10

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
Nov. 13, 2003

NU football loses to Springfield with FCC Championship on the line

By Steve Chambers
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The Norwich University football team was riding a five-game winning streak going into the match-up against Springfield College.

The Freedom Football Conference title was on the line, and both teams were going into the game with a lot of momentum.

Springfield had a perfect record of 5-0 in the conference, while Norwich had a respectable 3-1 record in the conference.

The Cadets were in high spirits, and most felt the team had a very good chance of winning the game.

"We felt really confident going into the game," said Matt Tucker, a senior from Aberdeen, N.J., who had high expectations for the football team. "We worked hard, and we knew what we had to do to be successful."

Unfortunately they were up against a very good team and could not overcome the quick start that Springfield jumped off to, scoring 21 first quarter points.

"We came out slow, and they came out so fast and pumped up, it was their senior day and they were a very good team," Tucker said.

Springfield scored on their first possession, capping off a 64-yard drive with a six-yard run into the end zone by junior fullback Tim Lutgens. Lutgens rushed for about 183-yards and five touchdowns to lead the Pride to their second straight FCC title and fifth overall title.

The Cadets, however, did have some highlights in the second quarter as Chase Jenne of Springfield, Vt. caught a 27-yard pass for a touchdown and Jamar Rawles recovered a dropped punt return.

Josh Clark recovered an onside kick, which led to another Norwich touchdown by sophomore tailback Eric Murphy with 35 seconds left in the half. This gave the Cadets a sense of new hope going into half-time.

"Everybody still believed; nobody got down on themselves, and we still believed we had a shot at winning the game," said Josh Creighton, 21, a communications major from Scituate Mass, who made no excuses about the loss. "We were prepared; everyone had great feelings going into the game, but we just had a lot of tough breaks that you just really can't control," Creighton said.

Citing an interception, a fumble and a couple of end zone stops by Springfield, Murphy said, "we picked up a lot of momentum in the second quarter, but we just had problems keeping them from scoring."

Springfield finished out the game rushing for over 500 yards on just on just 11 carries, scoring five rushing touchdowns and passing for two touchdowns as they put up an unbelievable 64 points.

The Cadets did not give up, however, putting up 32 points, the most points anyone has put up against Springfield all year.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.