The Bates College football team competes against rival Bowdoin for the 123rd time this Saturday in a contest that kicks off at 5:30pm under the lights in Brunswick at Whittier Field. Bates has defeated Bowdoin eight out of the last nine times the teams have competed on the gridiron.
The Polar Bears (1-6) are surrendering 389.9 yards of total offense and allowing 28.7 points per game, ranking eighth and ninth in the NESCAC respectively. Bates (1-6) ranks sixth in the conference in total yards allowed per game at 368.4 but is eighth in scoring defense, just head of Bowdoin at 26 points per contest.
Offensively, Bowdoin is fifth in the NESCAC at 18.3 points per game and Bates is seventh at 15.3 points per game. The Polar Bears average 342.9 total yards a game and the Bobcats average 297.1, good for sixth and eighth in the conference respectively.
Running back Andre Eden makes the Bowdoin offense go, averaging 110.9 rushing yards per game, first in the NESCAC. His average of 118.4 all-purpose yards per game is second in the conference. Eden has carried the rock a conference-leading 145 times and averages 5.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Andrew Boel has completed 88 of 145 passes for 1205 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. He's been intercepted five times. Boel ranks fourth in the NESCAC in passing at 200.8 yards per game. Wide receiver Colton Fahey is his favorite target, catching 30 passes this season for 577 yards seven touchdowns. He ranks fifth in the conference in receiving at 82.4 yards per game.His seven receiving touchdowns are good for second in the NESCAC.
Safety Dan Fiore is the headliner on defense, averaging eight tackles per game, fifth in the conference. Koy Price is tied for second in the NESCAC with seven passes broken up. Defensive end Drew Ortiz ranks second in the conference with 10.5 tackles for loss.
The Bobcats are projected to be without starting quarterback senior Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.), who was injured going after a loose ball last week against Colby. First-year Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) is the likely starter, having completed seven passes for 72 yards last week. When Bosselait drops back to pass, he'll be looking for veteran receivers Sean Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) and Derek Marino (Marblehead, Mass.), who rank seventh and ninth respectively in the NESCAC in receiving yards per game. Last Saturday saw the return of senior wide receiver Jackson Hayes (San Marino, Calif.), who caught two touchdown passes in a win against Bowdoin for Bates in 2019.
Defensively, Bates junior linebacker Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) leads the NESCAC in tackles with 77. His 8.5 tackles for loss this season ranks fourth in the conference.
THE PARTICULARS:
What: Bates (1-6) @ Bowdoin (1-6)
When: Saturday, Nov. 6, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Whittier Field (Brunswick, Maine)
Live Coverage: Video | Stats
All-Time Series: Bowdoin leads 67-48-7
Previous Meeting: Bates 30, Bowdoin 5 (Nov. 2, 2019 in Lewiston, Maine)
BATES LAST WEEK:
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.
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.
BOWDOIN LAST WEEK:
The Bowdoin College football team scored twice in the final six minutes, but couldn't find the equalizer in a high-scoring 42-35 loss at Middlebury on Saturday afternoon. The Polar Bears (1-6) and Panthers (2-5) combined for 77 points and 980 yards of total offense on the day, in the highest scoring game between the teams since 2009.
Bowdoin trailed 19-6 at halftime with their lone score coming on a five-yard pass from Andrew Boel to Colton Fahey midway through the second quarter. The Polar Bears closed the gap to 22-20 early in the fourth quarter as a 64-yard touchdown run by Andre Eden was followed by another TD run, from ten yards out by Eden, with 14:55 remaining.
The fourth quarter was wild, with the Panthers scoring 20 unanswered points to take a commanding 42-20 lead with ten minutes remaining. Bowdoin wouldn't go away, driving 75 yards, ending with the third touchdown of the afternoon from Eden on a three-yard run, and cutting the margin to 42-28.
Following a Middlebury punt, the Polar Bears again moved the chains, cashing in on a 15-yard scoring strike from Boel to Fahey with 1:04 remaining, making it a 42-35 game. Bowdoin recovered the onside kick at the Middlebury 45, but Boel's first pass of the drive was picked off by Muldoon at the Middlebury one-yard line, sealing the Panther victory.
Eden finished with 160 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the Bowdoin offense against Middlebury. Boel went 22-42 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, both to Fahey, who hauled in seven passes for 135 yards.
Dan Fiore led Bowdoin with 12 tackles while Joey Brink had nine.
BATES AND BOWDOIN'S LAST MEETING:
The Bates football team ended its 17-game losing streak in a big way, trouncing rival Bowdoin 30-5 at Garcelon Field in the first nighttime home football game in team history.
In the 122nd meeting between the old rivals, Tyler Bridge (Wells, Maine) rushed for 188 yards and Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns, as Bates (1-7) gained 523 yards on the night, their most in one game since Oct. 22, 2011, when they gained 537 yards in a 49-43 loss to Middlebury.
The Bobcats defeated the Polar Bears (0-8) for the eighth time in nine years.
Austin McCrum completed 12-of-29 passes for 200 yards for Bowdoin, throwing one interception. Nate Richam-Odoi rushed for 82 yards on 24 carries and caught three passes for 71 yards.
Costa connected with wide receiver Jackson Hayes (San Marino, Calif.) for a 54-yard touchdown on the game's sixth play from scrimmage, and his two-point conversion pass to Liam Spillane (Byfield, Mass.) was good for an 8-0 Bates lead less than three minutes into the game.
Bates made it 14-0 early in the second quarter, capping a seven-play, 45-yard drive as Bridge ran untouched into the end zone from three yards out.
Bates' defense cut Bowdoin's ensuing drive short as Zach Doyon (Eliot, Maine) dived to pick off a pass by McCrum at the Bowdoin 36. Two plays later, Costa lofted a pass down the right sideline to Hayes, who caught the ball in stride and ran into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown, and the PAT by Simon Redfern (Providence, R.I.) made it 21-0. Hayes finished the game with the two catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Bates added three points to the lead midway through the second quarter, capping a nine-play, 71-yard drive with Redfern's first career field goal from 25 yards out.
Bowdoin answered with its longest drive of the game before the half ended, advancing 72 yards on 10 plays in less than two minutes. McCrum connected with Richam for 37 yards on the drive and with Michael Cloppse for 14 yards to take the Polar Bears to the Bates 26-yard line. A pass interference penalty against Bates put Bowdoin on the 11 with two seconds left in the half, and Michael Chen hit a 28-yard field goal, cutting the Bates lead to 24-3 at intermission.
Bates defensive lineman Jack Ryan (Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.) strip-sacked McCrum on the first series of the second half. The Bowdoin quarterback recovered the ball but the Polar Bears were forced to punt. Bates turned the ball over on downs at the Bowdoin 36, but Bowdoin's drive was halted on downs at the Bates 20.
Taking over at their own 20 with 5:24 left in the third quarter, Bates embarked on the final scoring drive of the game, picking up chunks of yardage with rushes of 17 yards by Bridge, 14 yards by senior Matt Golden (New Bedford, Mass.) and 23 yards by Costa. On 4th and 6 at the Bowdoin 23, Costa rushed a yard past the first-down marker, but a personal foul called against the Bobcats backed them up to the 31, facing 4th and 14. Costa lofted a pass down the left sideline, where Sean Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) came down with the ball between two Bowdoin defensive backs inside the 5, and he twisted around and ran the ball in to complete the 31-yard touchdown. Bryant finished with four catches for 92 yards, his second 90-yard game in a row.
BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:
MULTIPLE OFFENSE
LT 73 Peter Simplicio So. 6-5 265
LG 76 Quinn Woods Sr. 6-3 266
C 71 Nick Florio Sr. 6-0 280
RG 77 Cameron Winslow Jr. 6-4 306
RT 56 Erik Stephens Sr. 6-1 260
TE 87 Cole De Magistris So. 6-5 243
WR 12 Liam Kelly Sr. 6-2 187
WR 81 Sean Bryant Sr. 6-3 200
WR 84 Derek Marino Sr. 6-3 205
QB 8 Colton Bosselait Fy. 6-1 191
RB 26 Caleb Bolden Sr. 5-8 185
DEFENSE
DE 49 Nolan Potter Sr. 6-3 230
NT 93 Drew Kremhelmer Fy. 6-0 299
DL 52 Jack Ryan Sr. 6-2 251
LB 6 Mike Bulman Sr. 5-11 200
LB 5 Tony Hooks Jr. 6-1 225
LB 53 Spencer Adams Sr. 6-0 220
LB 19 Tyler Hamilton Sr. 6-0 212
CB 24 Jarrin Sato So. 5-8 162
CB 2 Mohamed Coulibaly Jr. 6-0 175
S 4 Anthony Costa Sr. 5-9 178
S 14 Jose Calleja Sr. 5-9 185
SPECIALISTS
K 86 Simon Redfern Sr. 6-1 192
P 35 Archie Green Jr. So. 5-11 185
BOWDOIN'S PROBABLE STARTERS:
OFFENSE
QB 1 Andrew Boel So. 5-11 170
TB: 30 Andre Eden So. 5-11 182
TE: 88 Bo Millett Sr. 6-3 220
WR: 8 Colton Fahey So. 5-10 193
WR: 10 Griff Stalcup Sr. 6-1 202
WR: 12 Austin Hiscoe Fy. 5-9 158
LT: 79 Brandon Krupp Sr. 6-2 250
LG: 74 Frank Paine Sr. 6-1 250
C: 77 Tim Ladka So. 6-0 247
RG: 70 Johnny Almanza Jr. 6-3 262
RT: 55 Tal Brill So. 6-2 248
DEFENSE
DE: 52 Drew Ortiz Sr. 5-10 225
DT: 33 Liam Wholey So. 6-3 221
DT: 51 John Page Sr. 6-1 229
DE: 91 Aidan Reidy Fy. 6-2 217
LB: 6 Jack Havener So. 5-8 172
LB: 14 Tyriq Jones-Garland Jr. 5-11 190
LB: 24 Will Federico Jr. 6-1 203
CB: 11 Jordin Young So. 5-10 161
CB: 36 Myles Hugee Sr. 5-10 175
S: 21 Chris Althoff So. 5-10 185
S: 26 Danny Fiore So. 5-9 178
SPECIALISTS
K: 96 Jotham Casey Fy. 5-10 160
P: 97 Andrew Rowader Jr. 5-9 172
