Football legend and former Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” Optimistic even with a 1-6 record (0-5 MIAC), Carleton football would beg to differ.

On October 10, the Knights nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the Carleton homecoming game, fighting back from a 17-point deficit to within three points against No. 23 Concordia College. Carleton QB Zach Creighton ‘17 had 369 total yards and LB Merrick Ducharme ‘18 made 14 total tackles as the Knights scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, nearly coming back against one of the top-ranked teams in NCAA Division III football. Despite the loss, Ducharme was named the MIAC Football Defensive Player-of- the-Week.

The game against St. Olaf one week later was equally riveting. Down only seven points going into their last drive, the Knights drove within 23 yards of a game-tying touchdown before a St. Olaf interception put a Carleton victory out of reach. Despite an interception from reigning MIAC defensive player-of-the-week Ducharme, a multi-sack game from Pete Boerma ‘17, and touchdowns from QB Creighton and RBs Andy Gustafson ‘16 and Tyler O’Keefe ‘18, St. Olaf found success with with big plays and long drives as Carleton’s comeback bid fell just one touchdown short. Even with the loss, K/P Adam Pearson received the MIAC Football Special Teams Player-of-the-Week award for forcing St. Olaf into bad field position time and time again on Saturday.

The Knights’ schedule doesn’t get any easier. Next week’s battle with defending MIAC champion No. 13 St. John’s (October 24, 1:00 pm at Laird Stadium) could be the team’s toughest yet. Only the following opponent, No. 7 St. Thomas (November 7, 1:10 at St. Thomas), could be more challenging.

“We know, that outside of our group, no one is really giving us a fighting chance, but so what?” asked LB Henry Liedl ‘19. “We’ll trust each other, we’ll support each other, and we’ll fight for each other until the very last play.”

The story goes that Lombardi was actually misquoted. “Winning isn’t everything. The will to win is the only thing,” he actually said. Now there’s something Carleton football can get behind.