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 Bilkent’s
American football team played the Hacettepe Red Deers on the Judges’
home field this past Saturday, December 3. It was a close game, but in
the end, the experienced Hacettepe team defeated Bilkent by a score of
32-24.
During the first half,
the Judges' defense kept up the pressure on the Red Deers. Defensive
back Çağrı Küçükel gave an especially strong performance. At halftime,
the score was 20-6 in the Red Deers' favor.
In the third quarter,
the Red Deers scored their fourth touchdown, but the Judges prevented
them from making the two-point conversion. At this point, the score was
26-12. The Judges then drove far enough into the Red Deers' territory to
make a successful field goal attempt.
In the middle of the
third quarter, Bilkent quarterback Yaman Zoral had to leave the game due
to injury and was replaced by Övünç Taner.
During the entire second
half, and especially during the last minutes of the game, Bilkent gave
the Red Deers some frightening moments. In the fourth quarter, Emek
Erdolu scored a touchdown, bringing the game within reach for the Judges.
The Red Deers then came back with a touchdown of their own. Bilkent did
not give up, however. In the last moments of the game, Taylor Rockwell
picked off a Hacettepe pass, turning the ball back over to the Judges.
A bright spot despite
the loss was the fact that Bilkent team member Emek Erdolu captured the
MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for the game. Erdolu had this to say
after the game: “The best thing about today was that we had our
strongest performance yet. We put a lot of pressure on the Red Deers
throughout the game.” Another team member, Erkan Mert Yılmaz, was also
upbeat. “We believe we'll be more successful in our upcoming games. Our
team is continuing to improve day by day. The Judges will show their
real power against the Red Deers in the final four.”
 Coach
Alper Angın gave his assessment of the game as follows: “The Hacettepe
Red Deers are a very experienced team. They haven’t lost a game for 7
years, and they've won the championship for the last 11 years. The
Bilkent Judges have done better than any other team against the Red
Deers, and I believe that we'll defeat them in the finals.”
The Judges will play
their next game here at Bilkent on Saturday, December 17 at
12:30 p.m. against the Başkent Knights. We urge all Bilkenters to
come out and support their team!
Pınar Kefeli (COMD/III)
pinark@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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