SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- Bates football junior captain Ryan Lynskey rushed for 221 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Bobcats scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally for a 35-28 win over Tufts University Saturday under the lights at Ellis Oval. 

It's the most points Bates has ever scored against Tufts in a football game, and the most points the Bobcats have scored in one contest since they put up 38 against Hamilton in 2013.

Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) ran the ball a career-high 32 times in the win, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. His 221 rushing yards are the second-most for Lynskey in one game in his Bates career, trailing only his NESCAC-record 344 rushing yards last season against Bowdoin. His four rushing touchdowns are the most by a Bobcat in one game since Sean Atkins '03 rushed for a NESCAC-record seven touchdowns against Bowdoin in 2002.

The Bobcats (2-3 NESCAC) trailed 28-21 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. Senior Parker Huynh-Benningfield (Austin, Texas) lined up to punt and lofted a 30-yard boot to the Tufts 17. The ball hit the leg of an unsuspecting Jumbo and junior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) fell on the ball at the 15, giving Bates new life deep in Tufts territory.

On second and 10, sophomore Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) took a pitch and ran the ball to the right for 13 yards to the Tufts two. Then Lynskey punched it in, getting Bates to within a point with 4:21 left. But the extra point got blocked by Tufts' Vince Gilchrist, and the hosts maintained a 28-27 lead.

The Jumbos (2-3 NESCAC) got the ball back with a chance to take some time off the clock. But they went three-and-out. Rozich stuffed running back Christian Shapiro for two yards on first down. Then Major Spencer III (Mansfield, Texas) broke up a pass intended for Tufts receiver Matt Rios. Another incomplete pass set up a punt, and the punt traveled only 29 yards, giving Bates great field position at their own 44 with 3:22 to go.

On third and eight, a pass interference call on Tufts gave the Bobcats a first down at the Jumbo 39. Then senior Jack Morrall (Hopkinton, N.H.) carried the ball five yards to the Tufts 34, taking the game to the two-minute warning. A pair of Lynskey runs got the ball to the Tufts 24 with 1:03 left. The Jumbos called a timeout, only to see Lynskey run right up the gut for a 24-yard touchdown, giving the Bobcats a 33-28 lead with 58 seconds left. Bates executed a perfect two-point conversion, with senior quarterback Jack Perry (Newbury, Mass.) finding Vidou in the flat for an easy score. 

Now up by seven, the Bates defense just needed to make one stop to clinch the win. The Jumbos moved the ball to their own 43 before Major Spencer III picked off Tufts quarterback Hudson Weidman on a pass over the middle to clinch the victory. 

The first half proved to be an offensive shootout, with the Jumbos striking first. Weidman found Keller Rogers for a 42-yard touchdown pass with 12:53 left in the first quarter, capping off a quick four-play, 72-yard drive to start the game. 

Bates and Tufts traded punts after that until sophomore Samuel Christopher (Los Angeles) picked off a Justin Keller pass at the Tufts 48 with 6:50 left in the quarter. The Bobcats took advantage of the turnover, marching 48 yards in eight plays. Perry connected with senior Matthew Holmes (Carpinteria, Calif.) over the middle for the latter's second career touchdown, a nine-yard strike that tied the game with 2:18 left in the opening quarter after junior Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point. 

The Jumbos went three-and-out and the Bates offense went back to work, starting their next drive at their own 47. On second and 10, Perry launched a perfect pass to the near sideline, finding sophomore Quinn Carver (Boston) for a 36-yard gain to the Tufts 17. Lynskey ran the ball into the end zone on the very next play for his first score of the night, putting the Bobcats up 14-7 after the Ruiz extra point.

Tufts wasted little time tying the game, opening the second quarter with a four-play, 56-yard drive, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Weidman to Rios. 

The teams traded a few punts before the Bobcats went on their most impressive drive of the game. Starting on their own 15, Bates went 85 yards in 11 plays, taking 6:25 off the clock.

Lynskey and Morrall combined to carry the ball nine times on the drive. And on fourth and one from the Tufts four, Lynskey punched it in for his second rushing touchdown of the evening. Ruiz made the PAT and Bates led 21-14 with 4:24 remaining until halftime.

But like they had all half, Tufts had the answer. Starting at their own 30, the Jumbos went 70 yards on 12 plays to end the half. Weidman found Henry Fleckner on the far side as the latter was able to keep his feet in-bounds in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown reception. 

The game stood tied at 21 at the intermission.

Both defenses rose up a bit in the second half, as the Tufts defense blanked Bates in the third quarter and the Bates defense shut out Tufts in the fourth quarter.

Bates got the ball to start the third quarter and Lynskey immediately ripped off an 11-yard run. But the drive stalled after that and the Bobcats punted. The Jumbos took over at their own 27 and went 73 yards in 11 plays, taking 6:05 off the clock. Shapiro starred on the drive, rushing the ball four times and making two catches out of the backfield. His 12-yard touchdown run with 6:56 left in the third quarter put the Jumbos up 28-21 after the extra point.

The teams traded punts to wrap up the quarter, and the Bobcats opened the fourth quarter with a tough turnover-on-downs, giving Tufts the ball back at their own 39 with 10:40 remaining in regulation. But the Bates defense held strong. And eventually the Bobcats got the break they needed with the Tufts miscue on the Huynh-Benningfield punt, opening the door for the thrilling comeback and Lynskey's final two touchdowns of the game.

Overall, the game was fairly even, with the Bobcats tallying 355 yards of total offense to 344 for Tufts. The teams succeeded in different ways, with Bates rushing for 270 yards to 140 for Tufts, while the Jumbos passed for 204 yards to just 85 passing yards for the Bobcats.

Weidman tossed three touchdown passes for the Jumbos while completing 18-30 passes. He also rushed for a team-high 74 yards. Shapiro carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards and a touchdown. Fleckner caught five passes for a game-high 73 yards and a touchdown.

Perry completed 8-20 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown for Bates. He did not throw an interception. Vidou had two catches for 23 yards and one rush for 13 yards. Morrall backed up Lynskey with 11 carries for 36 yards. Holmes caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Rozich led the way for Bates with a game-high 12 total tackles. Junior Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) tallied six total tackles and broke up three passes.

Gilchrist netted 10 total tackles to pace the Jumbos. 

The Bobcats are back home next Saturday when they host Williams (4-1 NESCAC) at 1 p.m.