On Saturday, Dick Biddle and the Raiders headed to Holy Cross, ten years since the meltdown against Maine. Com­ing off the overtime victory against Al­bany last weekend, Colgate opened their Patriot League season with a 37-7 loss to the Crusaders.

Sophomore quarterback Gavin McCa­rney threw for 125 yards, looking mostly to sophomore receiver Daniel Cason. Ca­son caught nine passes for 70 yards, while junior Chris Looney pulled in three catches for thirty yards. Senior running back Nate Eachus continued his Patriot League domi­nation with 96 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Eachus anchors a running game that is currently tops in the conference and ninth in the FCS.

Holy Cross did not take long to get on the board, nailing a 32-yard field goal eight minutes into play. Colgate was forced to punt on their next possession, leaving the Crusaders at the 20-yard line. However, it took only four plays for Holy Cross to march 80 yards for a touchdown, culmi­nated by a fifteen yard touchdown pass from Crusader quarterback Ryan Taggart. Colgate found themselves behind, down by nine points, to start the second quar­ter, and responded with a seven minute drive, attempting to close the gap. How­ever, on 4th and 12, Biddle elected to go for it. McCarney targeted Looney, but the pass was broken up by Chandler Fenner, turning the ball over to Holy Cross. Holy Cross put another touchdown on the board, after an 8-yard run by Crusader tail back Nick Mercurio.

As the first half began to dwindle, Col­gate embarked on another seven minute drive. After moving the ball down the field, the Raiders found themselves in fourth down scenario. With under a minute re­maining in the half and only four yards to the first down, Coach Biddle chose to go for it once again. This time, McCarney handed the ball off to Eachus, but Eachus was taken down one yard short, turning the ball over again.

The Raiders entered the third quar­ter down by 16, but could not stop the bleeding. Holy Cross opened with another touchdown pass from Taggart, giving them a dominant lead. Colgate started their third long drive to end with a failed fourth down conversion. The Raiders rolled the dice on 4th and 2, but Eachus was jammed up one yard short once again. The remain­der of the third quarter was highlighted by a fourth Holy Cross touchdown. The game continued to spin out of control for Col­gate to start the fourth quarter, when Mc­Carney hurled an interception on 4th and 5, which was taken back 60 yards by Holy Cross for a pick-six.

Colgate managed to avoid the shutout late in the game on a 61-yard drive. Eachus converted 4th and 1 to continue the drive, and then punched in a touchdown from the 1-yard line. Colgate’s Patrick Friel forced a fumble on the next Holy Cross possession, showing signs of life for the Raiders. If nothing else, this could be a good sign for Colgate heading into this weekend’s road game at Dartmouth. This weekend will be the first game of the season for Dart­mouth, and Colgate could take advantage of their two-week head start. The Raiders head to Hanover for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, trying to get back on track this season.

Contact Ben Arledge at [email protected].