LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior linebacker Tony Hooks recorded a career-high 15 tackles and was responsible for the Bates football team's only points in a 10-2 loss to Colby on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field. 

Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) recorded career-highs with nine solo stops and 3.5 tackles for loss in the contest, adding in a pass break-up for good measure. He also tackled Colby running back Keon Smart in the end zone for a safety, cutting an early Colby lead to 3-2 with 10:04 remaining in the second quarter. 

But Bates (1-6) could not get anything going against the Mules (3-4) on offense. Colby out-gained the Bobcats in total offense by a count of 317 to 271 yards.

Before leaving the game due to injury, senior quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) broke his own single-season Bates record for total yards, tallying 154 yards of total offense to give him 1,777 on the year. In 2019, Costa recorded 1,739 yards of total offense, breaking a record previously held by Trevor Smith '13. 

The game did not start auspiciously for Bates, with the Bobcats fumbling the opening kickoff. But the Bates defense shut down the Colby offense. The Mules got the ball at the Bates 24-yard line after the fumble and on fourth and one from the 15, Hooks stuffed Smart for a loss of one. 

Costa got the Bates offense going on the ensuing drive, finding senior Derek Marino (Marblehead, Mass.) over the top for a 54-yard reception to the Colby 19. The Bobcats came up empty though, going for it on fourth and three from the Colby 12, only to have the pass fall incomplete. 

Then Colby took more than seven minutes off the clock on a 13-play, 81-yard drive, culminating in a 24-yard Moises Celaya field goal, putting the Mules up 3-0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.

It turned out to be the only points Colby needed, with the rain impacting both offenses throughout the afternoon. 

The Bobcats knocked on the door on their next possession. Starting at their own six-yard line due to a holding call on the kickoff return, Bates matriculated the ball down the field, highlighted by a 32-yard connection from Costa to wide receiver Sean Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) on a first and 10 from the Bates 48. The completion put the ball at the Colby 20 and a Costa run gave Bates a first and goal from the nine. A short pass to senior Chris Capo (West Newbury, Mass.) moved the ball to the five, but three straight Costa runs weren't enough to punch it in, with Bates ultimately getting stopped one yard short of the end zone.

The terrible field position for Colby did lead to the only points of the day for Bates, with Smart getting tackled by Hooks on the first play from scrimmage in the end zone for a safety. 

Celaya's kick after the safety gave Bates the ball at its own 36, trailing 3-2 early in the second quarter. But the Bobcats went three-and-out, giving the ball right back to the Mules.

On third and four from their own 32, Mules quarterback Matt Hersch scrambled for 17 yards and a first down. Then he found Pat Sweetnam for 18 yards to the Bates 33. On the next play, a blown coverage left Brendan Sawyer wide open down the left side and he waltzed into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown reception, putting the Mules up 10-2 after the extra point with 5:36 remaining in the second quarter.

No one scored for the remainder of the game, although both squads had their chances. 

A crucial play near the end of the first half left Bates behind the eight ball for the rest of the contest. The Bobcats fumbled with just over 30 seconds remaining in the half, and in the fight for the loose ball (which Colby recovered), Costa injured his leg, knocking him out for the rest of the game. 

A missed Colby field goal kept the score 10-2 at halftime. 

First-year Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) came off the bench to replace the injured Costa at quarterback and played very well, considering the weather conditions. He completed seven passes for 72 yards and was the victim of a number of drops by his receivers. 

On Bates' first drive of the third quarter, Bosselait connected with Bryant for 10 yards and Marino for 20. Bates had the ball at the Colby 32 before a couple negative plays forced the Bobcats to punt.

The Bobcats didn't get the ball into Colby territory again until late in the fourth quarter. On 3rd and 10 from the Colby 48, Payton Reid sacked Bosselait for a loss of 17 yards. He also forced a fumble on the play, but luckily for the Bobcats, sophomore offensive lineman Peter Simplicio (West Hartford, Conn.) fell on it.

Colby got the ball back with 1:46 remaining after a Bates punt. On the second play from scrimmage, the Bates defense gave the team new life, with senior captain Mike Bulman (Hanover, Mass.) forcing a Devin Marrocco fumble, which was recovered by sophomore Owen Palmieri (Franklin, Mass.) at the Colby 33 with 58 seconds left in regulation.

A Bosselait run to the 19-yard line gave Bates a first down in the red zone. But four straight incomplete passes, including a devastating drop on fourth down, sealed the Bobcats' fate. 

Hersch completed 23 of 31 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown for Colby, with Marrocco carrying the ball 19 times for 61 yards to pace the ground game. Matt Panker led the Mules with seven catches for 65 yards while Marino caught four passes for a game-high 83 yards for Bates. 

Nick Donatio led the Colby defense with seven total tackles. Reid forced two fumbles and Alex Nuahn forced one. Locksley Burke and Will Nipon both recovered fumbles on defense for the Mules. 

Senior Anthony Costa (West Springfield, Mass.) played well for Bates on defense, tallying nine total tackles and breaking up a pass in the end zone. Senior Tyler Hamilton (White River Junction, Vt.) recorded nine tackles as well, including 1.5 tackles for loss. 

The Bobcats are back in action next Saturday when they travel to Brunswick to take on rival Bowdoin. Kick is set for 5:30pm.