<rleton College gained a total of 459 passing yards which contributed to four touchdowns against Lake Forest College. Christian Zaytoun put in one of his best performances, resulting in the quarterback winning the MIAC Co-Offensive Player of The Week Title.
“[It was] the best performance as of now in my life. It was fun to be a part of and definitely felt like something to the next level,” Zaytoun said. The quarterback completed 34-of-53 passes and his 459 passing yards was the fourth highest in school history. On his initial reaction to the title, Zaytoun described it as “humbling yet surprising. Credit also goes to the team.”
When asked if he would be able to repeat or better the feat, Zaytoun responded, “It is something definitely I am capable of and the team has the ability to put up big numbers.”
The MIAC title proved to be a source of motivation not only for Zaytoun but for the rest of the team. Zaytoun said, “The title proved to us that we are able to compete at a higher level and produce. It revamped everyone and we are now focused on the next set of games.” Despite the positivity and enthusiasm, a poor string of results have come into focus. While there is much pressure on the team to improve, he believes that “at the end of the day, football is a team sport. Everybody shares the burden regardless of the outcome. There is no finger-pointing. We have a great culture and camaraderie.”
Focusing on the upcoming fixtures, Zaytoun concluded “essentially, it all comes down to fundamentals, decision-making, IQ of the game and personal experience. There is also an element of having sense of your opponent. One does not want to be blind sided, but rather on par with their game-planning. One of the things we want to reduce is turnovers and I take majority of the blame.”
Zaytoun also touched upon the issue of a significant decrease in roster size. “Some players transferred to other colleges, while injuries are also to blame, including concussions and torn ligaments. It’s out of our control and this is the reality. Even if we have lost somebody, people have stepped up. The goal is still to remain focused,” Zayoun said.
Regarding his final thoughts on the game, Zaytoun said, “we came back in the last five minutes. There was a two-point conversion and we had a good play drawn up. Had the game gone into overtime, I think we would have had a chance to win.”