By ELLIOT AVE-LALLEMANT and CIAN McKEOWN

The Beloit Buccaneers football team dropped a heartbreaker to Knox College 16-14 on Saturday at Strong Stadium for the Beloiter Days Weekend Homecoming Game. A crowd of cheering alumni and a raucous student section cheered on the Bucs as Knox marched downfield for an early score. Quarterback Jared Torres’27 responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass in the back of the endzone to Wide Receiver AJ Williams’29. The buzz within the stadium was palpable as the first quarter of play ended with the score tied 7-7. 

Spirits were high at halftime, and many students were hopeful about a Beloit win. “The way they’ve been playing, they’ve really improved a lot from last year,” said a student. “Just fingers crossed, [I’m] hopeful.” Other people offered an insight as to what Beloit could do better. “The defense is actually playing really well,” said a fan. “We have to improve our third down conversion, and I think we need to start being more aggressive and move the ball down the field.” People also noted how the atmosphere made the overall game experience better. “As a freshman, this is fire. The cheers, the atmosphere, everything. I love it.”

After halftime, the Bucs responded with a long drive that culminated in a five-yard touchdown run by Running Back Jonathan Williamson’28. A catharsis ensued among the home crowd as the shackles of years of homecoming losses finally seemed to have broken. 

Knox, however, showed no pity to the long-suffering fans by grinding out another touchdown courtesy of bell-cow back Taylor McAdams, who had 159 total rushing yards on 33 carries on the day. However, Cornerback Josh Yearby’27 came up with a crucial interception on the sideline. A miraculous special teams play by the Bucs to swat down an extra point attempt by Knox’s kicker kept the lead alive 14-13 at the outset of the fourth quarter. 

Despite an injury to defensive lineman Josh Martinez in the third quarter, the Bucs defense held steady for the first three quarters of play, and fans hoped with bated breath that they would continue. Beloit had several promising drives in the fourth quarter behind a couple of huge returns by electric return ace Amani Floyd’28. But the Bucs could not capitalize, and a gruesome injury to Running Back Anthony Sharp’28 limited their ability to establish the run. 

Knox was finally able to break through, scoring a 21-yard field goal to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. By this time, the bench had grown thin, with myriad injuries plaguing the Bucs’ defense all game, especially in the fourth quarter as Knox’s smash-mouth style of trench warfare had worn them down. 

Beloit’s offense also failed to right the ship, with Quarterback Jared Torres’27 losing a fumble to hand the ball back to Knox, allowing them to churn the game clock further. At the end of the game, the Bucs had one last shot. With a minute and five seconds remaining, the offense got the ball back for one last chance at glory. 

After three straight incomplete passes, it all came down to a fourth down and 10 play with 56 seconds on the game clock. Torres fired to the sideline and completed a pass on a curl route to move the chains. Fans were ecstatic, with cowbells wringing out through the humid night. The offense went hurry-up on the next play, with Torres rushing his throw and lobbing it right into the arms of a Knox defender to seal it. 

After the game, it was clear that the fans were confused and angry at the final score. The only words that one fan could bring themself to say was “game’s gone. [It’s the] same as last year. Our team got nervous. I need to repeat again, game’s gone.” Others were a little more critical of how the players were playing. “I think our quarterback needs a little more experience,” said a student. “Learning how to read the field a bit better, and I think it’ll be better next year. I’m optimistic with the new coach and we’ll see.” 

Other fans expressed some optimism about the result, saying that the Bucs need to keep fighting onto the next one. “It’s a young team, new offense, new coaches. Heads need to be higher, when shit hits the fan, you gotta keep your head up.”

With a change in coaching staff, the new look Bucs haven’t had much time to prove themselves. As with most things, time will tell if new coaches were worth bringing in. The Bucs take on Cornell College in their next game on Oct. 4. 

Featured image: Kayla Wolff