It does not get any more American than the month of November: Thanksgiving and football. This past weekend the Blue Hose took on Liberty in conference play. The Blue Hose were looking to upset Liberty and win their first conference win of the season. Unfortunately the Hose fell short to Liberty 21-13.

This game, like the previous games of the season, was a game dominated by defense.  For example Donnelle Williams recorded his 380th career tackle and Obinna Ntiasagwe recorded his fifth sack of the season (5th most in a single season for PC). Steve Osondu blocked a field goal as well. The defensive of PC stood tall once again.

The first quarter was tightly contested as both teams simply began by feeling each other out. The defensives for both PC and Liberty played incredibly, preventing each other from gaining offensive momentum. Midway through the quarter Steve Osondu blocked a Liberty field goal and swung momentum toward the Hose. The Hose would use this momentum to drive down field and secure a Brett Norton field goal. After one quarter of play the Hose held a 3-0 lead.

The second quarter was very similar to the first as it had two defensives battle it out.  Early in the quarter Liberty took the lead off of a 24 yard touchdown run by Todd Macon and, following the extra point, Liberty held a 7-3 lead.  For the rest of the quarter the two defensives went toe to toe and prevented each other from gaining any momentum or scoring any points. Going into halftime Liberty held its 7-3 lead.

Coming back from the half the Hose seemed determined to take the lead and pull off the upset victory. The Blue Hose stood strong and played lights out. The defense held Liberty to 0 points for the quarter. From the offensive standpoint, they played very well as well, taking the lead mid way through the quarter off of a Darrell Bridges touchdown run, and following the extra point the Hose held a 10-7 lead.  Going into the fourth and final quarter it seemed possible an upset was on the horizon.

The fourth quarter was once again a defensive battle or it was at least for the first half of the quarter. With about six minutes remaining Brett Norton kicked another field goal for the Hose and pushed their lead to 13-7. Unfortunately the Hose could not sustain this lead or momentum. With less than 4 minutes left Liberty scored a touchdown again off of a Todd Macon touchdown run, following the extra point Liberty took a 14-13 lead.With about 3 minutes left, it seemed as if PC might be able to regain some momentum and retake the lead. But they were not able to do so, with around a minute left Liberty scored a touchdown (Desmond Rice TD run) and increased their lead, following the extra point they had held a 21-13 lead. When the dust settled, PC had taken a heartbreaking loss 21-13

Tune in next week as the Hose travel to take on Monmouth.

Stats:

Passing:

Ben Cheek: 3-18; 31 yards; 3 interceptions

Rushing:

Ben Cheek: 14 attempts; 81 yards

Receiving:

Trevon Howell: 1 reception; 20 yards

Defense:

Ed Britt: 5 tackles

DaRon Dickey: 5 tackles; 1 interception