HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Football team defeated visiting Middlebury College, 28-26, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) battle at Jessee/Miller Field Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 5-1 on the season, while the Panthers dip to 2-4 overall.
What Happened:
- After forcing a three-and-out on the Panthers opening drive, Trinity executed an eight-play, 74-yard drive, capped by a 34-yard touchdown connection from Jaxon Carroll to Jack Tosone to hand the Bantams a 7-0 lead.
- The Bantams defense came up big with a fourth-down stop at the Trinity 25-yard line to give Trinity possession. The Bantams used 10 plays, including a 33-yard reception from Darison Hooper, to move 75 yards and a one-yard touchdown catch from Jamieson Hodlin put Trinity ahead 14-0.
- The Panthers battled back with three scoring drives in the second quarter, beginning with a 11-play, 51-yard drive punctuated with a 40-yard field goal from Tony Wang to trim the deficit to 14-3.
- The Panthers defense used an interception from Owen Thornton and a sack from Calvin Szoradi to stall the next two Bantams drives. A 12-yard touchdown pass from Brian Moran to Jordan Angstreich capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive to close the gap to 14-10.
- On the ensuing kickoff, Josh Woodford anticipated a touchback, but the ball spiked at the one-yard line and sprung forward forcing a return. Woodford lose control of the ball in a swarm of Panthers defenders, giving Middlebury possession at the Bantams 15-yard line with less than a minute on the clock. The Bantams defense surrendered just one yard, forcing a 30-yard field goal from Wang to make it at 14-13 game at the half.
- The Bantams offense returned to form on their opening drive of the third quarter as Tosone ripped off four straight carries, including a 30-yard touchdown rush to build a 21-13 advantage with 12:31 on the clock.
- After the Bantams defense forced a turnover on downs from Middlebury at midfield, Trinity found paydirt with a 10-play drive, eclipsing five minutes, capped by a 22-yard touchdown reception from Woodford to push the Bantams ahead 28-13.
- The Panthers looked to rally in the fourth quarter as a 35-yard touchdown run from Connor McClellan closed the gap to 28-20 with 12:52 to play.
- With just over five minutes left, the Panthers defense stopped the Bantams at the 2-yard line, leading to a 19-yard field goal attempt from Max Wallace. The kick was blocked by Brian Olson and scooped up by Charlie Grant and returned 89 yards for the touchdown to make it a 28-26 game.
- On the two-point conversion attempt to try and tie the game, Moran completed a quick screen pass, but John Fiore III stuffed the receiver at the goal line, preserving the 28-26 victory.
Inside the Numbers:
- The Bantams racked up 418 yards on 60 plays with 251 yards passing and 167 yards rushing.
- The Panthers produced 289 yards on 65 plays with a balanced attack of 145 yards passing and 144 yards rushing.
- Carroll completed 14-of-22 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns and an interception.
- Tosone rushed for a team-high 74 yards on 12 carries with a score, while Tyler DiNapoli added 47 yards on eight carries.
- Hoffmeister logged 92 all-purpose yards with 44 yards on 12 carriers, along with two receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown.
- Hooper tallied a career-high 82 yards on three receptions, while Nolan O'Brien chipped in 62 yards on four catches.
- Defensively, Lincoln Moore notched a game-high 10 tackles, Ethan Krauss added seven tackles, and Fiore III, Tyler Roberts and Shane Mosia had six tackles apiece.
- Moran completed 17-of-30 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.
- McClellan rushed for a game-high 98 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown, along with 42 yards on three receptions.
- Luis Kuehberger led Panther receivers with 52 yards on four receptions.
Up Next:
- The Bantams will be back on the field when they travel to Bowdoin College for a NESCAC tilt on Saturday, October 25 at 1:00 p.m.
- All-time, Trinity owns a 44-6-2 record against the Polar Bears, dating back to their first meeting in 1912.
- The Bantams are riding a 25-game win streak versus Bowdoin with the Polar Bears last victory coming with a 19-0 win during the 1998 season.