Editors’ Note: We are excited to announce that a group of writers from around the NESCAC, led by Joe MacDonald (Middlebury) and Adam Lamont (Bowdoin), will be contributing to the blog for the remainder of the football season and hopefully beyond. This post was written by Lamont, a former member of the Bowdoin football team. The plan is to give readers an internal perspective of other programs in the conference, while maintaining our in-depth coverage of Middlebury football and basketball. We hope you enjoy and, as always, thank you for your continued readership and support.
Opening Statement: Bowdoin started the game with the offense working better than at any other time in the last two years. The key was big plays with the opening touchdown only a minute and a half into the game coming off a play action pass to Dan Barone for a 48-yard score. The play far surpassed the previous long for a touchdown for Bowdoin this year, but only a few minutes later senior back Zach Donnarumma broke free for a 51 yard touchdown. Bowdoin then extended the lead to 21-0 on a 2-yard pass to Mike English with 5:36 left in the second.
No Knockout: At that point it looked like the Polar Bears were en route to a convincing and easy win. Things didn’t go quite as planned as Hamilton answered quickly to close to within two touchdowns. The rest of the day the Bowdoin offense struggled to create any big plays and Hamilton crawled its way back into the game with two long touchdown drives in the second half. An early Hamilton missed field goal, however, played a huge role down the stretch as—trailing by six—the Continentals needed a touchdown to win the game at the end instead of a field goal to tie. The Polar Bears’ inability to put the game away shows once again that, while this Bowdoin team is capable of playing very well for stretches, it has trouble sustaining that level of play for an entire game.
It Was Over When: Bowdoin corner Jon Fraser intercepted Hamilton’s Chase Rosenberg’s ill advised pass. Fraser returned the ball for a touchdown, but despite no clear evidence that he was down, the referees whistled the play dead at the spot of the interception. Thankfully the call ultimately didn’t impact the outcome of the game, but it was a reminder that the combination of NESCAC officiating and the lack of replay can impact the game in very real ways.
Quick Thoughts
1. It was heartbreaking to see sophomore running back Trey Brown go down for Bowdoin with an apparent knee injury in the first half. Brown has a history of knee injuries and his dedication to returning and work ethic have been admirable. Brown is a good complement to Donnarumma because of his blend of speed and power.
2. The defense gave up too many yards to a Hamilton team that had struggled on offense, especially in a game the Continentals played without James Stanell, their leading rusher in 2012 and the NESCAC-leader in all-purpose yards a season ago. However, on Saturday Hamilton moved the ball up and down the field, and Bowdoin was lucky to only allow 21 points. Two Hamilton drives went inside the 10-yard line with one ending in a Polar Bears fourth-down stand and the other in a missed field goal. In all Hamilton accumulated 378 yards of offense with 269 through the air and 109 on the ground. Despite the gross total, the run defense was stout again allowing only 2.9 yards per carry. The passing defense, however, wasn’t nearly as effective, allowing 8.4 yards per attempt. Some of that had to do with injuries in the secondary as projected starters entering the season Jibrail Coy and Matt Savard were out. The linebackers, however, must improve in recognizing passing situations and getting into passing lanes earlier as a lot of the Continentals’ passing yards came on quick hitters.
3. The defensive line effectively pressured Hamilton, registering three sacks, but it was not always consistent, though admittedly much of that was because the ball got out of Rosenberg’s hand so quickly. Rosenberg is only a freshman, but he is mobile and throws a good ball. Against the run the line stood tall, penetrating into the backfield or occupying blockers to free the linebackers up to make plays.
4. This was the best offensive performance for Bowdoin in the last two seasons, but it was far from a complete one. After a great start to the game, the offense could only generate two Andrew Murowchick field goals in the second half. The offensive line had its best performance of the year opening up holes all day for the running backs. On Donnarumma’s long touchdown, senior Bobby Driscoll escorted his running back twenty yards downfield before issuing the last crucial block that allowed Donnarumma to go the distance almost untouched. The ability to run the ball then set up the play action pass, especially on roll outs. Mac Caputi threw very well on the run all day, but it might be nice to see him use his legs a little more often.
Three Questions Going Forward
1. Is Tyler Grant Ready? The freshman running back showed he could make people miss yesterday as he filled in behind Donnarumma after Trey Brown went down. If Brown can’t return this year, Grant will serve as the primary back up—a key position given how much Bowdoin wants to run the ball. He definitely lacks in size, so pass protection might be in an issue, but he could be very dangerous on screens or draws where he has space to work.
2. Who are the Top Two Receivers? Sophomore wide receiver Dan Barone had something of a breakout game with his long touchdown catch and two very good kickoff returns, but only had one other reception for seven yards. Ethan Drigotas has been the most dependable receiver this season, with four catches in each of the last three games. Kenny Skon is becoming a big-play receiver with only a couple of catches a game but with the added significance of a high yards-per-catch average. On one fourth down conversion, Caputi threw the ball into coverage hoping Skon would make a play, and he did. If he can do that once or twice a game, it gives Caputi a security blanket he can go to if no one gets separation.
3. Will the Secondary Hold Up Against Trinity? Last year the potent Trinity running attack was held in check for most of the game gaining only 3.4 yards per rush, but a long pass to AJ Jones gave Trinity a lead they never gave up. Jones is back this year for the Bantams and the secondary must make sure he doesn’t get behind them for a big play. If they keep everything in front of them and the run defense is as stout as it was last year, Bowdoin will be in this game just like it was for much of the 2012 matchup. While Trinity has looked good in the last two games against Hamilton and Tufts, they barely escaped an 0-4 Williams team and struggled against a .500 Bates team. The Bantams have won 49 straight home games and have been virtually invincible at home, but the cracks have started to show, and Trinity appears as beatable as it have been in the past couple of years.