RICHMOND, Ind. — The Earlham College played its first contest on the newly installed FieldTurf at Darrell Beane Stadium on Saturday.

Oberlin College spolied the season opener with a 33-3 victory over the Quakers in the first contest under new Earlham Head Coach Neil Kazmierczak.

"We can get better," Kazmierczak said. "We need to get better, but I was proud of the effort. We just need to stay at it."

"I was proud of the defense," Kazmierczak added. "I thought they really played tough. Our ability to play well in the red zone defensively was key. I was very proud of the way we did that. We have a lot of guys who have never played college football before, so I expect a major jump as we head forward now that those guys have kind of seen what it's like and know what to expect."

The Yeomen (1-0) picked up three field goals to build a 9-0 advantage by the 2:18 mark of the second period. They added an interception return for a touchdown at the end of the half to lead 15-0 at intermission.

Midway through the third quarter, Oberlin added another interception return for a score to make it 22-0.

Ryan Acosta (San Juan, PR, Commonwealth) got the Quakers on the scoreboard with a 29-yard field goal at 2:12 of the third period.

In the final quarter, Oberlin added a touchdown and a field goal to finish the contest.
Matt Couch (Versailles, KY, Woodford County) was 5-of-22 for 69 yards passing for Earlham. Jalen Kenner (Reserve, LA, East St. John) finished with four catches for 44 yards.

Richard Martinez (Hialeah, FL, Mater Academy) led the Quakers with 12 tackles, while Dakota McElley (Lawrenceburg, IN, Lawrenceburg) had 11 tackles. Dominique Peterson (Hammond, IN, Morton) finished with eight tackles with two sacks.

McElley and Junior Jean (Miami, FL, Mater Academy) recovered fumbles.
Earlham (0-1) visits Kenyon College next Saturday for a non-conference affair at 1 p.m.