of our goals.” Cason said.

Contact Spencer Serling at [email protected]This past weekend the Raiders took on the Yale Bulldogs in their homecoming game at Andy Kerr Stadium. Falling into an early deficit, the Raiders could not mount a comeback and fell to the Bulldogs, 39-22.

On a cold, windy afternoon in Hamilton, the Raiders (0-4) sought to turn their luck around and pick up their first win of the season in front of the home crowd on homecoming weekend. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Bulldogs (1-0) also came into Andy Kerr Stadium eager to pick up the victory. Yale capitalized on its early energy and carried a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.

A scary moment occurred in the first quarter when senior quarterback Gavin McCarney, who was returning from an injury, got sacked and, with his helmet off, was cut on the head. After missing a series to go back to the locker room and get fixed up, McCarney came back to finish the game.

Despite racking up over 300 yards of offense, McCarney could not lead the Raiders to victory.

The second quarter became a defensive stand-off, as neither team could find their way on the scoreboard until the Bulldogs extended their lead with just under four minutes remaining to 20. The motivated Raiders took the ball and marched down the field in just over two minutes. Sophomore running back Demetrius Russell capped off the drive with a four-yard run for the touchdown to cut the lead.

The Raiders defense, however, could not hold the Bulldogs offense and Yale marched down the field, perfectly executing the two-minute drill and extending their lead back up to 27-7 with only six seconds remaining on the clock. Going into halftime, the Raiders knew they would need to make serious adjustments in the second half to give themselves a chance.

After giving up an early field goal in the third quarter, the Raiders defense stepped up and gave the Raiders offense the ball back. McCarney capitalized, and hit senior wideout Dan Cason for a 44-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 30-14.

After holding the Bulldogs to a field goal, the Raiders commanded a 75-yard drive that took 11 plays and ended with a McCarney rushing touchdown from one yard out.

Following a successful two-point conversion, the Raiders were down 33-22 with 13 minutes remaining, but that would be as close as they got. The Bulldogs tacked on a touchdown with six minutes remaining and took the contest in the end by 17.

“I think the team needs to improve on the little things such as dropped passes, penalites and protecting the ball,” Cason said. “I feel as if that has been playing a big part on why we are not performing up to

our capabilities.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders struggled, allowing over 500 yards of offense, which included 236 yards from junior tailback Tyler Varga. Junior linebackers Vinny Russo and Kris Kent pitched in with nine tackles but they could not do enough to stop Varga. On the edges, junior defensive backs Mike Armiento and Demetri Diamond pitched in with nine and eight

tackles respectively.This weekend the Raiders are idle as theyprepare to take on Cornell the following Saturday.

“We are going to focus on playing better as a team. No one on our team is giving up because we still can accomplish everyone of our goals.” Cason said.

Contact Spencer Serling at [email protected]