LEWISTON, Maine -- 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. Juneau and fifth-year senior Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added nine total tackles, with six solo stops, apiece. Juneau had a half sack and Walker broke up a pass as well.
Moran completed 19-29 passes for 202 yards for the Panthers. Connor McClellan carried the ball 13 times for a team-high 59 yards and a touchdown while Mike Ahonen paced all receivers with seven catches for 73 yards on the day.
Defensively, Middlebury's Matt Shaw led all players with 12 total tackles, including nine solo stops. Charlie Ozolin added 10 total tackles with eight solo stops. Both players recorded two tackles for loss apiece.
The Panthers put up more total yards than the Bobcats by a count of 369 to 311. But Middlebury missed three field goals, which gave the Bobcats some key defensive stops throughout the afternoon.
Bates got on the board first on Saturday, scoring a touchdown on their second possession of the game. Starting with the ball at their own 28, the Bobcats got a big play right away when Bosselait hit Guerrette for a 17-yard gain to the 45. Beltran ran the ball for three yards before Lynskey got the rock four straight times, including a 16-yard run to the Panther 29. On third and nine from the 28, Lynskey picked up eight yards, down to the Middlebury 21.
On fourth and one, Bates got Middlebury to jump across the line early, causing a five-yard penalty and a first down. Then on third and five from the nine, Bosselait found junior Maverick Selementi (Montclair, N.J.) in the left side of the end zone for the latter's first collegiate touchdown catch. Selementi made a spectacular diving grab to reel in the pass, as Bates grabbed a 7-0 lead after the Ruiz extra point with 4:08 left in the first quarter.
Middlebury responded with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in a Zach Levy 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter, trimming the Bates lead to 7-3.
The teams traded punts before Middlebury was able to grab the lead from the Bobcats thanks to the only mistake Bosselait made all day. On third and eight from the Panther 48, he tried to hit Beltran on a deep out on the far sideline. But the pass was a little under thrown and Middlebury's Teddy Daniel picked it off, returning the ball all the way to Bates 20. A personal foul at the end of the play moved it to the 10. On second and goal, Cody Weitzman ran the ball in from nine yards out to put the Panthers up 10-7 with 3:04 left until halftime.
Bates bounced back quickly, thanks to Bosselait's arm. A pair of Lynskey runs gave Bates a first and 10 from their own 39. Then Bosselait hit Beltran for a gain of 29 yards to the Middlebury 32. On third and five from the Middlebury 27, he lofted a pass down the field and Beltran out-jumped his defender in the end zone for the touchdown, giving Bates a 14-10 lead with 35 seconds remaining until halftime after the Ruiz extra point.
The Panthers attempted to respond, but a Levy 48-yard field goal was wide left as time expired, giving Bates a 14-10 edge at the intermission.
Middlebury got the ball to start the second half and marched 71 yards on 13 plays. McClellan ripped off some nice runs, including a 17-yard burst to get the ball into Bates territory. They got the ball all the way down to the Bates five, setting up first and goal. But sophomore safety Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) stopped a McClellan run for just one yard. Then Rozich and junior Shane Broughton (Arlington, Mass.) teamed up to stuff Moran for no gain. A pass attempt on third and goal fell incomplete, and the Panthers chose to attempt a chip shot 21-yard field goal. However, it was from the far hash -- creating a tough angle -- and the field goal attempt hit the right upright, keeping the score 14-10 in favor of the Bobcats with 8:46 left in the third quarter.
Bates went three-and-out though, and Middlebury took the lead back on their next possession. The Panthers went 66 plays on 10 yards, with the big strike a 50-yard pass from Moran to Ethan Vashel on a 3rd and 19. That got the ball down to the Bates seven, and the Panthers eventually punched it in on fourth and goal from the one, as McClellan scored, putting Middlebury up 17-14 after Levy's extra point.
The next Bates drive went nowhere, and the Panthers appeared on the verge of pulling away. A short punt set Middlebury up with great field position at their own 45. The Panthers marched 48 yards in 11 plays, but on third and goal from the six, junior Jackson Collins (Glen Ridge, N.J.) stopped a Moran run for a loss of one, forcing a field goal. Levy made the field goal from 25 yards out, but it remained a one-possession game at 20-14 with 8:58 left in regulation.
Bates answered with the game-winning touchdown drive, holding on from there to snap Middlebury's five-game winning streak. It's Middlebury's first loss to a NESCAC team not named "Wesleyan" since 2022.
The Bobcats return home next Saturday when they host Bowdoin at 5:30 p.m. for Senior Night at Garcelon Field.
Bates football makes more history, defeats Middlebury 21-20 in a Garcelon Field thriller
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241026_u2xa.xml
2024
Middlebury
20
Bates
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury (5-2) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Bates (2-5) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Oct 26, 2024