Another heartbreaker for HC
Yale wins on FG in second overtime
NEW HAVEN - Another week, another excruciating loss for Holy Cross.
A 3-point loss to UMass to open the year, followed by a 1-point defeat at Harvard, and now yesterday's 31-28 double-overtime setback at Yale have resulted in some early-season frustration for the Crusaders.
"Losing three games by a total of 7 points - it's tough to stomach," said HC coach Tom Gilmore. "I'm hoping these losses are going to help us build character and resolve so we can finish the season strong. What's frustrating about the whole thing is we're better than this. If we weren't good enough to win these games, I wouldn't be frustrated. But we are good enough."
The Holy Cross defense shut out Yale in the second half and the Crusaders scored 14 points in the last 3:47 of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime. In the second OT, Bulldogs kicker Tom Mante made a 34-yard field goal. With a chance to send the game to a third extra session, HC's Matt Partain missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The Crusaders, 2-3 in overtime games, have lost 12 of their last 13 to Yale.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph set school records with 41 completions and 63 attempts for 376 yards and three touchdowns. He was tremendous in leading the tying drive, directing the Crusaders 90 yards in 50 seconds. Randolph hit wide receiver Luke Chmielinski with four passes for 64 yards and connected with tight end Ryan McGuire on a 3-yard TD pass with six seconds left.
"You don't really have time to think," Randolph said. "Coach is calling in the plays, we're checking them at the line. Everyone was on their game and we found holes in the defense and executed on that particular drive."
The Crusaders, who won last week at Georgetown, got the ball first in overtime and Randolph rifled a 10-yard TD pass to Nick Cole in the back of the end zone.
"That throw was right on the money," Yale linebacker Bobby Abare said. "We had two guys on [Cole]. Not many guys can make that throw."
The Bulldogs (2-1) responded with Ryan Fodor's 25-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Forney.
Senior running back Mike McLeod, who scorched HC for 256 yards and five touchdowns last year, carried 39 times for 131 yards and a TD in his most productive game of the season.
"We have to run the ball to be good," said Yale coach Jack Siedlecki, whose team was held to zero net yards in last week's loss to Cornell.
Holy Cross turned the ball over four times in the first half - three Randolph interceptions and a fumble by Josh Jenkins - leading to 14 Yale points.
Abare picked off Randolph twice. The first one he caught in the end zone after HC had driven to the Bulldogs' 7-yard line.
The second he returned 32 yards for a touchdown to put Yale up, 14-0, with 10:18 left in the second quarter.
The Crusaders responded to Abare's TD with a quick, four-play scoring drive of their own. Randolph completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to McGuire for HC's only first-half points.
All six of Yale's second-half possessions ended in punts. "We said we've got to tighten up and play our game," said Crusaders safety Daryl Brown (10 tackles), "and that's what we focused on in the second half. We corrected some mental mistakes and stressed the fact that we needed to go out and play aggressive."
HC linebacker Marcus Rodriguez broke up a Fodor pass on third and 9 from the HC 43 with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. After Mante's punt, HC embarked on a 24-play, 91-yard drive that Randolph finished with a 1-yard TD run.
"I thought we showed an awful lot of character coming back, moving the ball, and doing some great things," Gilmore said. "Our defense shutting down Yale in the second half, that's real hard to do against that team." 