Holy Cross Notes

The Bulldogs fell to the Crusaders 24-49 in a disappointing opener in front of roughly 5,000 dedicated fans at the Bowl.

The offense came out firing on all cylinders with big holes paved for Pitsenberger and ample pass protection provided for Grooms to work through the ground or air. The starting offensive line consisted of Amegadjie at LT, Sullivan at LG, Durand at C, Mendoza at RG, and Session at RT. Tipton, Lindley and Shipp started at WRs with Hawes at TE. Notable offensive players we did not see included Alston and Pantelis. The early offensive line play was very encouraging with the Bulldogs getting great movement against the Crusaders’ front. Peterson racked up 95 yards on 17 carries while Grooms and Pitsenberger added another 68 and 36 rushing yards respectively. Grooms finished 12 of 17 for 112 yards and a TD in the passing game. The offense was fairly crisp in the first half and if it weren’t for an illegal man downfield penalty, could have put the Bulldogs into position to be tied with the Crusaders heading into halftime. The second half was a different story for the offense as mental mistakes piled up and Holy Cross’ superior conditioning became evident. The ground attack stagnated with defenders running free into the backfield and Grooms made mistakes under pressure. The pieces are in place for a high level of offensive success this season, but the errors will need to be cleaned up in a hurry heading into league play.

While the offense showed its promise early on, the defense struggled from the very first snap with Coker catching a 37-yard bomb from Sluka. Holy Cross moved the ball at will as Yale failed to control the line, set the edges, cover wideouts or wrap up ball carriers. The starting defensive ends, Larry and McDonough, combined for only 3 tackles and aside from the occasional pressure from Patterson, the defensive line was ineffective in closing gaps and rushing the passer. Safety was an area of concern heading into the season and has become even more worrisome following the loss. Benn started alongside sophomore Josh Tarver and the duo struggled mightily against the talented Crusaders. Benn was injured and sported a sling on the sideline as freshman Osize Daniyan filled in for a rude awakening in his first collegiate snaps. Owens and Hickey started at the corner positions and did not play up to their expectations, appearing to be a step out of position on passing plays and did not display their typical physicality. Growing pains were expected for the defensive line and secondary, yet the linebackers had no excuse for the poor play. Vaughn led in tackles with 10 although many tackles were downfield. Moore and Ayo-Durojaiye were bullied by Holy Cross’ line as they failed to shed blocks, missed tackles, and were effortlessly dragged for additional yardage. Shoring up the defense is the main priority this week when the Big Red come to town.

Bosman had a nice day averaging 47 yards per punt and was perfect on his 3 PATs as well as his single field goal attempt from 29 yards out.