The Bates football team looks to even the all-time series with Hamilton this Saturday and match their win total from last season when the Bobcats visit the Continentals for a 12pm kickoff.

Bates (2-6) and Hamilton (2-6) are currently part of a five-way tie for sixth place in the NESCAC with Amherst, Bowdoin, and Williams. The Bobcats defeated the Mammoths and the Polar Bears, while the Continentals beat the Mammoths and the Ephs. Hamilton leads the all-time series against Bates by just one game, 22-21. The Bobcats have won two straight and five of the last nine against the Continentals.

The Bobcats are hoping to reach the three-win mark in back-to-back years for the first time since 2011-2014, when they won at least three games four consecutive years. Bates will also be keeping an eye on the Colby-Bowdoin game. If Bowdoin defeats Colby on Saturday, the three teams will split the CBB series title.

Both the Bobcats (36.9 points allowed per game ) and the Continentals (34.1 points allowed per game) have struggled on defense this season. Bates has had more success on offense where the Bobcats average 19 points per game, sixth in the NESCAC. Hamilton averages 15.4 points per game, ninth in the NESCAC.

Sophomore quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season, three shy of the Bates single-season record of 17, shared by Chuck Laurie '79 and Jim Murphy '69. His 1,557 passing yards this year are just 123 yards shy of the Bates single-season record of 1,680 set last year by Brendan Costa '22.

Senior wide receiver Christian Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) has 49 catches on the season for 680 yards and six touchdowns, all tops on the team. His 49 catches this season are tied for the fourth most in team history. 

Senior captain Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) leads the NESCAC in tackling with 92 total tackles on the season. His 46 solo stops also rank first in the conference.

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THE PARTICULARS:
What: Bates (2-6) @ Hamilton (2-6)
When: Saturday, Nov. 12, 12 p.m.
Where: Steuben Field (Clinton, N.Y.)
Live Coverage: Video | Stats
All-Time Series: Hamilton leads 22-21
Previous Meeting: Bates 27, Hamilton 21 (Nov. 13, 2021 in Lewiston, Maine)

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BATES LAST WEEK:

Senior Christian Olivieri tallied a pair of touchdown catches but the visiting Trinity College Bantams spoiled the Bates football team's Senior Day, defeating the Bobcats 63-14 Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field. 

Trinity (8-0) remained undefeated on the season and clinched at least a share of the conference championship with the victory.

The Bantams gained 571 yards of total offense and held Bates to 207 total yards in the contest. Trinity's Spencer Fetter completed 24-32 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler DiNapoli had a big day on the ground, carrying the ball 17 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Cal Messina added nine carries for 45 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sean Clapp was Fetter's favorite target, finishing with seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. DeVante Reid added four catches for 97 yards and a score.

Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) paced the Bobcats with five catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Reza Badiee (La Jolla, Calif.) had a strong day for Bates as well, with eight carries for 66 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Sophomore Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) completed nine of 20 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Bantams picked off Bosselait three times on the afternoon.

Defensively, senior captain Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) led the way with a game-high 16 tackles, including six solo stops and a tackle for loss. Fellow seniors Jose Calleja (Secane, Pa.) and Thomas Formus (Ridgefield, Conn.) had big days as well, with Calleja tallying 13 total tackles, including four solo stops and a half sack. Formus intercepted a Fetter pass, broke up three passes, hurried the QB once, and tallied eight tackles, including three solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. First-year Jackson Collins (Glen Ridge, N.J.) sacked Fetter once and finished with three total tackles. Senior Jack Ryan (Henderson, Nev.) hurried the QB twice and sophomore Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.) recorded a half sack. Senior Spencer Adams (Bedford, N.H.) forced a fumble but the Bantams were able to recover. 

Brian Casagrande led Trinity with six tackles, including two solo stops. The Bobcats kept Bosselait upright all game as Trinity did not record a sack. 

Third downs were a big difference in the game, with Trinity converting on 11 of 15 chances and Bates struggling to a 1-9 mark on the day. Trinity was also 1-2 on fourth down and 6-7 in the red zone.

HAMILTON LAST WEEK:

Middlebury College's Cole Kennon threw for 431 yards and six touchdowns, and the Panthers defeated the Hamilton College Continentals 48-34 in the Old Rocking Chair Classic at Middlebury's Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Middlebury led 21-0 less than four minutes into the second quarter and the Continentals didn't get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

LeeCharles McNeil got things started on a two-yard touchdown run with 7:32 left in the first quarter.
Kennon completed a 42-yard pass to Donovan Wood for the Panthers' second touchdown with 58 seconds remaining in the first.

Middlebury's next scoring drive started at the Hamilton 34 after a short punt and a 10-yard penalty on the Continentals. Patrick Jamin caught a 17-yard pass from Kennon for the touchdown 3:47 into the second quarter.

Hamilton quarterback Matt Banbury capped a 75-yard drive by bulling into the end zone from the one with 7:26 to go in the second. A 14-yard pass to Colin Kelter on fourth down-and-five to the one set up Banbury's touchdown.

An 11-yard punt return by Adam Harrington gave the Panthers the ball at the Continentals 41 late in the second quarter. Wood caught his second touchdown pass – this time for 10 yards – with 37 seconds left in the half, and Middlebury took a 28-7 lead into the break.

Hamilton started the second half with another 75-yard touchdown drive, and once again, Banbury ended it on a one-yard plunge with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter. The drive was kept alive by a 12-yard reception by Kelter on fourth-and-one to the Panthers 10.

Kennon finished off Middlebury's next drive with a 17-yard touchdown toss to Cole Crider with 9:08 to go in the third.

Banbury found Joseph Campanella for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 1:42 left in the quarter, and the Panthers led 35-21 after three. A 32-yard catch by Lucas Perez-Segnini was the big play of the drive.

Middlebury clinched the victory with two Jamin touchdown catches four seconds apart early in the fourth quarter. The first was a seven-yard catch with 12:58 remaining. The second was a four-yard grab after the Continentals muffed the kickoff and Rocco Stola recovered.

Banbury accounted for all five of the Continentals' touchdowns. He was 27 of 42 for a career-high 291 yards passing and three scores, and added 36 yards rushing with two more touchdowns. 

BATES AND HAMILTON'S LAST MEETING:

Colton Bosselait threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Christian Olivieri with four seconds remaining in regulation to propel the Bates football team past Hamilton by a final score of 27-21 at Garcelon Field. 

Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) completed 23 of 36 passes for a Bates record 372 yards in the victory, surpassing Trevor Smith '13, who threw for 361 yards against Colby in 2009. 

With senior quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) out due to illness on Senior Day, the rookie Bosselait wrote "BC3" in honor of Costa on the tape around his wrist and proceeded to lead the Bobcats and their 26 seniors to victory in the season finale. 

Bates trailed Hamilton 21-13 at halftime but the Bobcat defense blanked the Continentals in the second half.

Bates got the ball back on a Hamilton punt with just 39 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter at the Bobcat 38-yard line. A holding call pushed the Bobcats back to their own 28 before Bosselait found senior Derek Marino (Marblehead, Mass.) for an 11-yard gain to the 39. After an incomplete pass, Bosselait picked up a first down with a 13-yard run down the near sideline to the Hamilton 48. An incomplete pass made it second and 10, but with just 13 seconds left in regulation. The game appeared to be headed to overtime and the Bobcats only had time for a heave to the end zone.

They made the most of it.

Bosselait settled back in the pocket and launched the ball a good 60 yards in the air to Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) down the far sideline. The ball dropped into Olivieri's awaiting arms, as the speedy receiver had gotten behind two Hamilton defenders in the end zone. He caught it for the touchdown and Garcelon Field erupted in celebration. 

BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
LT 73 Peter Simplicio Jr. 6-5 280 
LG 76 Quinn Woods Sr. 6-2 275
C  71 Nick Florio Sr. 6-0 265
RG 77 Cameron Winslow Sr. 6-4 306
RT 63 Cole De Magistris Jr. 6-4 270 
TE 89 Steven Guerrette Jr. 6-3 225 
WR 7 Mohamed Diawara Sr. 6-1 180
WR 32 Christian Olivieri Sr. 5-11 200
WR 1 Jackson Hayes Sr. 5-9 165 
QB 8 Colton Bosselait So. 6-0 200
RB 33 Jamil Mouehla So. 5-11 190

DEFENSE
DL 94 Matthew Juneau So. 6-1 220
DL 98 Kyle Hamilton Jr. 6-3 230
DL 93 Drew Kremhelmer So. 6-0 275
DL 52 Jack Ryan Sr. 6-2 255
LB 17 Thomas Formus Sr. 6-0 205
LB 5 Tony Hooks Sr. 6-1 225
LB 23 George Hawkins III Jr. 6-1 205 
CB 21 Owen Straley Sr. 5-9 165
CB 2 Mohamed Coulibaly Sr. 6-0 180
S 24 Jarrin Sato Jr. 5-8 170
S 14 Jose Calleja Sr. 5-10 175

SPECIALIST
P/K 35 Archie Green Jr. Jr. 5-11 190 

HAMILTON'S PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
QB 4 Matt Banbury Sr. 6-0 206
TB 27 Leo Gerst Fy. 5-8 164
WR 81 Colin Kelter Fy. 5-11 163
WR 38 Lucas Perez-Segnini So. 6-3 215
WR 21 Jack Clougherty Sr. 5-11 198
TE 88 Mark Howrigan Sr. 6-3 218
OT 50 Aidan French Sr. 6-3 292
G 77 Jake LaMalva So. 6-1 301
C 60 Andrew Chronis So. 5-11 263
G 76 James Luce Fy. 6-1 262
OT 62 Matt Morgan So. 6-3 273

DEFENSE
DE 0 Alex Street Sr. 6-4 263
DT 93 Chase White So. 6-0 240
DT 95 Jake Dale So. 6-1 261
DE 84 Slade Springer Sr. 6-3 209
LB 39 Cole Rivell Jr. 6-2 208
MLB 51 George Johnson Sr. 6-0 218
LB 10 Matt LoPresti Sr. 5-9 203
CB 2 Christian Snell Sr. 6-0 176
CB 26 Jacob Spafford So. 5-10 170
FS 6 Ian Esliker Sr. 6-1 208
SS 29 James Bourque Jr. 5-11 195

SPECIALISTS
K 41 Evan Reed Fy. 6-0 189
P 14 Tighe Hoey So. 6-2 204