LEWISTON, Maine -- The new-look Bates football team debuted Friday night at Garcelon Field, falling 28-17 to Wesleyan in a game that saw a number of rookie Bobcats deliver impressive performances.
The Bobcats (0-1) struggled to stop Wesleyan senior wide receiver Thomas Elkhoury, who tallied 12 catches for 147 yards on the night. The Cardinals (1-0) got a big performance from their quarterback Niko Candido, who completed 28-37 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite these eye-popping numbers from the Wesleyan offense, Bates did not back down, keeping the game close in front of an excited home crowd.
The Cardinals got the ball to start the game and marched down the field, only to turn it over, as Bates senior cornerback Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ripped the ball out of Wesleyan tight end Matt Luttenberger's hands at the nine-yard line. Walker fell on the ball for a fumble recovery.
Bates' offense went three-and-out, and Kade Doverspike got a hand on the punt, setting up Wesleyan with great field position at the Bates 32-yard line.
Elkhoury picked up a first down on second and six to the Bates 19. Then Candido connected with Chase Wilson on third and 10 for a 19-yard touchdown pass, putting the Cardinals up 7-0 after the extra point with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Bobcats failed to score on their next drive, moving the ball to the Wesleyan 31 before turning it over on downs. Junior captain quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) did connect with sophomore wide receiver Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) for a 21-yard gain on the drive. But the Cardinals were able to stop a Bosselait run on fourth and three to get the ball back.
Wesleyan's offense proved difficult to stop, as the Cardinals went 69 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing drive. Candido found running back Tyler Flynn out of the backfield for a nine-yard touchdown to put the visitors up 14-0 after the extra point with 10:57 left in the second quarter.
The teams traded punts before the Bates offense finally got going on the Bobcats' final drive of the first half. A 19-play, 60-yard drive from the Bobcats ate up more than five minutes, with first-year Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) churning out some tough yards on the ground and Beltran ripping off an 11-yard run on a jet sweep to get Bates into field goal range.
On fourth and 10 from the Cardinal 20, first-year Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) drilled a 37-yard field goal, the longest field goal made by a Bobcat kicker since 2017.
The made kick came with just 40 seconds left in the half, and the Cardinals ran a couple plays before time expired. Junior Finn Duffey (Scituate, Mass.) sacked Candido to end the half.
Down 14-3 at intermission, Bates fell down by three scores when the Cardinals got the back to start the third quarter and went 80 yards in 11 plays, taking 5:49 off the clock in the process. One again, Candido had success finding a running back out of the backfield, connecting with Ezra Jenifer for a 16-yard touchdown.
Special teams set the Bobcats up nicely on their next drive. Sophomore Stephen Lardi (Staten Island, N.Y.) returned the kick-off 37 yards to the Bates 47. The Bobcats fed Lynskey three straight times and he caught a pass for four yards to move the ball to the Wesleyan 26. A 10-yard Bosselait run put the ball at the 16 and a pass interference call in the end zone set up Bates with a first and goal at the two. Lynskey punched it in from there for his first collegiate touchdown and Bates trailed 21-10 with 6:04 left in the third quarter after Ruiz made the extra point.
The teams traded punts before the Cardinals pulled off one of the few chunk plays of the night. On first and 10 from the Bates 49, Candido found Elkhoury for a 47-yard gain to the Bates two. A roughing the passer penalty put the ball at the one and Flynn gained the yard he needed on the next play for a touchdown, extending the Wesleyan advantage to 28-10.
Down by 18 to start the fourth quarter, the Bobcats answered with vigor. On third and 14 from their own 43, Bosselait connected with Beltran for 17 yards and a first down. Then on third and four, Lynskey showed off his pass-catching abilities, as the rookie running back beat his defender and Bosselait aired it out. Lynskey caught the pass on the far side of the field for a 34-yard touchdown reception, trimming the Wesleyan lead to 28-17 with 11:48 left in regulation.
An inspired Bates defense forced a turnover-on-downs on the next Wesleyan possession. But the Bobcat offense couldn't get anything going, and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock on a final drive that lasted 6:47, ending the game with three straight QB kneels in the red zone.
Lynskey finished the game with 10 carries for a game-high 39 yards and a touchdown. He caught a team-high five passes for a team-high 74 yards and a touchdown. Beltran added three catches for 41 yards and two carries for 15 yards.
Defensively, sophomore Jackson Collins (Glen Ridge, N.J.) led the way with eight total tackles (six solo) and 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior Jarrin Sato (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Duffey netted seven total tackles each.
Meanwhile, four first-years combined for 24 total tackles, as Matthew-Michael Assivero (Ottawa, Ontario), Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas), Jack Morrison (Manchester Center, Vt.), and Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) netted six tackles each, with Morrison notching six solo stops.
Bosselait struggled to connect with his young receivers, finishing the game 10-27 for 128 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw any interceptions and Bates did not turn the ball over.
The Cardinals out-gained the Bobcats in total offense by a count of 410-218. Bates did out-rush Wesleyan, as the Bobcats finished with 90 yards on the ground and held the Cardinals to just 69 rushing yards.
Bates is back in action on Saturday, September 23 when the Bobcats visit Tufts for a 6:30pm kick.
Rookies impress in Bates football's 28-17 loss to Wesleyan
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230915_u1bn.xml
2023
Wesleyan
28
Bates
17
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wesleyan (1-0) | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Bates (0-1) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Sep 15, 2023