LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates football team fell 13-6 in overtime to Colby College in a defensive struggle Saturday night at Garcelon Field.
The Bobcats (1-3 NESCAC) thought they had the game won in regulation. With the score 6-3 in favor of the home team, Colby's Will Schneider lined up for a 32-yard field goal with just 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He missed wide left, but an offsides call against Bates gave him another chance. Schneider made the 27-yard kick, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Colby quarterback Miles Drake found Jack Duffy on third and 10 for a 21-yard gain to the Bates four. Drake connected with Henry Emswiler on the very next play for a touchdown, the first of the game for either team. Schneider made the PAT and the Mules (2-2 NESCAC) led 13-6.
Bates had one chance to match Colby's touchdown. Senior quarterback
Jack Perry (Newbury, Mass.) delivered a 13-yard pass to junior
Ryan Gleason (Millbury, Mass.) on a third and eight, getting the ball to the Colby 10. But the next four plays didn't gain a single yard, as the Mules broke up three straight passes to secure their seventh consecutive victory over the Bobcats.
The loss spoiled a terrific performance from the Bates defense, which held the Mules to just 195 yards of total offense. The Mules averaged only 2.9 yards per play.
Junior captain linebacker
Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) matched his career-high with 14 total tackles, including seven solo stops. He recorded one sack and two tackles for loss. Meanwhile, safety
Major Spencer III (Mansfield, Texas) and sophomore cornerback
Marquez Narvaez-Estrada (Montgomery Village, Md.) both intercepted passes. The Bobcats sacked Drake three times and finished with 10 tackles for loss.
Bates struggled on offense, only tallying 232 yards of total offense and failing to score a touchdown. But junior
Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) stood out at placekicker, making a pair of field goals. His career-long 41-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the second quarter tied the game at three and his 38-yard field goal with 1:04 left in the third quarter gave Bates the lead.
Junior captain
Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) carried the ball 29 times for a game-high 89 yards. Meanwhile sophomores
Quinn Carver (Boston) and
Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) found some room to run on the outside, with Carver carrying the ball four times for 26 yards and Vidou rushing twice for 17 yards.
Gleason led the Bates receivers with two catches for 25 yards and Perry completed 9-18 passes for 86 yards.
Drake completed 14-31 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown for Colby. Antone Moreis carried the ball 19 times for 51 yards and Duffy caught three passes for 42 yards. Joshua Iyonsi netted 11 total tackles for the visitors.
The Bobcats are back in action next Saturday when they visit Tufts. The action gets underway at 7 p.m.
