By Richard Pera

In its home finale of the 2013 season, Kenyon football (4-5, 4-4 conference) fell to the College of Wooster 24-14. The Lords’ offense struggled throughout the afternoon. Though winning time of possession, Kenyon went just 1-13 on third down, 1-3 on fourth down and quarterback Jake Bates ’15 threw a career-high four interceptions. Bates’ third pick was returned for a touchdown, and the Lords never recovered.

“It’s just the small things,” said tight end Keith Jones ’14. “We need 11 people doing the right thing at the right time. We were one block away or one catch away from scoring, and we could have scored a lot more points.”

The Lords defense played an outstanding game. Going into Saturday, the Fighting Scots offense averaged almost 30 points per game, and Kenyon held them to 17 offensive points. Five Lords finished with double-digit tackles.

Kenyon’s offense scored two touchdowns: a 41-yard run by running back Brandon January ’15 and a 44-yard catch by fullback Blake Calcei ’16.

Kenyon has just one game remaining, and it’s the biggest one of all. The Lords will travel to Granville, Ohio for a date with archrival Denison University on Saturday, Nov. 16. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The Lords, in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference, are one game behind Denison and are looking to pull even with their hated foe. Mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt, Kenyon is also hoping to play spoiler to Denison’s postseason chances, as the Big Red is just one game behind the College of Wooster for third place in the conference.

The Lords are 24-38-2 against the Big Red in a gridiron rivalry that dates back to 1890. Kenyon last beat Denison in 2005, a 45-42 victory at McBride Field. The last time the Lords won in Granville, however, was back in 1988, when they beat the Big Red 8-7.

“It’s one of the oldest rivalries in the country,” said offensive lineman Pat Brady ’14. “We haven’t won in a while, but I think it’s going to be a good game. I think both teams might have underperformed this year, and I think it’s going to be exciting to play for pride.”

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