HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Football team defeated visiting Bates College, 30-13, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) clash at Jessee/Miller Field Saturday afternoon. The Bantams rise to 1-1 on the season, while the Bobcats dip to 1-1 overall.
 
What Happened:

• After forcing a three-and-out on the Bobcats opening possession, the Bantams cracked the scoreboard on the following drive as Nolan O'Brien hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jaxon Carroll, capping a 10-play, 56-yard drive to put Trinity on top, 6-0.
• Trinity halted Bates on the subsequent drive, forcing a punt, which O'Brien received at the Bantam 21-yard line, split the Bobcats punt coverage, elevated over a pair of tacklers and returned 79 yards to the endzone, helping Trinity extend the lead to 13-0.
• With 8:17 remaining in the second quarter, the Bantams executed a 10-play, 91-yard drive, punctuated with a nine-yard touchdown run from Jack Tosone to hand Trinity the 20-0 lead heading into halftime.
• On the opening drive of the second half, Carroll connected with O'Brien for his third score of the day, a 53-yard touchdown reception at the 12:39 mark, to extend the Trinity advantage to 27-0.
• The Bobcats chipped away at the deficit as Ryan Lynskey registered back-to-back touchdown runs, including a four-yard scamper with 12:07 to play, trimming the Bantams lead to 27-13.
• First-year Max Wallace converted his first collegiate field goal with 5:02 remaining in the game to seal the 30-13 win for Trinity.

 
Inside the Numbers:

• The Bantams amassed 386 yards on offense, featuring a balanced attack with 208 yards on the ground and 178 yards in the air.
• The Bobcats managed 209 yards on 61 plays, including 116 yards rushing.
• Carroll completed 12-of-20 passes for a career-high 178 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
• O'Brien led all receivers with a game-high nine receptions on 10 targets for 140 yards and two scores, along with 24 yards rushing and 115 yards on four punt returns with a touchdown.
• Tosone paced the Bantams rushing attack with a game-high 83 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown, while Tyler DiNapoli logged 82 yards on 16 totes.
• Defensively, Shane Mosia racked up a career-high 13 tackles and Lincoln Moore added a career-high 11 stops with a sack.
• Matt Hickey had seven tackles and a sack, while Ethan Krauss posted six tackles and a sack.
• Sergio Beltran, Jack Kelly and Sean Greene combined for six completions for 93 yards for the Bobcats.
• Lynskey ran for 59 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown, and Beltran added 29 yards on ten carries.

 
Thoughts from Coach Devanney:

• "It wasn't pretty all the time, but it was a great bounce back from the disappointing first week. I thought Jaxon did a really good job of being composed in the pocket, hit the check downs and made some big plays down the field when we needed it. Our running backs ran hard and broke a lot of tackles. Defensively, I thought we played amazing in the first half, but [Bates] got us off balance in the second half, they made some good adjustments, but we had a great fourth down stop to stall the game at the end. I can't wait to see [the Williams film]. I watched them in their first game and they only threw eight passes, so I'm curious to see how they scored 50 points [against Colby]."

 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will be back on the field when they travel to Williams College for a NESCAC battle at Farley-Lamb Field on Saturday, September 27 at 1:30 p.m.
• All-time, Trinity holds a 41-39-2 record against the Ephs, dating back to their initial meeting in 1884.
• The Bantams are riding a three-game win streak against Williams, outscoring the Ephs, 118-41, during the span, including a 45-14 win last season.