By Dillon Flanigan
Sports Editor
Under a sunny sky on Saturday, Oct. 19, the Owls fell 21-0 to the University of New Haven Chargers for their 16th straight loss over the span of 14 seasons in the past 15 years.
Their last win was in 2009, representing a streak that no one wishes for, except UNH.
This season, though the numbers may not be a pretty sight to see, they do not tell the whole story. The Owls have lost their last three games by a combined 20 points.
Year after year, the Chargers have always been a force to be reckoned with, as they have not had a losing season in at least 15 years.
“They were just better prepared, and we gave it all we had out here,” quarterback Keith Ridley Jr., a graduate, said. “We fought for the last minute, and that’s all you can ask for.”
It is not Mississippi State-Ole Miss or Alabama-Auburn, but the NE10 matchup is and was about much more than a football game. It is about two colleges who are in the same region, and the quarterbacks, two former Boston College teammates, facing off again.
“We talked to each other after the game and just tell each other good game,” Ridley said. “We both grinded hard to be in the position that we’re at now, and it’s all respect at the end of the day.”
The Chargers offense had two notable drives in the first quarter, each leading to a touchdown.
On the first offensive possession, Christopher Ais raced to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown run, capping a five-play, 69-yard drive.
“We just came out the first quarter flat,” safety Joenel Figueroa, a junior, said. “We went back in and came out and said we got to come out with more energy, we got to come out with more power.”
After the Owls’ drive stalled at the Chargers’ 35, electing to punt, Andreas Picarelli, a junior, pinned the Chargers to their own one-yard line.
In four and a half minutes, the Chargers went 99 yards, scoring a touchdown highlighted by a 48-yard pass from Daelen Menard.
“They got a good team. No. 1 offensive in the conference right now. 21 is good enough to win,” Godek said. “We gotta move the ball to get a score, and unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
As the Chargers were once again marching down the field, Figueroa intercepted Menard and was the spark the Owls needed. However, it was voided via a defensive penalty.
“I was in the sideline getting hyped with my team,” Figueroa said. “I look back, my whole defense is out there still with a flag on the floor. It was a great play; it was a great turn. We had momentum coming out, but it sucks.”
As halftime neared, the Chargers forced the Owls to punt for the fourth straight drive but gained a new set of downs as Kha’lil Eason was called for roughing the kicker.
With the assistance of multiple penalties on the Chargers defense, the Owls offense started to gain momentum via the run game by Ridley and running back E’Lijah Gray, a senior.
A no-huddle two-minute drill was underway. The Owls would not convert on fourth down, something they struggled to do all game, forced a turnover on downs.
“We just got to do a better job on first, second and third down, so we don’t get into situations like that,” Ridley said. “They were just better prepared. We gave it all we had out here and fought for the last minute, so that’s all you can ask for.”
Each half was a different game. Outside of one additional touchdown, the Chargers could not move the ball in the second half.
Defensive back Branden Louis, a junior, was disqualified with a helmet to helmet hit. Louis was not available for a comment postgame; however, Head Coach Tim Godek was.
“It’s hard without instant replay here. It’s hard when that side makes the call when their backs are to it,” Godek said. “I was hoping we get some information from the far side, but it’s hard where he would be ejected because there’s no instant replay on that.”
As the game went on, it got chippy after every play. After each whistle, there was more pushing and more shoving, as the officials were being conservative with their flags.
“Both sides are playing hard. There wasn’t anything that was out of the ordinary here today besides maybe that questionable targeting call,” Godek said.
Over-thrown passes and a sack on fourth and long sealed the win for the Chargers.
The frustration boiled over after several pitch and catches downfield between Ridley, who was not one hundred percent, and wide receiver Jaylon Tucker, a senior, who brought the Owls into the red zone with roughly a minute to go that left another failed fourth down conversion.
After one missed opportunity after another, the sideline became tense with emotional outbursts.
Though, through the bitterness on the gridiron, the Owls need to find consistency down the stretch.
“We got to stay consistent, and that’s been our problem the whole year. We put together a good first half or just second half, but we haven’t been able to put full games together. We got to figure that out coming up for these next three games to finish off the season strong,” Ridley said.