Gage's Game

Last Saturday was a tough one for us. We went into Alliance to face Mount Union knowing exactly what kind of challenge we were walking into. All week, our preparation was sharp. We felt focused, locked in, and ready to compete. The energy in the locker room before kickoff was different. Everyone understood the moment and what it meant, not just for us as players, but for the program as a whole. Playing at Mount Union is always a great atmosphere. They’ve built a tradition of excellence, and we were excited for the chance to measure ourselves against one of the best teams in the country. We came out ready to go, and on the first defensive drive, we made a big stop that gave us early confidence. Unfortunately, after that, things didn’t go quite the way we had hoped. Their defense made some key stops, and their offense started to find a rhythm. Mount Union is a very disciplined, well-coached team, and they executed their game plan better than we did. Even though we didn’t get the result w...

Saturday was one of those games where everything just seemed to click. We came out confident against Capital, and from the very first drive, we played our brand of football. After last year’s close matchup that came down to the wire, this time we wanted to leave no doubt, and we did exactly that with a 56-0 shutout win. Getting ahead early was huge for us. The offense came out firing, setting the tone with quick scores, while the defense completely locked things down from start to finish. Pitching a shutout is hard to do at any level, and to do it in a conference game says a lot about the focus and effort from everyone on the field. The energy on the sidelines was incredible all game long. We executed, we stayed disciplined, and we never took our foot off the gas. But as satisfying as that win was, we know we can’t spend too much time celebrating it. Our focus immediately shifted to this week and to one of the biggest games in recent program history. On Saturday, we travel to Alliance ...

This past Saturday was a big one for us. We traveled down to Muskingum and came home with a statement win, 54-16, against a team that had gotten the better of us last season. That loss stuck with us all offseason, and this was definitely one of those games we had circled. Over the past few years, our matchups with Muskingum have developed into a bit of a rivalry, and we wanted to prove something this time around. Right from the opening kickoff, we set the tone. Our special teams came out aggressively, pulling off a huge onside kick to start the game and stealing a possession early. That play gave us a ton of momentum, and our offense wasted no time capitalizing. From that point on, we controlled the pace on both sides of the ball. The offense stayed hot, finding rhythm and moving the ball consistently, while the defense made big stops and forced turnovers that helped us extend the lead. Everything clicked the way we envisioned it all week in practice. The energy on the sideline was ele...

This past Saturday was one we won’t forget for a long time. Marietta was a game we had circled from the start of the season. They’ve been one of the top programs in the OAC over the past few years, and we knew this matchup would be a real test of where we stand as a team. All week long, we felt locked in. Practices were sharp, the energy was high, and we went into the game confident in the game plan our coaches had laid out. Once kickoff came, it didn’t take long to feel the momentum shift our way. Early in the first quarter, our defense came up with a huge interception that completely set the tone for the game. You could feel the sideline erupt, and from that moment on, the energy only grew stronger. Being at Homecoming made it even more special. The crowd was packed, loud, and behind us every step of the way. That atmosphere gave us the extra spark we needed. The offense was able to feed off that energy and put points on the board, while our defense continued to come up with stop aft...

     Last Saturday’s game at Wilmington was a reminder of what we already knew about playing in the OAC: there are no easy wins. We came away with the victory, but it was a much tighter game than we expected, 41-35. Credit to Wilmington; they played with a lot of fight and pushed us for the four full quarters. Even though we weren’t as sharp as we wanted to be in certain areas, we stayed together as a team, made plays when needed, and found a way to finish strong.      Games like that are humbling in the best way. They show us that no matter who the opponent is, we can’t take anything for granted. We have to bring our best every single week. The margin between winning and losing in this conference is small, and last Saturday proved that once again.      Now our focus turns to one of the biggest challenges on our schedule: Homecoming against Marietta. There’s already a lot of energy on campus with Homecoming week, but having a matchup like thi...