The Bates football team travels to Middlebury looking for a big win against one of the powerhouses of the NESCAC this Saturday, with kickoff set for 1pm. The Bobcats (0-5) are coming off a close game at rival Bowdoin while the Panthers (4-1) are coming off a big win at defending conference champion Trinity. 

The Middlebury defense is one of the best in the conference, ranking second in points allowed per game at 16.6. The duo of John McCool (10 tackles per game) and reigning NESCAC Defesnive Player of the Week Finn Muldoon (9.2 tackles per game) rank first and second in the conference respectively in tackling. Tomas Kenary and Dave Filias are first and second in the conference in tackles for loss per game at 2.3 and 2.1 respectively. Filias is first in sacks at 1.2 per game and Kenary is second at 1.1 per contest. 

Meanwhile, their offense is averaging 21.6 points per game, fifth in the NESCAC. Quarterback Cole Kennon is the third-leading passer in the NESCAC at 253.6 yards per game and wide receiver Patrick Jamin ranks third in the conference in receiving with 94.8 yards per game. However, Kennon is first in the conference in interceptions, having been picked off 11 times so far this season.

On offense, the Bobcats will continue to rely on the dynamic duo of sophomore wide receiver Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) and senior captain tight end Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.). Beltran ranks second in the NESCAC with 35 catches so far this season and Guerrette is 10th with 23 receptions. Beltran's 399 receiving yards ranks eighth in the conference. Junior captain quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) has thrown for 1,096 yards this year with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. 

On defense, junior captain Matt Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.) leads the way for Bates at 6.6 tackles per game. The Bobcats have allowed 29.6 points per game and will look to improve on that against the Panthers this Saturday.

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THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (0-5) @ Middlebury (4-1)

When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 1 p.m.

Where: Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium (Middlebury, Vt.)

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Middlebury leads 48-14-3

Previous Meeting: Middlebury 48, Bates 20 (Oct. 22, 2022 in Lewiston, Maine)

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MIDDLEBURY LAST WEEK:

The Middlebury football team tallied the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, and the Panther defense held strong in the waning seconds to help snap Trinity's 15-game winning streak with a 20-15 victory. Middlebury was the only team to hold the Bantams without a touchdown during that span and handed Trinity its first loss at home in over five years. 

The Bantams marched down the field on their initial possession, but a strong Panther defense forced Trinity to settle for a field goal. Matthew Jumes split the uprights from 30 yards out to give the hosts a 3-0 edge.

Trinity picked off a pass in the end zone during the visitors' opening drive and made its way over midfield again. The Panther defense held its own, with Sam Wilson breaking up a pass on third down to force another Bantam field goal. Jumes converted the 39-yard boot for the 6-0 advantage after one quarter of action. 

Middlebury began its six-minute, second-stanza drive at its own 37. The Panthers found themselves converting on a pair of fourth-and-one plays, including a 12-yard, one-handed reception by Patrick Jamin at the 18 yard line. Cole Kennon followed that with an 18-yard touchdown toss to Donovan Wood, and Zach Levy's extra point was good to give Middlebury the 7-6 edge. 

With just under five minutes remaining in the half, Bantam quarterback Spencer Fetter looked to launch a 32-yard touchdown strike, but John McCool was there to bat away the attempt, and Jumes' field-goal chance from near midfield sailed wide.

Jumes put Trinity back in front 9-7 with a 44-yard field goal in the final minute of the half and extended the advantage to 12-7 with a 42 yarder early in the third stanza.

Later in the quarter, the Bantams attempted a trick play on fourth down. Hampton Trout came out as part of the punt formation and tried to throw the ball, but Owen Thornton read the play and intercepted the pass to give Middlebury the ball near midfield. 

The Panthers carried that momentum into the fourth quarter. Mike Ahonen had a 13-yard reception sandwiched around a pair of short rushes by Kennon, before Kennon found Jamin for a seven-yard scoring strike. Levy converted the extra point, giving Middlebury a slight 14-12 edge with 12:16 left on the clock.

On the ensuing Trinity possession, Dave Filias recovered a Bantam fumble in the Panther red zone, but Middlebury was unable to capitalize on its drive.  

Jumes booted another field goal, this time from 27 yards out with 5:44 left in the game, to give the Bantams a slight 15-14 edge. 

As the clock wound down, the rain started to fall, making for the perfect dramatic scene for the end of the game. Kennon connected with Ahonen for a 68-yard touchdown through the air, but the two-point conversion was denied by Trinity to keep the difference at five (20-15).

After trading possessions, the Bantams had a final chance to maintain their unbeaten streak. With 17 seconds left, Fetter hooked up with Sean Clapp for an eight-yard catch, but Teddy Daniel brought Clapp down on the two-yard line. Fetter spiked the ball to bring up third down, but Kieran Sheridan stuffed a rushing attempt up the middle by Dinapoli and the clock ran out before Trinity could get its final snap off.

BATES LAST WEEK:

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.

BATES' AND MIDDLEBURY'S LAST MEETING:

Quarterback Colton Bosselait tied a Bates football program record with 31 completions, and senior wide receiver Christian Olivieri shattered the team mark for receptions with 17, in the Bobcats' 40-28 loss to Middlebury College at Garcelon Field.

Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) tied a team mark originally set in 2009 by Trevor Smith '13, when Smith completed 31 passes against Colby. Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) now sits alone atop the single-game reception list having eclipsed the previous high-water mark of 12, a total achieved on four separate occasions. Jason Coulie '00 caught 12 passes in a game twice, last doing so in 1999 vs. Wesleyan.

The Panthers opened the scoring at 10:43 in the first quarter when Donovan Wood secured a 26-yard pass from Cole Kennon for the game's first touchdown. 

Senior Mohamed Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) soared for a leaping one-yard TD catch from Bosselait at the 2:49 mark, capping a nine-play 70-yard drive by the Bobcats and knotting the score at 7-7 heading into the second. 
 
A pair of Bates' turnovers proved to be detrimental early in the second quarter. An interception by Middlebury's Liam High on the visiting team's 48-yard line caused an abrupt end to the Bobcats' six-play drive. The Panthers proceeded to author a swift 1:27 touchdown drive of their own, set up by a 46-yard pass reception by Patrick Jamin (86 yards receiving), and finalized when Charles Armstrong secured a one-yard touchdown toss by Kennon.

Trailing 13-7 after a missed Middlebury extra-point attempt clanked the left upright, Bates looked to take advantage of the miscue. The garnet-and-white would not get the opportunity, however, as Teddy Daniel forced a fumble on the subsequent kickoff return, a loose ball that was pounced upon by Middlebury's John Greenburg at the Bates 18-yard line.

It would take Middlebury exactly 16 seconds and one play to net its third TD of the day, this time an 18-yard touchdown catch by tight end Anson Clough with 11:08 to go before the half. Another missed extra point by the Panthers' Andrew Haas, this time off the right upright, made it 19-7 Middlebury.

Not going away, the 'Cats immediately countered with a healthy eight-play, 70-yard push up the field, culminating with a 14-yard Bosselait hookup with senior Jackson Hayes (San Marino, Calif.) to slice the deficit to five (19-14) after the successful extra point by Archie Green Jr. (Upland, Calif.). The touchdown marked the third of the season for the senior receiver, and second in as many games.

Middlebury immediately matched its host's 70-yard march with one of its own as the Panthers put together a 12-play drive, ending with the team's second one-yard touchdown pass reception, this time to WR Greg Livingston (84 yards receiving) with 1:28 to go in the half. 

The Bobcats, looking to inch slightly closer before the halftime horn, mounted a nine-drive, 67-yard drive to set up a 25-yard field goal attempt with 11 ticks on the clock. Green, Jr.'s effort would be blocked by the Panthers, keeping the score 26-14 Middlebury heading into intermission.

The squads would again trade touchdowns within the first 4:37 of the third quarter to put the score at 33-21 Panthers with 10:23 to go in the session. Diawara accounted for the Bates TD, a 25-yard reception that closed out a tidy three-play, 75-yard drive for the garnet-and-white. The stage was set for Diawara's team-leading fifth touchdown of the year after junor Steven Guerrette's (Bow, N.H.) 46-yard reception the play before. 

The 'Cats, which have not proved victorious vs. Middlebury since the 1988 campaign, would alternate punts with the Panthers over the next three possessions before Bates snapped the offensive slump with a seven-play, 64-yard touchdown drive to slip to within five of its guest.

The scoring effort consisted of four successful slings to Olivieri, the fourth of which snapped the team single-game reception record ... and represented an 11-yard TD for the senior.

With Middlebury now clinging to a 33-28 surplus heading into the fourth quarter, the offense would stall in the first two possessions for each. It would be the Panthers that would awaken first, doing so with 3:28 remaining in regulation as a 12-yard TD catch by Carter Stockwell put the visitors ahead by 12 and, ultimately, sealed the hard-fought "W".

BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 73 Peter Simplicio Sr. 6-5 280
OL 60 Tyler Castriotta Sr. 6-0 285
OL 66 John Antolik Fy. 6-1 280
OL 72 Kevin McDonald Fy. 6-3 255
OL 75 Matthew Schreiber Sr. 6-3 295
WR 84 Drew Sachs Jr. 6-0 190
WR 6 Sergio Beltran So. 5-11 180
WR 80 Maverick Selementi So. 6-0 185
TE 89 Steven Guerrette Sr. 6-3 232
RB 4 Ryan Lynskey Fy. 5-11 190
QB 8 Colton Bosselait Jr. 6-0 210

DEFENSE
DL 90 Matt Juneau Jr. 6-1 227
DL 93 Drew Kremhelmer Jr. 6-0 275
DL 99 Finn Duffey Jr. 5-10 250
DL 98 Kyle Hamilton Sr. 6-3 245
LB 44 Jackson Collins So. 5-11 225
LB 39 Ryan Rozich Fy. 5-11 205
LB 2 Matthew-Michael Assivero Fy. 5-11 195
DB 12 Presley Green So. 5-9 175
DB 21 Johnny Walker Sr. 6-0 185
DB 23 Jack Morrison Fy. 5-10 195
DB 5 Michael Spencer Fy. 5-10 162

SPECIALISTS
P 97 Parker Huynh-Benningfield So. 5-10 185
K 49 Marcos Ruiz Fy. 5-8 200

MIDDLEBURY'S PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 53 Leonardo Urena Sr. 6-2 285
OL 64 Patrick O'Neill Sr. 6-5 290
OL 67 Thomas Perry Jr. 6-3 300
OL 73 Liam Mitchell Jr. 6-1 260
OL 75 Chris Fink Sr. 6-3 285
TE 86 Cole Crider Sr. 6-0 195
WR 8 Mike Ahonen So. 6-2 200
WR 20 Patrick Jamin Jr. 6-0 195
WR 84 Donovan Wood Sr. 6-1 205
QB 10 Cole Kennon Sr. 6-3 217
RB 45 Ollie Orvis So. 5-9 205

DEFENSE
DL 21 Tomas Kenary Sr. 6-3 255
DL 92 Dave Filias Jr. 6-1 255
DL 98 Peter Merlini Sr. 6-0 230
LB 4 Kieran Sheridan Sr. 6-1 200
LB 7 Kwesi Adu-Diawuo Sr. 6-1 220
LB 44 John McCool Sr. 6-1 210
LB 93 Brendan Easter Sr. 6-2 210
DB 14 Teddy Daniel Sr. 6-1 190
DB 16 Rocco Stola Jr. 6-1 185
DB 46 Sam Wilson Sr. 5-11 200
DB 49 Finn Muldoon Sr. 6-1 210