MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The Bates football team's defense held its own but the Bobcat offense couldn't get anything going in a 24-0 loss at Middlebury Saturday afternoon.

Middlebury (1-1) outgained Bates (0-2) 355-201 en route to the victory. 

The Panthers got on the board right away on their opening drive, going 72 yards on eight plays in 2:32. Peter Scibilia had a 12-yard rush, while quarterback Will Jernigan found Donovan Wood for an 18-yard connection as key plays on the drive. Jernigan later rushed for 18 yards on a pair of carries before connecting with Greg Livingston for an 11-yard touchdown strike.

The Panthers made it a 10-0 game at the 12:25 mark of the second quarter with a 20-yard field goal from Andrew Hass.

Late in the quarter, Jernigan connected with Scibilia for 12 yards and Livingston for 38, setting up his own three-yard keeper for the 17-0 advantage.

The Panthers added to their 17-point halftime lead early in the third quarter. An interception by Gordon Pollock left the hosts at midfield. Scibilia ground out 14 yards rushing, before Jernigan broke free on an option play for a 20-yard touchdown run.

Bates threatened several times in the fourth quarter, but the Panther defense held the Bobcats at bay. Kieran Sheridan broke up a pass on a fourth and eight play from the Middlebury 10 to end one drive, before picking off a pass at the Panther 10 on the next series. Nate Stewart recorded his second interception of the day late in the game.

The Bates defense kept the Bobcats in the game throughout the afternoon. Junior Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) led all tackles with 12 stops, including one tackle for loss, while senior Tyler Hamilton (White River Junction, Vt.) had 11, with a half tackle for loss. Hooks also recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Sophomore George Hawkins III (Jacksonville, Fla.) netted eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior captain Mike Bulman (Hanover, Mass.) and senior Nolan Potter (Wells, Maine) both forced fumbles. Potter and sophomore Matt Connelly (Wellesley, Mass.) each recorded a sack and senior Tim Simplicio (West Hartford, Conn.) teamed with first-year Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.) on a sack of Jernigan. 

Senior quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) completed 14 of 30 passes for Bates, throwing for 115 yards. He also led the ground game with 35 yards on 14 carries. Senior Sean Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) paced the receivers with three catches for 32 yards.

Jernigan completed 11-24 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, while rushing for a pair of scores on 14 carries for 67 yards. Scibilia finished with 83 yards on 18 attempts, while LeeCharles McNeil aided the ground game with 40 yards. Livingston (57 yards) and Donovan Wood (48 yards) led the receivers with three catches apiece.

Defensively for Middlebury, Kwesi Adu-Diawuo, Pollock, Jack Pistorius and Charles Roselle each made seven stops for the Panthers. Pollock added an interception, Stewart had a pair, while Sheridan had one pick with three passes broken up. The Panther defense kept Bates outside the Middlebury 40-yard line until late in the third quarter of the game.

The Bates football team returns to action this Saturday when the Bobcats welcome Wesleyan to town for a 1pm kick.