Junior Parker Smith and the Bates offense looks to come alive this Saturday at Colby, as the Bobcats and Mules kick off the 2019 CBB series. (File photo by Theophil Syslo/Bates College)

WATERVILLE, Maine -- The Bates football team takes on the Colby College Mules for the 121st time when the Bobcats head to Waterville Saturday at 1pm hoping to secure their first win of 2019. 

Colby (0-6) is also looking for its first win of the season. Statistically, the teams are pretty even, with the Mules averaging 12.8 points per game on offense and Bates (0-6) averaging 10 points per game. The Mules rank last in the NESCAC in rushing offense and sixth in passing offense. Bates is eighth in rushing offense and last in passing offense. Defensively, Colby gives up 31 points per game and Bates surrenders 37 points per game. 

The Mules are led on defense by linebacker Marcus Bullard. He leads the NESCAC in tackles per game at 10.5. Colby quarterback Matt Hersch ranks fifth in the conference in passing yards per game, averaging 207 yards through the air. He tossed three touchdown passes two weeks ago in a one-point loss to undefeated Middlebury.

Bates is led on defense by first-year Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) at 5.3 tackles per game. He also ranks first on the team in tackles for loss (4.5) and sacks (1.5).

Offensively, junior Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) has completed 76-133 passes (57.1%) on the year for 741 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior Liam Spillane (Byfield, Mass.) leads the team in rushing (37.2 yards per game) but Costa is not far behind at 34.6 yards per contest, including two rushing touchdowns. On the receiving end, sophomore Jackson Hayes (San Marino, Calif.) has the most catches (15) while sophomore Christian Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) leads the team in yards (248). 

First-year Mohamed Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) leads the team in total offense at 72.5 yards per game and junior Christian Sanfilippo (Gloucester, Mass.) has the most points this year with 18, on the strength of his three rushing touchdowns. 

This game marks the beginning of the annual CBB series. Bates won four CBB titles in a row before the Mules prevailed last year. The Bobcats take on Bowdoin on Saturday, Nov. 2 and Colby plays the Polar Bears on Nov. 9 to wrap up this year's edition of the classic three-way rivalry. Whoever emerges with the best record among the three teams against each other earns the CBB series trophy. 

THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (0-6) at Colby (0-6)

When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m.

Where: Seaverns Field at Harold Alfond Stadium (Waterville, Maine)

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Colby leads 67-47-6

Previous Meeting: Colby 21, Bates 6 (Oct. 27, 2018 in Lewiston, Maine)

COLBY LAST WEEK:

The Colby College Football team dropped behind early and struggled to gain momentum as the Trinity College Bantams took the NESCAC contest in Hartford 43-7. Trinity improved to 4-2 while Colby remains winless on the year.  

After being held to just three yards on its opening drive, Trinity took their second drive 56 yards for the first score of the game. The Bantams had three plays over 10 yards on the drive, and even rolled the dice with a fourth and three from the Colby 36 yard line. Running back Tijani Harris (25 rushes, 158 yards, three touchdowns) converted with a four yard rush, and two plays later found the end zone on an 11 yard scamper. Colby's next possession produced a three and out, and DeVante Reid returned the ensuing punt 73 yards for the second score. For their third score, Trinity took to the air for a three yard pass from Seamus Lambert to Jordan Vazzano. Lambert finished the afternoon with an efficient mark passing 9 of 12 for 230 yards and two touchdowns.  

The lone Colby touchdown of the contest came with four minutes remaining as quarterback Matt Hersch found Matt Panker on a 26 yard score.  Hersch ended the day 14-32 for 183 yards and the Panker touchdown to go along with one interception. The Mules could not find much momentum on the ground either, gaining only 85 yards rushing compared to Trinity's 250.  Defensively, Marcus Bullard and CJ Hassan remain atop the league leaderboard in tackles. Bullard had nine solo stops and ended with 11 total tackles, including one for a loss. Hassan added seven solo tackles and totaled eight on the afternoon. Sean Godin added a spark from the middle linebacker position. Four of his five solo tackles were for a loss including his first sack of the season.  

BATES LAST WEEK

First-year Mohamed Diawara caught four passes for a career-high 92 yards and sophomore Christian Olivieri added a pair of catches for a career-high 78 yards in the Bates football team's 35-7 loss at Williams Saturday afternoon. 

The Ephs (5-1) got ahead early, courtesy of their special teams. On a Bates punt, Luke Apuzzi brushed past blockers for the block, setting up teammate Jarrett Wesner to pick the ball up and run unopposed to the end zone.

Bates (0-6) almost recovered on the next drive. On a play-action pass on third down, junior quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) threw to a wide-open Olivieri (Hull, Mass) who maneuvered past two defenders for nearly twenty yards after the catch. He was stopped on a touchdown-saving tackle by safety Ben Anthony at the one-yard line. But the Williams defense stopped Bates from converting four run plays in a row and the score held at 7-0.

The Ephs proceeded to drive 99 yards on 14 plays for their second score of the day. Quarterback Bobby Maimaron and the offense kept the Bates defense off balance with a combination of runs and passes, steadily moving upfield. Soon, the Ephs found themselves in a first-and-goal situation. Maimaron went to his biggest receiver, sophomore Tyler Spiezio, who came down with the ball in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

Williams extended its lead once more before the half. One drive after turning the ball over on downs in the red zone, Maimaron ran a play-action pass and found Spiezio again, streaking downfield well past the last man on defense. He was able to beat his pursuers for 75 yards, leading Williams to a 21-0 lead.

The second half got off to a chaotic start. Rocco Giandomenico picked off a Costa pass with 8:11 left in the third quarter, setting the Ephs up for another score by putting them in good field position. However, on the very next play, senior captain Jon Lindgren (Plainville, Conn.) forced Joel Nicholas to fumble after a long run and junior Devin Clyburn ( New York, N.Y.) recovered, giving the ball back to the Bobcats.

The Williams defense forced a three-and-out, handing the ball back to Maimaron. And Eph running back Dan Vaughn played the starring role in each play of the ensuing drive, rushing for 38 yards and catching a wide-open touchdown pass for 26 yards. 

The Bobcats fell behind 35-0 before getting on the board in the fourth quarter. 

Starting at their own 25, the Bobcats found success through the air, with junior tight end Isaiah Saunders (Tilton, N.H.) reeling in a Costa pass for 19 yards and Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) securing a 25-yard reception to the Williams 28. Costa connected with junior Liam Spillane (Byfield, Mass.) for 17 yards before the quarterback did the rest himself, rushing the ball in from 11 yards out, getting Bates in the scoring column with 7:38 left in the game.

Costa completed 16-29 passes for 241 yards and two interceptions. He also ran the ball eight times for a team-high 73 yards and a touchdown. Spillane added 17 carries for 65 yards on the ground to go along with three catches for 25 yards.

Junior Liam Greene (Bedford, N.H.) led the way on defense, tallying a game-high eight tackles and one sack. 

BATES' AND COLBY'S LAST MEETING

Colby College running back Jake Schwern ran for three touchdowns and carried the ball 40 times for 226 yards to lead the Mules past the Bates football team by a score of 21-6 Saturday afternoon in snowy conditions on Garcelon Field. 

The Mules (2-5) recorded 306 total yards, with Schwern generating nearly 74% of their offense. Liam Spillane (Byfield, Mass.) paced the Bobcats (0-7) by carrying the ball 15 times for a career-high 114 yards. Bates tallied 236 yards of total offense, losing quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) late in the first half due to injury. Jack Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) took over and passed for 45 yards. 

Before his injury, Costa ran eight times for 34 yards and a touchdown. He completed a pair of passes for 13 yards.

Both offenses focused on the ground game due to the weather conditions. Colby quarterback Matt Hersch completed 7-13 passes for 70 yards, with Schwern doing the heavy lifting all day. 

The Mules took the lead for good on their opening drive of the game. Facing third and six at their own 34, the Mules moved the chains when Hersch connected with Ethan Smith for a 14-yard gain. Schwern rushed for eight yards to the Bates 44. Then he took it to the house on the next play, racing through a huge hole off left tackle and outracing the Bates defense to the end zone, putting the Mules up 7-0 after the extra point with 12:45 remaining in the first quarter

The teams traded punts on the next two possessions before the Bobcats answered with some strong running of their own. Spillane broke through the Mules' defense with runs of 25 and 23 yards respectively to get the ball to the Colby 19. On the next play, Costa took the snap, read the defense, and raced to the near pylon through a big hole on the left side of the line for his second rushing touchdown of the season. 

But the Bobcats did not convert the extra point after a fumbled snap so Colby maintained a 7-6 lead with 5:51 left in the first quarter.

The Mules rode Schwern on their next drive, handing it off to him eight times, including on a 4th and goal at the one-yard line. Schwern punched it in to extend the Colby lead to 14-6 after the extra point.

Colby recovered the ensuing kickoff after it bounced off a Bates player. But the Bobcat defense answered, with Shane Collins (Stoneham, Mass.) ripping the ball away from Colby running back David Smith. Mike Bulman (Hanover, Mass.) pounced on it at the Bates 34 for his second fumble recovery of the season.

The Bates offense went three-and-out and Colby struck again on its next drive. Starting at their own 45, the Mules converted a first down on 3rd and 11 when Hersch found David Smith for 14 yards. On a 3rd and 12 at the Bates 44, Hersch answered the bell with an 18-yard pass to Ethan Smith. The Bates defense failed to get off the field on third down for a third straight time on the drive when Hersch found Schwern for a nine-yard gain on a third and eight from the Bates 24. Schwern got the handoff on the next play and took it to the Bobcat one. Then he ran it in for his third touchdown of the half, putting Colby up 21-6 with 6:20 left in the second quarter after the extra point.

BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:

MULTIPLE OFFENSE

LT 70 Matt Flanagan Sr. 6-6 313
LG 65 Josh Gendron Jr. 6-1 265
C  64 Jack O'Brien Sr. 6-1 249
RG 71 Nick Florio So. 5-11 270
RT 75 Julien Nicolas Jr. 6-3 288
TE 85 Isaiah Saunders Jr. 6-4 218
WR 1 Jackson Hayes So. 5-9 147
WR 88 Parker Smith Jr. 6-2 206
QB 3 Brendan Costa Jr. 5-10 188
FB 15 Matt Golden Sr. 5-11 219
RB 5 Liam Spillane Jr. 6-1 217

3-4 DEFENSE

DE 49 Nolan Potter So. 6-2 227
NT 99 Ramon Ruiz Jr. 5-9 262
DE 52 Jack Ryan So. 6-0 246
OLB 36 Mike Bulman So. 5-11 195
ILB 37 Peter Daley Sr. 6-0 211
ILB 53 Spencer Adams So. 5-11 216
OLB 55 Tony Hooks Fy. 6-0 206
CB 21 Owen Straley So. 5-6 158
SS 6 Jon Lindgren Sr. 5-10 182
FS 18 Connor Hunt Jr. 5-11 178
CB 14 Jose Calleja So. 5-9 176

SPECIALISTS

K 86 Simon Redfern So. 6-1 194
P 17 Thomas Formus So. 5-11 187

COLBY'S PROBABLE STARTERS: