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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Football Cruises to 48-12 Win in Opener

Head coach Bob Ritter has the same goal heading into every season — start 1-0. Saturday, his team accomplished just that, pulling away from a banged-up Bowdoin team for a 42-18 win.

Middlebury, which led the NESCAC in total offense last season, had trouble igniting its high-powered offense early in the game. The Panthers defense, however, was dominant from the start, intercepting Bowdoin quarterback Grant White’s first pass attempt of the game and adding two more takeaways later in the half.

“[Turnovers are] a point of emphasis,” said Ritter. “The pressure we put on the quarterback and some of the things we were doing in the secondary enabled the guys to put themselves in great position [to make plays].”

On the first possession of the game, Middlebury forced the Polar Bears into a third and long, deep in their own territory and jumped all over the play. Linebacker Matt Crimmins ’14 deflected White’s pass attempt into the air, and a hustling Bryant Adams ’14 completed the interception, plucking the ball out of the air.

The Panthers offense took over on the Polar Bears nine-yard line, running the ball twice with Remi Ashkar ’13 before quarterback Mac Foote ’14 connected with Zach Driscoll ’13 from three yards out on third and goal. Driscoll finished the game with five receptions for 74 yards and a team-high two touchdowns.

As well as Driscoll played offensively, his impact on special teams might have been even more important. The senior wideout and long-time punt returner picked up a new job this season, replacing Matt Wassell ’12 as the team’s primary punter. On Driscoll’s first attempt, the Concord, Mass. native boomed a 56-yard punt, knocking the ball out of bounds at the Bowdoin eight-yard line. Driscoll punted three times on the day, pinning all of them inside the 10-yard line, including a 39-yard boot, which was downed on the two-yard line.

“[Driscoll] is a great player for us — he really set the tone with his punting,” Ritter said. “We only had three punts and two of them he knock[ed] inside the ten. That was a huge part of our success defensively.”

Driscoll gave the defense great field position and the defense returned the favor to the offense, forcing two punts and intercepting two passes on the Polar Bears’ first four possessions. Joel Blockowicz ’15 was responsible for the second interception, flashing into the passing lane and picking off another White pass. The sophomore cornerback returned the ball seven yards to the Bowdoin 20-yard line.

Despite the great field position, however, the offense failed to capitalize, punting twice and falling short on a fourth down deep in Bowdoin territory.

The team’s offensive woes extended into the second quarter as the Panthers failed to convert on their second consecutive fourth and two, turning the ball over on downs at the Bowdoin 26-yard line.

“I think some of it was the first game [and adjusting to] game speed,” Ritter said, addressing the offense’s slow start. “It was pretty windy, which might have affected some of the deeper throws, as well.”

Now leading just 7-3, the Middlebury offense finally found its rhythm as Foote established a rapport with wide receiver Brendan Rankowitz ’15, connecting with the sophomore for a 24-yard touchdown pass, the first of Rankowitz’s career. It was one of seven catches on the day for Rankowitz, who led the team with 77 yards receiving in his second career start.

“He had seven catches and three of them were really big catches,” Ritter said of Rankowitz. “He got us out of a hole in one, got us a critical first down on another ... it was great to see someone step up. We were hoping he could be this kind of receiver. It allows us to keep spreading the ball around.”

With a 14-3 lead, the Panthers defense preyed on another errant Bowdoin pass. Backup quarterback Thomas Romero — playing in relief of White who sustained an injury — floated a pass directly at strong safety Jared Onouye ’14, who returned the interception 18 yards to the Bowdoin 20-yard line.

This time the offense wasted no time putting points on the board, with Foote completing a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Billy Chapman ’13 on fourth and six, expanding the Middlebury lead to 18. Foote and Chapman connected seven times on the afternoon for 76 yards and two scores.

Middlebury’s only defensive glitch of the half came on the Polar Bears’ final possession before the break. Facing a third and eight from the 25-yard line, Romero completed a 40-yard pass — his longest of the day — to Nick Goldin. Four plays later, Romero completed a 28-yard pass to receiver David Black for the Polar Bears’ only passing touchdown of the game. The ensuing point after try, however, was blocked, giving the Panthers a 21-9 half-time advantage.

Middlebury opened the second half with a clinical, 12-play, 78-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a one-yard run by Ashkar. Rankowitz kept the drive alive, however, hauling in a 12-yard pass from Foote on fourth and six from the Bowdoin 27-yard line. Ashkar, meanwhile, was steady and dependable, rushing for 79 yards on 19 carries while catching three balls for 25 yards.

The Polar Bears responded with a touchdown drive of their own, driving 90 yards on 10 plays in under four minutes to draw within 10. Following the Greg Pierce touchdown run, head coach Dave Caputi opted to go for two, in an attempt to make it a 28-20 game with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter. The attempt was unsuccessful and Bowdoin never challenged again.

Middlebury added two fourth quarter touchdowns to seal the victory as Foote completed touchdown passes of 19 and 25 yards to Driscoll and Chapman, respectively. The nation’s top passer from last season once again put up staggering numbers, finishing the game with 285 yards passing and five touchdowns while completing 26 of 44 attempts. The performance earned him NESCAC Player of the Week honors, the third time Foote has won the award in his short time at Middlebury.

Middlebury’s offensive success in the second half was due in part to better timing between Foote and his receivers, but in large part to the play of the offensive line, as well. Bookended by tackles Ryan Moores ’13 and Jack Allard ’14 and bolstered by interior lineman Ling Zhou ’13, Harris Huguenard ’13 and Benjamin Green ’14 the Panthers boast one of the most talented and experienced units in the conference.

“We’ve got a lot experience on the offensive line,” Huguenard said. “We only gave up nine sacks [as a unit] last year and our goal this year is to give up even less. [Foote] does a great job of getting the ball out early and reading the defenses, too, which makes it easier for us.”

The group easily overmatched an inexperienced Bowdoin defensive line, which did not return a single starter from last year’s team, opening holes for Ashkar and passing lanes for Foote.

“Our offensive line did a tremendous job not only blocking the run game and getting some great push, but to throw the ball 44 times without [allowing] a sack is pretty incredible,” Ritter said.

Equally important — and much more surprising — was the play of the defense, which dominated Bowdoin, though injuries to the visitor’s top running back and quarterback certainly played a role. Tri-captain John Wiet ’13 led the charge, totaling 10 tackles and a sack. First-year linebacker Tim Patricia ’16 was impressive in his first game, finishing with nine tackles. Cornerback Dan Kenerson ’13, meanwhile, added to pass deflections to his six tackles.

The Panthers travel to Colby this weekend to play the Mules (0-1). Middlebury beat Colby 41-15 last season at Youngman Field.


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