161-0. That is the total margin by which the Beloit Buccaneers Football team has been outscored in their last three matchups. A baffling stretch that has brought the team record to 1-8 on the year, concluding at Strong Stadium on Nov. 8 with the 6-2 University of Chicago Maroons coming into town and smacking the Bucs 40-0. 

As the game kicked off on an already cold afternoon that would soon bring rain, a decent-sized crowd of die-hard Bucs fans placed their blankets and ponchos down on the already slick bleachers. The affair began with a quick scoring drive by the Maroons, gashing the Bucs’ defense with a huge run into their territory and quickly following it up with a passing touchdown fired in stride. This first drive showcased UChicago’s diverse offensive attack, which netted them 497 total yards on the day. 

For the Bucs on offense, Ben Parker’29 got the start at quarterback, with coaches opting for Parker over their usual starter, Jared Torres’27. The Bucs were gifted a manageable field position by a couple of penalties on the defense during the first drive, including a late hit on Parker when he was scrambling toward the right sideline. However, this resulted in a three-and-out and the first of many punts by Ian Ladd’29 as the Bucs couldn’t complete passes more than ten yards downfield with any regularity. 

After a dismal effort on the first drive, the Bucs defense acted as if they actually knew there was a game that day, forcing a 32-yard field goal from UChicago that sailed wide left in an impressive redzone stand. Parker began the Bucs’ next drive, starting from their own 20-yard line, with a scramble up the middle for a first down. The downside of Parker’s athleticism that day was that it often exacerbated his indecision with the ball in his hands, either throwing to his receivers late or holding onto the ball too long, resulting in a costly sack. Two straight incompletions and a scramble for little gain caused the Bucs to forgo points once more. UChicago moved swiftly on its next drive, finding a soft spot in the Bucs’ zone coverage for a long passing play that brought them into the red zone. 

As bitter rain began to fall at Strong Stadium, many fans in the home section grew increasingly frustrated and restless. They began to question why they would spend most of their Saturday in miserable weather to watch this team. One fan yelled out, “C’mon Bucs, this is our house!” She then pleaded further, shouting out her next befuddling sentence in the tone of a scolding mother, “C’mon, chosen ones! You’re chosen!” Chosen by whom?” Certainly not by the football gods, not on this particular day, as the Bucs let up another wide-open touchdown pass after forcing a third down in the red zone. 

A solid return by AJ Williams’29 and a 15-yard personal foul on the defense were again not enough to jumpstart a sustained offensive drive after a scramble by Parker on third down and seven went nowhere, and Ladd punted again. 

The Bucs’ defense showed some fire on the next drive, forcing UChicago to punt by jarring a fumble loose that was recovered by the offense on second down and an incompletion on third down. Quarterback Ben Parker soon zapped any momentum the defense had cultivated by fumbling the ball back to UChicago at the 26-yard line, giving them carte blanche to march down the field to score another touchdown, with the score standing at 21-0 halfway through the second quarter. 

The highlight of the day came on the Bucs’ next offensive drive, as running back Jonathan Williamson’28 burst through a hole on the left side and barreled through the defense for a 17-yard run. A couple of solid rushes by Williamson were all for naught, as a high snap picked up by Parker for a huge loss stalled the drive. A 45-yard bomb downfield quickly put UChicago’s offense at the 12-yard line. But the Bucs were intrepid, forcing a third down and short at the three-yard line. 

This provided an opportunity for the dormant crowd to liven up, as cowbells, airhorns, and chants of “defense” suddenly made a reporter for The Round Table shivering alone in the nearly empty student section feel as if he was attending a real football game. And the Bucs fed off the sudden enthusiasm of the crowd, holding UChicago to a field goal and allowing them to take a not insurmountable 24-0 lead with a minute to play before halftime. 

Amani Floyd’28 returned the ball to the 30-yard line to set up the Bucs with an opportunity to get on the board for the first time in their last nine quarters of play. Parker scrambled productively for a first down up the middle and completed a quick pass to wide receiver Williams to move the chains again. It was the first drive in which Parker had looked remotely comfortable in the pocket, with the Bucs sitting at their own 38-yard line with 15 seconds before the half to get into field goal range. Running back Anthony Manuel’29 then caught a screen pass and dove for the sideline in a desperate attempt to stop the game clock, which proved to be in vain as the clock kept running and the first half came to a close. 

The second half only rubbed artisan sea salt into an already gaping wound, with promising drives by the offense resulting in more three-and-outs. On the sideline, a member of the coaching staff approached Parker and confronted him with a simple ask, “We’re blocking for you, get the ball out!” 

The offense’s proclivity for misfortune continued, and the defense finally broke, surrendering two more touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters and a final field goal as the rotten cherry atop a moldy sundae. 

Meaningful receptions from wide receiver Chris Moore ‘26 and the return of running back Anthony Sharp’28 from injury could not propel the Bucs forth as a constant drizzle slickened the field and surely masked the tears of the home fans coming to terms with another lost season.

Featured image: Cian McKeown’27