LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates football team welcomes Tufts to town Saturday for a 7 p.m. kick-off as "Back to Bates" Weekend culminates in a showdown under the lights at Garcelon Field.

The game is the finale of a series of exciting events this weekend at Bates, beginning with Friday evening's Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

On Saturday, Bates is welcoming the Heisman Trophy to the Bobcat Fan Zone before the game. The Fan Zone, presented by Rogue Life Maine, is free and open to the public from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Bardwell Field.

Through two games, the Jumbos are struggling on defense, giving up 35 points per game and allowing 374.5 yards per contest. The Bates offense will hope to get on track after being shut out last week by perennial power Trinity. Sophomore wide receiver Riley Provencher (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) has been a favorite target of classmate Jack Gilmore (North Arlington, N.J.) so far, catching seven passes for a team-high 99 yards on the young season. 

Junior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) and sophomore Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) have stood out on defense, with Rozich tallying 16 total tackles on the season and Keaney leading the conference in sacks with 2.5 through two games.

The Bobcats will need to contain a tough Jumbo run game, as Christian Shapiro is second in the conference with 77.5 rushing yards per game. 

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THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (0-2) vs. Tufts (1-1)

When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m.

Where: Garcelon Field (Lewiston, Maine)

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Tufts leads 65-17-4

Previous Meeting: Bates 35, Tufts 28 (Oct. 11, 2025 in Somerville, Mass.)

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TUFTS LAST WEEK:

The Tufts University football team fell behind early and never could recover as the Jumbos dropped a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tilt at Wesleyan University 42-7 on a rainy, windy day from Citrin Field. 

Tufts (1-1) was unable to get much going offensively in the driving rain storm, chalking up just 135 total yards while Wesleyan was able to total 375 yards offensively. The Jumbos tallied only nine first downs for the game, going 3-for-11 on third downs. 

The Jumbos kicked off and got a stop on the opening drive of the game, but a muffed punt by Tufts in the wet conditions gave the ball back to Wesleyan (2-0). The Cardinals would punch it in three plays later, as Angelo LaRose scored from 17 yards out to make it 7-0 Wesleyan. 

Later in the first quarter, Wesleyan quarterback Matt Fitzsimons added to the Cardinal lead with a 19-yard rushing touchdown to finish a 6-play, 57-yard drive. 

The lone score of the game for the Jumbos came early in the second quarter, as the Jumbos marched 75 yards over 13 plays before junior signal caller Hudson Weidman hit senior tight end Ned Righellis for a 12-yard pitch and catch to cut the Wesleyan lead in half at 14-7. Junior tight end John Getman made a big catch on fourth down to prolong the drive near midfield. 

The Cardinals responded with a scoring drive of their own, taking a 21-7 lead into the halftime intermission. 

Wesleyan would score three more touchdowns in the second half, pulling away for the win. 

BATES LAST WEEK:

Bates football struggled to find offensive traction Saturday, falling 43-0 to Trinity.

The offense had a difficult afternoon through the air and on the ground. Sophomore Jack Gilmore (North Arlington, N.J.) completed five of 13 passes for 61 yards, connecting on completions up to 21 yards but was sacked twice on the day. 

Junior Quinn Carver (Boston) led the receiving corps with two catches for 24 yards, including a 21-yard reception. Classmate Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) also hauled in two receptions for 16 yards, and sophomore Riley Provencher (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) added a 21-yard grab.

The ground game found little room to operate against the Trinity defense, recording just 10 net yards on the day.

Defensively, junior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) paced the Bobcats with a team-high 10 tackles (8 solo) to go with two tackles for loss. Senior Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) and sophomore Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) each chipped in six tackles, with Keaney adding a sack and a forced fumble. Senior Camden Zambrowicz (Sandown, N.H.) and sophomore Colton Brisard (Lee, N.H.) each recorded a sack, and Spencer also came up with an interception.

On special teams, sophomore punter Alex Kvaratskhelia (Greenwich, Conn.) did a good job, pinning Trinity inside their own 20 three times and averaging nearly 40 years per punt, with a long of 58. 

The Bantams (2-0 NESCAC) racked up 534 yards of total offense, including 351 on the ground. Tate Hoffmeister carried the ball seven times for a game-high 91 yards and a touchdown. Jack Tosone caught a pair of passes for a game-high 73 yards and a touchdown.

BATES' AND TUFTS' LAST MEETING:

Bates football 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 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 trailed 28-21 with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. 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 team captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) fell on the ball at the 15, giving Bates new life deep in Tufts territory.

On second and 10, 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 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 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 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.