The Carleton Ravens football team was unable to secure the win in their home debut, losing 31-21 against the red-hot Western Mustangs last Saturday night (Sept. 9) at TAAG Park.
Despite a strong first half, this season’s second-ranked team in U Sports worsened the Ravens’ season record to 0-2. Struggles with the run game and an inability to extend drives hampered the Ravens, but an upcoming road trip to face the struggling York Lions provides reason for optimism.
First half
A roaring crowd at TAAG Park set the scene for the game as fans welcomed the Ravens home for the first time this season.
Punts were a trend for both teams, with countless drives failing to reach field goal range. The first quarter began with three straight drives, all resulting in punts. The quarter’s sole score came from a deep touchdown by Western’s Seth Robertson, who burned his defensive coverage to open the scoring.
The second quarter was far more active, with Carleton coming to life on the opening drive. A great slant route touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaden Lasoras-Simon from quarterback Tristan Lefebvre evened the score.
However, a Mustangs field goal put the team up 10-7 with the play beginning to tilt their way. A punt from Carleton appeared to spell doom until a forced fumble on the punt return gave the Ravens possession with a great placement on the field and momentum.
This was amplified following an intelligent trick play in which the ball was tossed backward to wide receiver Kaseem Ferdinand, who then launched the ball to an uncovered Ben Huckabone. The game was flipped on its head, with Carleton taking a 14-10 lead against the nationally-ranked Mustangs.
The entire game showcased a noticeable connection between Ferdinand and Lefebvre. Ferdinand led the Ravens in receiving yards last season with 528 and is among the OUA leaders so far this season.
“[Ferdinand] is a hell of an asset to have on the offence,” Lefebvre said. “He’s definitely a confidence guy too. If I get the ball to him quick, he helps me out with my confidence.”
Western responded to the score with back-to-back runs from star running back Keon Edwards that did not result in points. The teams exchanged punts, and a missed field goal attempt for Western concluded the first half.
Second half
The third quarter began with back-to-back punts again, followed by Western running back Keanu Yazbeck ripping a massive 81-yard rushing touchdown through the middle of the defense.
A 17-14 Mustangs lead would hold up for the majority of the third quarter, as the back and forth punts seemingly never ended. The quarter concluded with a back-breaking touchdown from Robertson, who took advantage of a broken play to secure his second touchdown of the game.
Lefebvre knew his team was punting far too often.
“[Ravens head coach Corey Grant] told me we had three two and outs,” Lefebvre said. “The other team is capitalizing on our mistakes so that’s something we have to work on.”
With the final quarter underway and Carleton desperately trying to claw their way back into the game, Western put the nail in the coffin. Edwards set up a beautiful touchdown throw by Mustangs quarterback Evan Hillock for Robertson’s third score of the game.
Despite superb back-to-back catches from Huckabone and Ferdinand, a valiant Carleton drive was cut short. A deep shot led to an end zone interception by Western defensive back Richard Aduboffour. A final touchdown credited to Ferdinand alleviated the scoring deficit but was not enough to turn the tide against the mighty Mustangs.
‘One play at a time’
Although it was an undesirable result for Carleton, there’s still hope for the winless squad. Opening the season against two of the top six football programs in the nation was always going to be a difficult task, and the Ravens came ready to play with unwavering confidence.
Grant echoed this sentiment and spoke on the team’s approach moving forward.
“We take it one play at a time,” Grant said. “Whatever happens, happens on the field for that one play, and then we go up and take the next play. We just go out and focus on what we can control.”
The Ravens will head west to face the York Lions in Toronto at 1 p.m. on Sept. 16.
Featured image by Marc Lafleur.
