Matthew Bodnar
Staff Reporter
A day filled with optimism, camaraderie and school spirit was quickly dampened by the rain and a Green Terror loss to the Ursinus Bears on homecoming weekend here on the Hill. McDaniel fell to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play after the 48-13 defeat at the hands of Ursinus. Nothing seemed to go McDaniel’s way on this day, as the thousands of fans who gathered on the Hill were left wet, cold and disappointed in the outcome.
From the opening kickoff, the defense proved ineffective in stopping Ursinus’ running game, which totaled 276 yards on the ground. Tommy Prazenica, a senior linebacker, led the defensive unit with a career high 12 tackles. On the other side of the ball, the offense finished with a season low rushing total of 25 yards and three turnovers. Senior wide receiver Matt Cahill was the offensive standout finishing with a career-high nine catches for a career-best 140 yards and both Green Terror touchdowns.
Ursinus opened the game with a 10 play, 6 minute drive that led to the game’s first touchdown. McDaniel quickly found itself in a 13-0 hole after another Ursinus score with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter. McDaniel responded with Cahill’s first touchdown of the day, bringing the score to 13-7, but the Green Terror would get no closer as Ursinus returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards to increase its lead to 20-7. By halftime, Ursinus had put this game away, heading into the locker room with a 34-7 advantage.
When asked if the rainy conditions had any effect on the defense, junior defensive lineman Sam Cox answered with a resounding, “No.” Cox explained, “We just made too many mistakes on both sides of the football today.” While it may be easy for some to place the blame for the loss on a particular player or unit, senior defensive lineman Jimmy Selfinger stressed, “We win as a team and we lose as a team.” While this loss will certainly tug at the heartstrings of fans and players alike, the Green Terror have three crucial games remaining on the schedule. When asked about the remainder of the season, junior quarterback Nick Brunner candidly expressed, “It’s really quite simple, we can either hang our heads and feel bad for ourselves or we can go out to practice everyday and get better.” The Green Terror will have to regroup quickly as Franklin and Marshall, and Johns Hopkins, both of whom sit atop the conference standings, are due to the visit the Hill in the upcoming weeks.
