Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College football team dropped a gut-wrenching, 3-0, battle to the visiting Kalamazoo College Hornets on Saturday afternoon at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex.
 
The highly-touted Yeomen defense lived up their billing, forcing three fumbles while coming away with three interceptions in the game. However, the Oberlin offense sputtered throughout the contest, failing to convert on four chances in the red zone while going a combined 6-of-20 on third and fourth down.
 
Despite the inefficiency, the Yeomen still had a chance to win it in the closing seconds. A fumble recovery by Luke Buck with 2:13 left to play gave the ball back to the Oberlin offense at the Kalamazoo 36-yard line. In relief of the injured Zach Taylor, freshman backup QB Chris Allen Jr. rushed for a first down on 3rd-and-2 and would later hit tight end Brandon Davies over the middle to put the ball down to the 14-yard line. However, just two plays later he was intercepted in the end zone as he threw into double coverage to effectively end the game.
 
For the second straight year, the Yeomen offense out-gained the Hornets (250-230), but still finished on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Before departing, Taylor was 11-of-18 for 106 yards and an interception. Sophomore Kobe Brooks led the effort on the ground with 80 yards on 23 attempts, while Tim Martin snagged seven passes for 67 yards.
 
A Von Wooding interception deep in Oberlin territory halted the Hornets' first drive but later in the quarter the Yeomen would return the favor as Taylor was picked off by Jake Sypniewski at the Kalamazoo 3-yard line.
 
To start the second quarter, Oberlin marched 52 yards on 14 plays but had nothing to show for it in the end. A 14-yard connection from Taylor to Martin setup a 1^st-and-goal from the seven, but Oberlin was unable to punch it in as Brooks was twice stood up at the goal line.
 
Following a 56-yard punt from Christian Arnold down to the 1-yard line, the Yeomen would be setup again as pressure by Wooding forced an errant throw by Niko Nickson that wound up in the hands of Buck at the 8-yard line. However, the Yeomen front five failed to get any push off the ball as Brooks and Taylor were stopped on consecutive tries from inside the 1-yard line.
 
Neither team threatened to score throughout the third quarter but the only points of the game would ultimately come early in the fourth when Greg Kearns connected on a 23-yard field goal.
 
The Yeomen offense would punt on their next three drives before being gifted one last chance that unfortunately never come to fruition.

Buck led Oberlin with eight stops, while Liam Akpata, Devin White, Justin Godfrey, and Zac Ntia each finished with seven tackles on a Yeomen defense that had four takeaways in the game.
 
Oberlin returns to action next Saturday at the College of Wooster at 1 p.m.