LEWISTON, Maine -- Sophomore running back Ryan Lynskey broke the NESCAC record for rushing yards in one game, but the Bates football team could never wrestle the lead away from Bowdoin in a 35-24 loss Saturday night at Garcelon Field.
Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) tallied 344 yards on the ground, breaking the single-game conference record previously held by Trinity College's Thomas Pierandri, who rushed for 304 yards against Wesleyan in 2003. The previous Bates record was held by Sean Atkins '03, who ran for 302 yards against Bowdoin in 2002. Lynskey's performance puts him at 1,018 rushing yards on the season, the first Bates 1,000-yard rusher since Atkins in 2002.
Despite Lynskey's big game, the Bobcats (2-6 NESCAC) never led in the contest, as Bowdoin quarterback Peter Macaulay completed 16-23 passes for 272 yards and five touchdowns.
Bowdoin (3-5 NESCAC) struck first, taking advantage of a short Bates punt to go 45 yards in seven plays, capped off by a Macaulay pass to Ty Connolly for 17 yards and a touchdown, putting the Polar Bears up 7-0 after the extra point with 8:57 left in the first quarter.
A second straight Bates three-and-out to start the game led to another Bowdoin touchdown drive. This time they went 66 yards on five plays, with Macaulay finding Jed Hoggard for a 35-yard TD strike with 4:26 left in the first quarter.
Now down 14-0, the Bobcats answered in a big way. On the second play from scrimmage on their next drive, Lynskey burst through the line and raced away from everyone, taking the ball 72 yards to the house. Sophomore Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point and the Bobcats were within a score with 3:46 remaining in the opening 15 minutes of action.
The Bates defense forced a three-and-out of their own and the Bobcats took over at their own 48 after a 31-yard punt. Lynskey took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and raced 46 yards to the Bowdoin six. Sam Schwartz made a touchdown saving tackle, and the Bowdoin defense stiffened from there, forcing the Bobcats to try a field goal. Ruiz knocked it through the uprights from 24 yards out and the Bobcats trailed 14-10 with 52 seconds to go in the opening quarter.
Bowdoin moved the ball to the Bates 28 on their next possession, but they went for in on fourth down and sophomore linebacker Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) stuffed Robbie Long on a rush attempt for a loss of two yards, and Bates took over.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their next drive ended after just three plays when Schwartz picked off a Bates pass at the Bowdoin 38-yard line.
The Polar Bears failed on a fourth-down attempt for the second drive in a row, but this time it came on a QB sneak attempt at the goal line after they went 61 yards on six plays. Junior Shane Broughton (Arlington, Mass.) and a pack of Bobcats stopped Long's push at the line of scrimmage.
But the Bates offense went three-and-out, without gaining any yards, forcing the Bobcats to put from their own one-yard line.
Not surprisingly, the Polar Bears got the ball back with terrific field position at the Bates 30. On third and 10 from the Bates 18, Macaulay found Austin Hiscoe for an 18-yard touchdown, putting the Polar Bears up 21-10 after the extra point with 3:08 remaining until halftime.
Bowdoin led by 11 at halftime and the Polar Bears maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
The third quarter started poorly for the Bobcats, with Bowdoin getting the ball to midfield on just two plays before Macaulay hit Brennan Pagan for a 50-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-10.
Bates and Bowdoin traded punts before Lynskey did it again, this time carrying the ball 54 yards to pay dirt, making the score 28-17 after Ruiz's extra point with 6:06 left in the third.
The Bobcats forced a punt and appeared to be driving to cut the deficit to singled digits until Koy Price stopped Lynskey for no gain on fourth and three from the Bowdoin 23. The drive started with a long Lynskey run that would have been out of bounds at the one, but a blindside block moved the ball back to the Bowdoin 30, and things stalled from there.
Bowdoin marched down the field again, going 77 yards in just four plays. Macaulay hit a fifth different receiver for a touchdown, this time finding Jake Gaylord for a 17-yard strike early in the fourth quarter.
Now down 35-17, Bates moved the ball to the Bowdoin 44 but could not convert on fourth and six, falling a yard short on a rush attempt and giving the ball back to Bowdoin.
Bates forced a punt and Polar Bear punter Jotham Casey pinned them at the 12. Bowdoin recorded a sack on the first play from scrimmage, backing Bates up to their own five. But that's when Lynskey burst through the line again, and into the record books, going 95 yards for a touchdown, the second-longest run in Bates football history. The run put him well over 300 yards for the game, breaking the Bates and NESCAC individual single-game rushing records at the same time.
The Lynskey touchdown made the score 35-24 in favor of Bowdoin with 7:34 left in regulation.
Neither team scored for the rest of the contest, as Bates failed on another fourth down and threw a second interception on their final two drives. The Bobcats finished 2-12 on third downs and 0-3 on fourth downs in the contest.
Fifth-year senior Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Rozich paced the Bobcats on defense, recording eight tackles apiece. Price and Chris Althoff led Bowdoin with seven tackles each.
The Bobcats honored their 12 seniors before the game on Senior Night at Garcelon Field: Quarterback and team captain Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.), defensive lineman Ben Conrad (Ivoryton, Conn.), offensive lineman Eli Dawson (Montclair, N.J.), defensive lineman Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.), tight end and team captain Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.), defensive lineman Kyle Hamilton (White River Junction, Vt.) linebacker and team captain Matt Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.), defensive lineman Paul Larrabee (Gloucester, Mass.), wide receiver Drew Sachs (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), offensive lineman Peter Simplicio (West Hartford, Conn.), Walker, and defensive lineman Alex Zunino (East Granby, Conn.).
Bates is back in action next Saturday when they wrap up the 2024 season at Hamilton. Kick-off is set for noon.
Lynskey breaks NESCAC record for rushing yards in one game in Bates football's 35-24 loss to Bowdoin
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241102_tuyn.xml
2024
Bowdoin
35
Bates
24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowdoin (3-5) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Bates (2-6) | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Nov 02, 2024