HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Football team held off a stingy visiting Bowdoin College, 10-3, during a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) battle at Jessee/Miller Field at Tansill-Muldoon Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 6-0 on the season, while the Polar Bears drop to 0-6.
What Happened:
- The contest was a defensive battle from the opening quarter as the Bantams drove 72 yards in 10 plays on their opening drive, but the Polar Bears held Trinity from the endzone from three yards out, resulting in a 20-yard field goal from Tyler Beliveau to hand the Bantams the 3-0 lead.
- Trinity struggled to get their offensive rhythm with Bowdoin forcing four straight three-and-outs over the next four Bantams possessions. After being held to just five yards on the previous four drives, Trinity executed an eight-play, 63-yard drive, paced by three receptions from Darison Hooper, including a 10-yard catch-and-run touchdown, extending the Bantams advantage to 10-0 before halftime.
- The Polar Bears defense kept Bowdoin alive in the third quarter, holding the Bantams to just 15 yards on 11 plays across three possessions. Caden Young punched through a 30-yard field goal midway through the third to help the Polar Bears whittle the lead to 10-3.
- With 1:06 remaining in the third quarter, the Trinity defense forced another three-and-out, but the Bowdoin punt was muffed by Bryce Ferrell, landing in the hands of Dan Garza at the Trinity 37-yard line. After a 13-yard run from Soren Hummel moved Bowdoin near the red zone, the Bantams stood strong with Ethan Krauss delivering a crucial fourth-down stop to halt the Polar Bears momentum.
- Trinity ate up more than eight minutes of play in the fourth with a 15-play, 62-yard drive, but a 36-yard attempt from Beliveau came up empty, keeping the score at 10-3. On their final possession, Bowdoin moved the ball to midfield, but Charley Leahy extinguished the comeback bid with a strip sack and recovery on third down, sealing the 10-3 victory.
Inside the Boxscore:
- Total Yards: Trinity 216, Bowdoin 202
- Rush Yards: Trinity 99, Bowdoin 25
- Pass Yards: Trinity 117, Bowdoin 177
- Total Plays: Trinity 60, Bowdoin 65
- First Downs: Trinity 13, Bowdoin 11
- Time of Possession: Trinity 30:43, Bowdoin 29:17
- Josh Woodford led the Bantams ground attack with a career-high 18 carries for 64 yards, while Jack Tosone added 10 rushes for 22 yards.
- Hooper logged a season-high five receptions for a season-high 63 yards with a touchdown. Patrick McCaffrey added 55 yards on three catches. Carroll completed 11-of-26 passes for 114 yards with a score.
- Krauss registered a career-high 12 tackles, including a career-high 10 solo tackles, with a sack. Lincoln Moore added 9 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss, while Shane Lewis tallied a career-high six tackles. Charlie Newhall posted six tackles with a forced fumble, and Jacob Tobias had five tackles with two hurries and a fumble recovery.
- Hummel went 22-for-37 with 176 passing yards, while Nelson Dorsey notched 17 carries for 40 yards. Jude Baker grabbed a game-high six receptions with a game-high 73 yards.
- Defensively, Brody Aeschliman anchored the Polar Bears with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Ferris Collins added eight tackles.
- The Polar Bears held the Bantams to their lowest scoring output against Bowdoin since a 19-0 victory over Trinity in 1998.
Up Next:
- The Bantams will begin a two-game road slate with a trip to Middlebury College (2-3) for a NESCAC clash at Youngman Field on Saturday, October 31 at 1:00 p.m.
- All-time, the Bantams hold a 34-13 record against the Panthers, dating back to their first meeting in 1912.
- The Bantams are 3-2 versus Middlebury over their last five meetings, including a 28-26 victory at Jessee/Miller Field last season. Over the last four meetings, the average margin over victory is just 4.0 points.
