BRUNSWICK, Maine -- The Bates football team went up by 10 points twice on Bowdoin but the host Polar Bears rallied to defeat the Bobcats 35-20 Saturday afternoon at Whittier Field. 

The Bobcats (0-5) went up by scores of 10-0 and 17-7 in the contest before the Polar Bears (3-2) scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. 

Quarterback Andrew Boel completed 14-20 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns for Bowdoin while junior captain Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) completed 27-45 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns for Bates.

Junior wide receiver Drew Sachs (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a breakout game for the Bobcats, catching eight passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) turned in another solid performance, with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Colton Fahey paced the Polar Bears with five catches for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Brendan King added three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. 

The Bobcats got the ball to start the game and executed a terrific drive to grab the lead. The Bobcats went 80 yards in 12 plays, taking 5:30 off the clock. Bosselait connected with senior captain tight end Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.) four times on the opening drive, including gains of 21, 14, and 15 yards. A nine-yard pass to Guerrette put the ball at the Bowdoin five. Then on third and goal from the three, Bosselait hit Beltran on the far sideline for a touchdown, putting the Bobcats up 7-0 with 9:26 left in the first quarter after first-year Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point.

Bates' defense got off to a strong start as well, forcing a three-and-out, which included senior Alex Zunino (East Granby, Conn.) recording a sack of Boel on third down. 

The Bates offense got the ball back on their own 32 and went 47 yards in 10 plays. Bosselait found three different receivers on the drive, including a 20-yard pass to Beltran. Ruiz put Bates up 10-0 with a 38-yard field goal, his longest of the season.

Bowdoin struck back quickly, going 70 yards on five plays, in just over two minutes. The big blow was a 48-yard touchdown strike from Boel to Fahey, cutting the Bobcat lead to 10-7 with 21 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The next Bates drive stalled, but the Bobcats made a big play on special teams. Sophomore Parker Huynh-Benningfield (Austin, Texas) punted the ball away and Bowdoin's returner fumbled it. First-year Charlie Ranney (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) pounced on the loose ball, setting Bates up with excellent field position at the Bowdoin 34.

Bosselait immediately hit Sachs for 18 yards to the Bowdoin 16 and on third and four from the 10, he found Sachs for the second-year player's first collegiate touchdown. Ruiz made the extra point and Bates led 17-7 with 10:54 left in the opening half.

However, for the second straight time, the Polar Bears had an almost immediate answer. Starting at their own 19, Boel found Luke Watson for 49 yards. Then he connected with King for a 32-yard touchdown, trimming the Bates lead to 17-14 in just 46 seconds.

The Bobcats went three-and-out on their next drive, and a 17-yard punt gave Bowdoin great field position at the Bates 42. Seven plays and 42 yards later, Robbie Long punched it in from three yards out, and the Polar Bears took their first lead of the afternoon. It proved to be the game-winning touchdown as the Bobcats could not rally down the stretch.

Another Boel to Fahey touchdown reception gave the Polar Bears a 28-17 lead at halftime.

After the first-half fireworks, the second half proved to be a defensive struggle. 

Neither team scored in the third quarter and a 22-yard field goal from Ruiz early in the fourth quarter trimmed the Bowdoin lead to 28-20. Ruiz is now 5-5 on field goals this season for the Bobcats.

The Polar Bears and Bobcats traded punts for the majority of the fourth quarter until Boel found Fahey for a third touchdown, this one a 14-yard strike, icing the game with 2:33 left in regulation.

Defensively, Bowdoin sacked Bosselait four times, led by Koy Price, who notched two sacks and forced a fumble. He finished with eight total tackles, four for loss. Junior captain Matt Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.) paced the Bobcats with eight total tackles, including seven solo stops and one tackle for loss.

The Bobcats are back in action next Saturday when they visit Middlebury for a 1pm kick.