Football rocks Bates

Author: Nicolas Martell

After another volatile two weeks of winning and losing that saw the team fall to Williams before beating Bates, the Panthers seemed more focused than ever at Sunday's Oct. 19 practice, charging through all the conditioning and staccato whistle chirping that head coach Bob Ritter and the rest of his staff could throw at their legs and ears. As they went through passing routes and tackling drills, their minds were looking forward, past the gunshots of Hartford street fights and the high walls that isolate and protect the academics of the Trinity campus, to this Saturday's matchup against the undefeated Bantams.

The Panthers are revved up for next week's game, not just for the challenge of playing Trinity College, but for the chance to finally set the record straight after inconsistent performances over the past few games.

Two weeks ago, the Panthers traveled south to take on Williams College in the belly of the purple-sleeved beast for a high-scoring shootout that ended in a 50-45 loss for the visitors.

The Middlebury defense struggled early on, allowing the first two touchdowns of the game and a total of 37 points in just the first half. Commenting on the program giving up 50 points for the first time in almost ten years, linebacker Eric Kambak '10 noted: "We just struggled every play at first against a solid offense; it took a while for the defensive Panthers to really jump off the leash and have our usual impact."

But with an entire half left, the Panthers' comeback character did not disappoint. As Middlebury scored two touchdowns in each of the last three quarters and moved the ball quickly in the fourth to come to within five, it was only a late interception that caused the Panthers to run out of time, rather than overall offensive energy.

Although they lost, the Panthers set impressive records on offense in the late surge. Donald McKillop '11 set new single-game school marks for most completions (47), most yards passing (462) and most yards of total offense (506), but the massive amount of yardage simply did not convert to a winning score.

Motivated by the fresh taste of a close loss, Middlebury came into Homecoming weekend against Bates this past Saturday with a dual hunger to move above .500 and win in front of the nearly 2,000 proud Middlebury fans in attendance.

Holding the Bobcats to just one touchdown in each of the first two quarters, the Panther defense redeemed itself from the Williams debacle, driving the Bobcat offense further out of contention as the game progressed. Andrew Poulin '11 stood out in particular, leading the defense with 11 tackles after having been moved to linebacker from defensive back.

In yet another example of the team's late surging power, the Panthers finally erupted in the second half. Looking at the sandwich in front of him at the post-game tailgate, wide receiver Phil Hastings '10 analyzed the offensive aspects of the victory after the final horn had sounded.

"We really approached the game like a meal, after the first two quarters of appetizers of offense, we served up the Bobcats a meaty entrée second half," he said.

And entrée-serve they did. Possessing the ball for over 19 of 30 second half minutes, the Panthers pulled away, adding three more touchdowns that smothered the Bobcats, with Ryan Bohling '10 rushing for a career-high 121 yards in the win.

Getting his first minutes of playing time of the year in the Bates game, local Vermonter and backup quarterback Jack Kramer '10.5 felt "proud for the team to come back so strong after their second loss," but recognizes the importance of "rallying to really put together two wins in a row."

The biggest challenge this year for the Panthers has not been their foes across New England, but simply the enemy of consistency. Despite great team efforts midway through the 2008 season, Middlebury has yet to win back-to-back games.

But with the dream of a second consecutive NESCAC title still alive and attainable, the Panthers' Sunday morning practice on the green turf of Youngman Field in preparation for next week's matchup became a powerful, potentially season changing practice. At last year's Middlebury Homecoming, the Panthers upset juggernaut Trinity College en route to the NESCAC championship - and as they practiced with the rising sun just days ago, the only image mulling around in their minds was the prospect of heading south to the mean streets of Hartford to prove they can do it again.