The month of October has been a great one for Oberlin College football. The team is now 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

On Oct. 7, the squad started off with a great win (18-7) against Denison University during the athletic department’s spirit week. Denison did not quit without a fight and pushed Oberlin until the end. Fans held their breath as the Big Red scored in the first quarter. The score remained 0-7 for the first half. Head Coach Jeff Ramsey fired up the Yeomen in the locker room at halftime and the team came out strong in the second half, shutting down the Denison offense.

In the third quarter, the first OC score was catalyzed by an interception from junior defensive back Chase Palmer. Once the Yeomen had the ball in their possession, it was clear they were going to keep it that way. On an exciting play, sophomore quarterback Greg Mangan found junior wide receiver Cassius Harris for a 53-yard gain. Junior quarterback Andy Stein wrapped up the score with a two-yard touchdown.

Harris’ feet were on fire, gaining 154 yards and scoring a touchdown on five receptions. Harris scored next for the Yeomen after the team put together a five-play, 80-yard drive. Mangan connected with Harris for a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1:37 left in the third quarter, leaving the Yeomen up by seven.

Harris’s outstanding performances this season have led to some big time recognition. He is now fifth among the league leaders in receiving yards per game (88.4) and sixth in receptions per game (4.8). The junior wide receiver was also named North Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9.

The final score of the game came from sophomore LaKristopher DeVant as he dashed to the end zone after intercepting a 10-yard pass attempt by Dension’s Brian Herbe and aided by a block by junior defensive lineman Chris Pisani.

Denison tried to unite but after a nine-play, 41-yard drive, they coughed up the ball, which was recovered by sophomore linebacker Zach Warner.

Mangan felt it was a great win by the entire team. “We had a great crowd for that game and came alive in the second half. The defense shut down their offense and we scored just enough to get the win. It was a great atmosphere to play in.”

The following Saturday, the Oberlin team traveled to Richmond, Indiana to take on the Earlham Quakers. The Yeomen left with Quakers struggling for air, outscoring them 41-31. After the Earlham win, the team was at its best start since 1963. The ‘63 squad had a 4-2 record at the same point in the season and finished 6-2 overall.

Mangan explained the game at M.O. Ross Field. “We got off a to a quick start then let them get back in the game. It was definitely a game of momentum swings and when it finally came back on our side late in the game we made sure to finish them off.”

Despite an early score from the Quakers, the Yeomen had a strong offensive first quarter as they racked up 14 points. They continued to play a solid ball game the rest of the way. They had 514 yards of offense against the Quakers. Mangan and junior co-captain and wide receiver Chris Schubert connected for two touchdowns, one for 14 yards and the other for 26 yards.

Early in the second quarter Mangan put it in the endzone himself. The Yeomen were then up 21-3, and senior punter and pre-season All-American Mike Tomlinson tallied three more points with a successful 30-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer. Tomlinson also had another successful field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

The Oberlin offense would go on to score two more touchdowns in the final quarter both made by sophomore running back R.V. Carroll. Carroll has been ranked nearly all season on D3football.com as one of the nation’s top rushers. He gained 212 yards rushing against the Quakers.

On the defense, Palmer led the Yeomen. He had a break away interception for 35 yards, a fumble recovery, and 5.5 tackles. Senior linebacker and co-captain Andy Estep had a team-high six tackles.

 “[Earlham] was a great collective team effort,” said Mangan. “The offense put up points and the defense shut down one of the top passing attacks in the conference.”

The Oberlin College football team most recently played Wabash and suffered its first conference loss of the season. The final score was 20-48. Harris kept it a close game in the first quarter with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Mangan. They only trailed the Little Giants by one point going into the second quarter. However, in the second quarter Wabash exploded, racking up 28 points and putting tighter defensive pressure on the OC offense.

Mangan pointed the loss to a combination of poor execution by Oberlin and solid play by Wabash. “We felt like we were prepared but we just couldn’t execute for the life of us. They outplayed us in every facet and took it to us from the start to the end. We didn’t play our type of football.”

The Yeomen tried to answer in the second half as Wabash’s team backed off somewhat but only managed two touchdowns, one by junior wide receiver James Brady and the other by Carroll.

On the defensive side junior Palmer had a game high 9.5 tackles including five solos while Pisani had six. In addition, DeVant got his second interception of the season.

Mangan describes the attitude after the tough loss against Wabash, saying, “We still have a shot to win the conference title but it won’t happen if we play like we did this past game. We know we’re a much better team than the one that showed up against Wabash — it’s now on our shoulders to show that that game was just an aberration.”

The Yeomen play their last home game of the season on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. against Wittenberg University.