WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS. – The Williams College Ephs defeated the Colby College Mules by a score of 25-22 in Saturday's 2023 season opener. Williams was looking to build on a win in their last game of the 2022 season against Amherst. Williams head coach
Mark Raymond, in his seventh season, led the Ephs into 2023 the season and a highly anticipated matchup following Colby's win over the Ephs last year.
Senior
Jack Dickinson started at quarterback for Williams before being replaced by first year
Owen McHugh after three drives. A bad snap on a punt from deep within Williams's own territory resulted in a short field for the Mules, and Colby running back Locksley Burke powered into the end zone to give them a 7-0 lead. McHugh then led the Ephs the rest of the way, despite his first drive ending in a failed 4th-down conversion attempt right at the beginning of the second quarter.
Following that stand, Colby tacked on another touchdown on a 18-yard pass from Miles Drake to Matt McHugh to extend the lead to 14-0. Williams responded promptly with a 74-yard touchdown drive led by
Owen McHugh, who threaded a slant pass in between two defenders to find freshman wide receiver
Holden Gering in the end zone and cut the Colby lead to 14-6 after the Eph PAT failed.
The Eph defense remained stout throughout the rest of the first half while the offense caught up. A third down sack by Eph linebacker
Ethan Scott forced one punt and another stop by senior linebacker
Tim Landolfi on the next Colby drive held the Mules at bay. Scott praised his coaching staff's preparation and attention to detail through camp and in the film room. "They did a great job of over-preparing us, so that we had all of the plans simplified and we could just go out there and play," he said. Landolfi echoed the sentiment, pointing out how the defensive unit "stuck together and kept battling." "We have a long way to go," he said, "but this is a step in the right direction."
While the defense held steady, McHugh led another scoring drive capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass. Staying in the pocket under pressure and delivering off of his back foot, McHugh found Gering for a second time to cut the lead to 14-12. A failed 2-point conversion by the Ephs gave Colby a 14-12 lead going into halftime. Gering finished the game with 56 yards receiving and the two scores. He highlighted the team's resilience down the stretch. "A lot of teams would have given up after being down 14-0," he said, "but we're a team of fighters, down to every last guy."
Williams came right out in the second half with a 69-yard touchdown drive led by junior running back
Mario Fischetti and finished with a 23-yard run by McHugh to put the Ephs in front 18-14. Again the Ephs' two point conversion attempt failed.
A sack on third down by Williams answered with another touchdown drive that ended with Fischetti scampering into the end zone from 7 yards out. With just 36 seconds left in the third quarter. Fischetti finished with 119 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown.
Colby found a way to make it interesting late in the fourth, quarter as a 70-yard pass from Drake to Matt McHugh set up a touchdown, and a 2-point conversion making the score 25-22, Williams. Ultimately, however, a 4th-down stand late in the game gave Williams the ball back for good.
The quarterback situation had been one to follow throughout the preseason, as both Dickinson and McHugh battled for the starting spot. "I didn't know that I was going in for good because the plan was to rotate," McHugh said. McHugh spoke highly of his teammates and the atmosphere that helped him succeed personally, noting that "It is impossible to not feel like everyone is supporting you during the games and in practice."
Eph head coach
Mark Raymond underscored some areas of improvement, especially on special teams, where the two miscues (the blocked punt and the missed field goal) helped keep Colby in the game, but heaped praise on his defense and his team's ability to find a way to win. "I'm very proud of how our guys made plays down the stretch when we had to," he said, adding, "That's what we had to do."
On the day Williams racked up 362 yards in total offense with 210 yards coming through the air.
Owen McHugh was 12 of 16 on his aerials for 168 yards and 2 TDs.
George Papadopoulos and
Justice McGrail both sophomore defensive backs led the Ephs in tackles with 7. Papadopoulos had 3 solos and 4 assists while McGrail had five solos and 2 assists.
Williams will be on the road next Saturday when they take on the Bowdoin Polar Bears in Brunswick, Maine with kickoff slated for 1:00 PM. Bowdoin opened their season with a 26-12 win over Hamilton on the road.
