LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates football team hosts Bowdoin Saturday at Garcelon Field, with the final home game of the season getting underway at 5:30 p.m. Beforehand, the Bobcats will honor their 12 seniors, with festivities starting shortly before the coin toss. 

The 12 seniors being honored on Senior Night are: quarterback and team captain Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.), defensive lineman Ben Conrad (Ivoryton, Conn.), offensive lineman Eli Dawson (Montclair, N.J.), defensive lineman Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.), tight end and team captain Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.), defensive lineman Kyle Hamilton (White River Junction, Vt.) linebacker and team captain Matt Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.), defensive lineman Paul Larrabee (Gloucester, Mass.), wide receiver Drew Sachs (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), offensive lineman Peter Simplicio (West Hartford, Conn.), safety Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and defensive lineman Alex Zunino (East Granby, Conn.).

Saturday marks the return of the 'Cats Carnival on Central Ave. from 3 to 5 p.m. Families can enjoy a bouncy house, face painting, a firetruck, and much more. The event is free for everyone. 

Bates football is also hosting their annual toy drive to benefit The Root Cellar. Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to support this great cause.

On the gridiron, Bates ranks seventh in the NESCAC in both total offense (273.1 yards per game) and total defense (340.4 yards allowed per game) while Bowdoin is eighth in total offense (267.9 yards per game) and ninth in total defense (347.3 yards per game). 

Sophomore running back Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) remains the top rusher in the NESCAC this year, averaging 96.3 yards per game on the ground. Bowdoin quarterback Robbie Long is their top runner, at 39.9 yards per game. He averages 106 yards per game passing and has thrown six touchdowns to five interceptions on the season. Jed Hoggard is his top target through the air, at 48.1 receiving yards per game and three touchdowns. 

Sophomore linebacker Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) leads the NESCAC in tackling at 8.6 tackles per game. Bowdoin's Dan Fiore ranks fourth with 7.1 tackles per game.

The Bobcats have dominated the rivalry recently, winning 10 of the last 12 games between the two schools. Bates has won seven in a row over Bowdoin at Garcelon Field.

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THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (2-5) vs. Bowdoin (2-5)

When: Saturday, Nov. 2, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Garcelon Field (Lewiston, Maine)

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Bowdoin leads 68-50-7

Previous Meeting: Bowdoin 35, Bates 20 (Oct. 14, 2023 in Brunswick, Maine)

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BOWDOIN LAST WEEK:

The Trinity College football team scored 13 fourth quarter points to pull away from Bowdoin in a 31-14 win on Saturday afternoon.

Trinity sprinted to a 14-0 first quarter lead on a pair of long drives that accounted for more than ten minutes combined in the opening period.

Bowdoin cut the lead to 14-7 on a five-play, 46-yard drive as a Zach Taylor intercepted a pass at midfield for the Polar Bears. Five plays later, first-year Peter Macaulay delivered his first career touchdown pass, a 34-yard strike to Jed Hoggard.

Trinity added a long touchdown pass before halftime to increase their lead to 21-7 at the break.

On Bowdoin's second drive of the third quarter, the Polar Bears marched 55 yards in 11 plays and cut the lead to 21-14 on a five-yard strike from Macauley to Austin Hiscoe from six yards out.

The score stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when Trinity added a field goal to make it 24-14, but a pair of touchdowns just three minutes apart late in the fourth quarter put the contest away.

Bowdoin could only muster 212 yards of total offense on the day, and Trinity accounted for 467 in the win.

Macauley threw for 124 yards and two touchdowns for Bowdoin while also rushing for 32.

Hoggard led the way with 51 yards receiving.

Ferris Collins had 15 tackles for Bowdoin while Koy Price had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Zach Taylor ended with five tackles, 1.0 TFL, and an interception.

BATES LAST WEEK:

Senior captain Colton Bosselait threw three touchdown passes -- two to junior Sergio Beltran -- and the Bates football team knocked off Middlebury 21-20 Saturday afternoon in NESCAC action, the first win for the Bobcats over the Panthers since 1988.

It's the second win over the top team in the NESCAC standings this year for Bates, coming just under a month after the Bobcats handed Wesleyan their only loss of the season to date.

Bates (2-5 NESCAC) trailed Middlebury (5-2 NESCAC) by a score of 20-14 with 8:58 left in regulation. On second and five from the Bates 30, Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) connected with sophomore Ryan Gleason (Millbury, Mass.) down the seam for a 39-yard gain, moving the ball to the Middlebury 31. Another pass to Gleason gained nine yards to the 22. Then sophomore Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) ripped off a run of seven yards to the Middlebury 15. On third and nine from the Panther 14, Bosselait hit Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) at the 10-yard line on the near side. The talented slotback did the rest, shaking his defender and sprinting to the end zone. Beltran dove in and the Bobcats led 21-20 with 3:36 remaining after sophomore Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point.

Middlebury answered with a 12-play, 46-yard drive, getting the ball down to the Bates 22-yard line. On third and six from the 22, sophomore Jack Morrison (Manchester Center, Vt.) and senior captain Matt Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.) teamed up to sack Middlebury quarterback Brian Moran for a loss of two yards. This set up a fourth and eight, and the Panthers opted to attempt a 41-yard field goal with the wind at their backs. However, their kicker slipped and fell as he made contact, and the ball fell short of the uprights. Bates took over at their own 24 with 1:14 left in the game.

The Panthers still had timeouts remaining, so the Bobcats had to pick up a first down to secure the victory. Lynskey was more than up to the task, ripping off a run of seven yards on the first play from scrimmage. He gained two yards on his next run, and two more the third time he got the rock, moving the chains and clinching a win Bates fans will remember for a long time.

Bosselait was outstanding, completing 13-15 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Lynskey carried the ball 27 times for 107 yards, his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Beltran caught five passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with four carries for 19 yards. Gleason added four catches for 64 yards and fifth-year senior captain Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.) chipped in two catches for 31 yards. 

On defense, sophomore Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) led the way with a career-high 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops. He also broke up a pass. Fifth-year senior Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 10 total tackles, with seven solo stops while Juneau tallied nine total tackles, with six solo stops. Juneau had a half sack and Walker broke up a pass. 

BATES AND BOWDOIN'S LAST MEETING:

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

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

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

Wide receiver Drew Sachs (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a breakout game for the Bobcats, catching eight passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. 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 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 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 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. Parker Huynh-Benningfield (Austin, Texas) punted the ball away and Bowdoin's returner fumbled it. 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.

BATES' PROJECTED STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 73 Peter Simplicio Sr. 6-4 290
OL 51 Ryder Smith Fy. 6-0 265
OL 63 Matthew Pierotti Fy. 6-2 270
OL 66 John Antolik So. 6-2 290
OL 72 Kevin McDonald So. 6-3 260
TE 89 Steven Guerrette Sr. 6-3 230
WR 83 Ryan Gleason So. 5-9 165
WR 0 Sergio Beltran Jr. 5-11 185
WR 11 Quinn Carver Fy. 6-0 175
RB 4 Ryan Lynskey So. 5-11 195
QB 8 Colton Bosselait Sr. 6-0 195

DEFENSE
DB 2 Matthew-Michael Assivero So. 5-11 190
DB 5 Michael Spencer So. 5-11 180
DB 21 Johnny Walker Sr. 6-0 185
DB 30 Marquez Narvaez-Estrada Fy. 5-9 160
LB 32 Carmel Crunk Fy. 5-11 205
LB 39 Ryan Rozich So. 6-0 215
LB 9 Matt Juneau Sr. 6-2 225
DL 44 Jackson Collins Jr. 5-11 225
DL 99 Finn Duffey Sr. 5-10 250
DL 41 Shane Broughton Jr. 5-11 255
DL 98 Kyle Hamilton Sr. 6-3 250

SPECIALISTS
P 97 Parker Huynh-Benningfield Jr. 5-11 180
K 49 Marcos Ruiz So. 5-8 185

BOWDOIN'S PROJECTED STARTERS

OFFENSE
QB 7 Robbie Long Sr. 6-0 207
RB 24 Luke Watson So. 5-8 194
TE 84 Nolan Wilbricht So. 6-0 234
TE 88 James Doody Jr. 6-3 222
WR 10 Slade Postermski Jr. 6-1 196
WR 82 Jed Hoggard Sr. 6-2 202
LT 71 James Lucey So. 6-3 255
LG 75 Julian Brawn Jr. 6-2 252
C 58 John Penczar Jr. 6-2 261
RG 51 Tyler Larson Jr. 6-3 225
RT 55 Tal Brill Sr. 6-1 262

 DEFENSE
DE 34 Zach Taylor Fy. 6-0 208
DT 9 Mike Randall Sr. 6-3 243
DE 91 Aidan Reidy Sr. 6-3 245
LB 2 Koy Price Sr. 6-1 218
LB 0 Kanoa Young Sr. 6-0 221
LB 45 Gordon Gozdeck Sr. 6-1 222
S 26 Dan Fiore Sr. 5-9 185
CB 8 Nick Viscusi Jr. 6-1 180
CB 23 Sam Schwartz Fy. 5-9 183
FS 38 Ferris Collins Fy. 5-11 185
SS 22 AJ Muse So. 5-9 175

SPECIALISTS
P 1  Jotham Casey Sr. 5-11 185
K 99 Caden Perry So. 6-0 174