Chris Rice rushes the passer in a game against Norwich earlier this season.

The past three weeks have not been easy on the Spartans. Fresh off a bye-week, Castleton suffered a 33-52 loss to Misericordia on Sept. 29. They followed up that game with a heartbreaking 31-24 loss to Anna Maria at home the next week, and most recently fell to Gallaudet 35-25 on the road Saturday Oct. 13.

The Spartans woes can’t be traced back to any single issue. The truth is, they have struggled in multiple areas. The quarterback position has been tricky for them. Mitchell Caron was replaced by freshman Jacob McCarthy as the starter coming out of their bye week.

After failing to make the difference during a two-and-a-half game stint as the starter (631 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 0-2 record) McCarthy was replaced by Caron after the first quarter of the Gallaudet game.

Caron seemed to fare well. He completed 10 of his 15 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. But it was not enough to get them the win. The Spartans have ultimately fallen to 1-5 overall.

Yet, this is not on the quarterbacks alone. The offense has struggled with efficiency.

In the past three games, Castleton is just 15 for 48 (31%) on third down conversions, despite running back Moe Harris accumulating 480 total yards and eight total touchdowns, including a 91-yard kick return touchdown, and Adnane Adossoma leading the way with nine catches for 196 yards in the same three game span.

The Spartans defense has had a tough time as well. After playing well and holding the lead for most of the game versus Anna Maria, they let up 14 fourth quarter points and Castleton ultimately lost by one touchdown. If you don’t count the game where they held Fitchburg state to 13 points, opponents are averaging roughly 39 points per game when playing against the Spartans.

Clearly, there are several problems to address that cannot be fixed overnight. At this point, it would not be possible for Castleton to finish the season with a winning record but, although it would take a lot, it would not be impossible for them to finish an even 5-5.

All players and coaches approached respectfully declined to comment, but it is clear nobody is happy with the way this season has gone.

The Spartans will return to the field Saturday Oct. 20 for their homecoming game versus SUNY Maritime hoping to piece together a much-needed second win of the season.