LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior Marcos Ruiz kicked a 24-yard field goal to win the game and senior quarterback Jack Perry threw three touchdown passes as the Bates football team rallied from 16 points down to defeat the Amherst College Mammoths 26-23 in double overtime Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field.

It's the first Bates football game to go to overtime since 2014 and the first to go to more than one overtime since 2006. Bates is now 5-4 all-time in overtime games. 

Trailing 23-7 through three quarters, the Bobcats (1-0 NESCAC) flipped the script in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points to force the extra session. Neither team scored in the first overtime, and the Bates defense shut down the Mammoths (0-1 NESCAC) to begin the second OT. 

Needing any sort of score to win the game and starting per overtime rules at the Amherst 25, junior captain Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) ran the ball nine yards down to the 16 to start the double OT possession for Bates. Senior Jack Morrall (Hopkinton, N.H.) picked up the first down with a two-yard plunge to the 14. Then on 2nd and 10, senior captain Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) rushed for four yards down to the Mammoth 10. He got the ball three yards closer on the next play to the seven, setting up Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) for the game-winning kick. 

Ruiz lined it up and split the uprights, setting off a wild celebration at Garcelon Field. The Bobcats won in front of a packed house filled with six decades worth of Bates football players, as the program is celebrating 150 years since the first game in team history.

Bates led 7-0 at halftime, but Amherst scored 23 points in a tough third quarter for the home team. The Mammoths got the ball with 12:27 remaining in regulation, up by 16. On second and eight from their own 29, running back Demitrius Smith fumbled the football as he failed to secure the hand-off. Junior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) jumped on it and the Bobcats were in business. 

Perry (Newbury, Mass.) entered the game having completed one pass in his collegiate career. He completed 7-14 passes for 110 yards on Saturday, finding three different receivers for touchdowns. Perry and the Bobcats took advantage of the great field position, with Perry finding junior Ryan Gleason (Millbury, Mass.) for six yards to the Amherst 23. A four-yard pass to Beltran moved the sticks and Perry followed that up with a 19-yard strike to sophomore Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) in the back corner of the end zone. Vidou jumped over his defender and was able to high-point the ball for the score, reeling it in after a slight bobble on the way down. 

Vidou's first career touchdown catch pulled Bates to within 10 at 23-13 with 10:24 remaining. The Bobcats went for two but a Perry rush got stopped shy of the end zone. 

On the ensuing drive, the Bates defense made another huge play. Facing 3rd and 11 from their own 17, Amherst quarterback Marek Hill dropped back to pass. Senior Jackson Collins (Glen Ridge, N.J.) got a piece of Hill's arm from behind, causing the ball to deflect high into the air. Senior Shane Broughton (Arlington, Mass.) made an outstanding diving catch for the interception, once again giving the Bates offense great field position. The Bobcats got the ball down to the Amherst 10 on a pair of Lynskey rushes. The drive stalled and Ruiz kicked a 27-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 23-16 with 7:57 left in the fourth quarter.

The Mammoths went three-and-out, and an Efe Ilgar punt was downed at the Bates 32. Bates moved the ball, thanks to a 19-yard pass from Perry to Beltran, but they too eventually had to punt.

Amherst got the ball back at their own 10 with 4:46 remaining. Once again, the Bobcats forced a three-and-out, as three rushes produced a total of zero yards for the visitors. Stuck deep in their own territory, the ensuing Amherst punt gave Bates the ball back at Mammoth 45. 

Perry connected with Gleason for 10 yards, taking the game down to the two-minute warning. On the first play out of the timeout, Perry stepped up in the pocket and ripped a perfect 35-yard pass down the seam to sophomore Quinn Carver (Boston) in the end zone. Carver snuck behind two Amherst defenders and caught the ball in stride for his first career touchdown. Ruiz made the extra point and the game stood tied at 23 with 1:52 remaining.

The Bobcats stopped the Mammoths on their next drive, and Perry took a knee to send the game to overtime.

Amherst won the coin toss and elected to go on defense to start the extra session. The first OT did not go well for the Bates offense, with a couple negative plays setting up a 4th and 23. A long pass from Perry to Gleason fell incomplete, leaving Amherst with a golden opportunity to win the game.

Once again, the Bates defense rose to the task. First-year Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) stopped a Smith run for a loss of one. Then two long passes down the near sideline from Hill to Christian Moore fell incomplete, with strong coverage from sophomore Samuel Christopher (Los Angeles) forcing a fourth down and a 43-yard field goal attempt. Amherst kicker Hudson Fulcher-Melendy missed wide right, sending the game to double overtime.

The Mammoths got the ball to start the second overtime. Rozich stopped a Sam Gerber run for a loss of two. Then Hill found Smith for four yards to the Bates 23. On third and eight, sophomore linebacker Carmel Crunk (Lancaster, Calif.) pressured Hill, chasing him to the near side and forcing a pass attempt that fell into the hands of an offensive lineman. The illegal touching penalty included a loss of down and suddenly the Mammoths faced fourth and 21 at the Bates 36. A pass attempt to Carter Jung fell incomplete, setting up the Bobcats with a chance to win the game.

And they did, for their first home win over Amherst since 1999.

The first half was a defensive struggle, with Bates threatening to score on a 14-play, 79-yard drive early in the second quarter. But a Beltran sneak attempt at the Amherst one came up just short. 

Late in the second quarter, and with the game still scoreless, senior Parker Huynh-Benningfield (Austin, Texas) launched a 56-yard punt to pin Amherst at their own 12. The Mammoths went nowhere and were forced to punt. Bates took over at their own 45 with 1:38 left until halftime. A roughing the passer penalty on 2nd and 11 moved the ball to the Amherst 30. Then a pass interference penalty on 2nd and 12 moved Bates to the Mammoth 17-yard line. On the next play, Perry lofted a pass to junior Jake Walters (West Lafayette, Ind.) on the near side. The tight end made a spectacular catch in the back corner of the end zone for his second career touchdown, giving Bates a 7-0 lead at halftime after the Ruiz extra point.

The third quarter did not go very well for the home team, with Amherst outscoring Bates 23-0. On the opening drive of the second half, Hill connected with Keith Delaney for a 32-yard touchdown. Bates maintained the lead because the Mammoths missed the extra point.

Bates went three-and-out on offense and a short punt set up Amherst with great field position at the Bobcat 35. Fulcher-Melendy ended up booting a 34-yard field goal to put the visitors up 9-7. 

Turnovers hurt the Bobcats on the next two drives, with a pair of fumbles giving Amherst easy scoring opportunities. Hill punched it in from one yard out for a 16-7 lead and then he found Carter Jung for a 33-yard touchdown and a 23-7 advantage. 

But the Bobcats were able to right the ship in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

Beltran started at quarterback and completed 4-6 passes for 45 yards. He also carried the ball 23 times for 61 yards and caught two passes for 23 yards. The Amherst defense made life difficult in the running game, holding Beltran to 2.7 yards per carry and Lynskey to 82 yards and 3.4 yards per carry.

So Bates turned to a more passing-oriented offense, and it worked. Vidou led all Bobcats with four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Carver caught a pair of passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, while four other receivers also got in on the act for the home team.

Defensively, Rozich led the way with 11 total tackles and a fumble recovery. Crunk added six tackles and senior cornerback Presley Green (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and safety Major Spencer III (Mansfield, Texas) added five tackles each. Keaney finished with 2.5 tackles for loss in his collegiate debut.

Hill completed 18-29 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns for the Mammoths. Smith carried the ball 12 times for 54 yards, although 31 of those yards came on one play. Jung caught five passes fo 69 yards and a touchdown. 

Carson Skotak, Luke Harmon, and Matt Callahan all had big days defensively for Amherst. Skotak recovered both Bates fumbles and tallied a game-high 17 total tackles. Harmon forced one of the fumbles and also sacked the quarterback once, finishing with 14 total tackles. Callahan forced the other fumble and tallied 11 total tackles.

The Bobcats are back in action next Saturday when they visit Trinity for a 1 p.m. kick.