Beaton	Thornton
Jennings	Peeke
Katon	Horvath
Durkin	Gumbs

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The Bates College football team took a 14-7 lead over host Middlebury College in the first quarter before the host Panthers pulled away for a 38-14 victory Saturday on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium.

The Panthers outgained the Bobcats 456-221 on the afternoon, and possessed the ball for over 19 of 30 second-half minutes to sew up the victory.

The teams exchanged four punts before the Panthers forced a turnover on an interception by Tyler Owens at the Bates 25. Donald McKillop hit Erik Rostad for 13 yards and then connected with Andrew Matson for his third touchdown catch of the season, this one from 12 yards out.

Bates returned the favor later in the quarter, as junior Bill Jennings (Marshfield, Mass.) picked off a McKillop pass at the Bobcats 31. On their first play from scrimmage, senior running back Greg Thornton (Norwell, Mass.) took a hand-off and rolled right before tossing a 23-yard touchdown pass to junior Tom Beaton (West Newbury, Mass.) to tie the game at 7-7.

The Bobcats cashed in on another Middlebury turnover on their next possession, regaining the ball at their own 34-yard line after a fumble forced by first-year Tyler Kuehl (Plymouth, N.H.) and recovered by senior Chris Hertz (East Burke, Vt.). First-year quarterback Ryan Katon (Durham, Conn.) hit junior wide receiver Matt Gregg (Milton, Mass.) for 25 yards and rushed three times for 28 yards before connecting with Gregg on a 19-yard scoring strike.

Middlebury answered right back, as McKillop hit Matson for 12 yards and James Millard for 15, setting up a 35-yard touchdown run for Ryan Bohling, his fifth of the season. The Panthers added a 20-yard field goal from Anthony Kuchan as time expired to take a 17-14 lead into intermission.

The Panthers opened the second half with an 11-play, 81-yard drive that took 5:01 off the clock. A 34-yard connection from McKillop to Matson set up a three-yard scamper by McKillop for the score.

Middlebury gained some breathing room on its next possession, driving 54 yards for a touchdown that gave them a 31-14 lead. A 27-yard connection from McKillop to tight end Charles Holm and an 18-yard hook-up with Matson set up a one-yard quarterback sneak for McKillop.

The Panthers maintained their comfortable lead before putting the game away with 4:06 to go in the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 73-yard drive. McKillop connected with Timothy Dillon on a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it a 38-14 final.

Bohling ended the afternoon with a career-high 121 yards rushing on 19 carries, while Erik Rostad gained 70 yards on 20 attempts. McKillop went 18 of 27 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, hitting Matson five times for 87 yards with a touchdown. Millard caught four passes for 49 yards, while Dillon pulled down four receptions for 45 yards, including a touchdown. Andrew Poulin led the defense with 11 tackles, including 4.5 for lost yardage, while Eric Kamback made nine stops with a sack. Alex Kennedy picked off two passes in the fourth quarter for the Panthers.

Katon was 13 of 25 for Bates, tossing for 140 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Beaton went 1-3 passing for 12 yards, rushed five times for 24 yards to lead the Bates ground game, and caught 3 passes for 34 yards, including the touchdown. Gregg caught 3 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Thornton caught a team-high four passes for 43 yards.

Senior Coleman Peeke (Exeter, N.H.) made a game-high 14 tackles to lead the Bates defense. Sophomores Ted Durkin (Rye Beach, N.H.) and Devin Horvath (Parsippany, N.J.) made 12 tackles apiece and junior Greg Gumbs (Queens Village, N.Y.) made 11 tackles, career highs for all three players.

STATS: Middlebury 38, Bates 14