The Sagehens came into the game without the usual energy they have shown to exhibit in games so far this year. According to head coach Roger Caron, this is one of the main reasons P-P could not cut it this week, saying, “The reason we lost was that we came into the game with a lack of intensity, plain and simple. No excuses. We made some bad decisions on both sides of the ball.”

Nevertheless, Caron is not too rattled about the loss and knows that on any given week, the Sagehens have a chance to win or lose, according to the amount of enthusiasm they bring to the field.

“We learn through each loss and we know that unless we show up with a lot of energy every week, we’re just an average football team. In our first three games, we came with a lot of intensity. This weekend against Rhodes, we didn’t.”

The game was close throughout, with the Sagehens taking a 21-16 lead in the third quarter, but it was not to last. Rhodes scored a touchdown to make the score 24-21 going into the fourth quarter and never looked back, finalizing the P-P loss with another touchdown, bringing the final score to 31-21.

Despite the team loss, the Hens had some impressive individual performances, especially from its ground game. Starting running back Jon Samples ’04 rushed 24 times for a total of 73 yards while backup Alan Mourtisen ’07 had an amazing average of 9.9 yards a carry, running for 69 yards on 7 rushes. The running game was dominated overall by the Sagehens as well, out-rushing Rhodes 132 yards to 65.

The problems for the Hens lay more in the passing game on Saturday, both as a comparison with Rhodes and as an individual performance by quarterback Justin Fenchel ’06. Fenchel threw for 155 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, making it difficult for the Pomona-Pitzer offense to make a long drive. Team totals show an even bigger problem: Rhodes almost doubled the passing yardage of the Sagehens, throwing for 309 yards, compared to P-P’s 159 yards.

“I think overconfidence was a factor in the loss this week because of our upset against Trinity,” said defensive lineman Clay Leonard ’07. “All week we tried to get psyched up for the game and to not be overconfident, but I think we were.”

Quarterback Cody Peterson ’07 pointed out that other factors could have contributed to the loss to Rhodes, saying, “Fatigue definitely could have been a factor. We were all pretty jet-lagged, so having to practice immediately getting off a plane was tough. Sleeping in a different bed than usual and in a different time zone could also have negatively affected us.”

This coming week brings a big rival to the Pomona-Pitzer home field, undefeated Occidental. The 3-1 Sagehens need to overcome the recent roller coaster ride of having won a huge upset over Trinity two weeks ago, then losing across the country, and finally returning to SCIAC play. Going into this Saturday’s game, the Sagehens have to prepare according to schedule and not get out of focus.

“We have to go into Saturday prepared as we always do,” said Caron. “Our team is embarrassed. Occidental will be a tough opponent, and the game is important, but they’ll have to beat us; we won’t beat ourselves this week.”

Occidental is right behind Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC standings at 1-0 in the conference and undefeated overall, so this week’s game is vital to the survival of P-P’s hopes to do well this season. If the Hens take home a victory on Saturday, they will have a secure lead in the SCIAC standings and be in good position to start the second half of the season.