Middlebury capped off its tremendous season with a 35-13 win at home over Tufts this afternoon. Mac Foote led the way with 389 yards and 4 touchdowns, putting the finishing touches on the best statistical quarterback season in NESCAC history.

Although the Middlebury defense started off flat, they made up for it with a great second half, highlighted by an unbelievable play in which John Wiet recovered a fumble in the red zone, returned it sixty yards, was caught by Tufts tight end Nick Kenyon, then lateraled the ball to a trailing Jared Onouye who took it the rest of the way for six. The score turned a potential upset into a blowout, and allowed Middlebury to enjoy the final eight minutes of their 2012 season with a comfortable lead.

Give credit to Tufts’ offense, which looked sharp throughout, and was led by elusive first-year running back Justin Weaver, who finished the game with 145 total yards. Quarterback John Dodds was inconsistent but made a lot of impressive throws underneath, and finished the game with 246 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. His wide receivers did a nice job on short routes, and Nick Kenyon looked as good as any tight end we have seen play against the Panthers, finishing with 60 yards receiving and two very tough catches down the seam in traffic. Until the fumble return in the fourth quarter, Tufts’ offense outperformed the Panther D. It is surprising that they did not win one of those close games this season.

Tufts defense, however, could not keep up with the Middlebury passing attack from the start. Mac Foote had his best first half of the season, going 23 of 32 for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, throwing an interception on a tipped pass, but hitting wide receivers in stride all over the field. It looked like Tufts wanted to force Middlebury to throw underneath and Foote was happy to oblige. The consistent protection afforded by the Panther offensive line made Foote’s work that much easier.

In the first half, Zach Driscoll broke the NESCAC single-season receptions and touchdown records, and he ended up with 10 catches, 124 yards, and 2 touchdowns. His final season statline, the best in NESCAC history, looks like this: 83 receptions, 1134 yards, 15 touchdowns. He is a likely first-team All-American based on where his per-game stats rank nationally. Mac Foote’s end-of-year stats are equally impressive: 2897 yards (362 YPG), 31 TD, 8 INT, 63% CMP. Billy Chapman, the senior pre-season All-American tight end, had an amazing catch and run in the fourth quarter to finish with seven catches and 105 receiving yards. His final season statistics: 61 receptions, 693 yards, 8 touchdowns.

While we were all waiting with baited breath as Wesleyan was on the verge of giving the Panthers a share for the NESCAC title, and disappointed that they let the Bantams come back, the second-place finish and the high level of performance throughout the season are far from disappointing. At the start of the year, we were expecting Middlebury to go 5-3; instead they blew out every team they faced except Trinity, and were a pleasure to watch from start to finish. The senior core of Driscoll, Chapman, Moores, Ashkar, Huguenard, Wiet, Kenerson, Ashley, Tilson, Rogers, et. al left a great mark on this program, and it was a pleasure to follow the 2012 Panthers.

The Middlebury football team is in Clinton, New York today to play Hamilton (1-5) in a game that is not-so-popularly known as the Rocking Chair Classic. The “rivalry,” as Wikipedia calls it, began in 1980 when friends on the Board of Trustees of each school decided that the game would be played for the Mac-Jack Rocking Chair, named after the two men who thought this would be a good idea. In reality, this matchup has been anything but a rivalry. Middlebury has won 24 of the 32 meetings since the series was formalized, and the matchup has been even more lopsided than even that would suggest. Middlebury has won each of the last 16 meetings between the two teams and only two of the last 12 meetings have been decided by one score. With that in mind, here are a couple of things to keep in mind for this game.

Weather: 35° F, 10-15% precipitation, 15 mph winds

Keys to the game: We write this every week it seems, but Middlebury really needs to get out to a quick start today. After failing to get started last week whatsoever, the Panthers want this game to be over at halftime. Hamilton comes into the game allowing a league-worst 34 points per game. The last thing the Panthers want to do is allow the Continentals to hang around and have to make plays in the second half to ensure a win.

Matchups to watch: Middlebury’s offensive line vs. Hamilton’s front seven. While the Continentals have defended the pass well this weekend, they have been the NESCAC’s second worst defense against the run, allowing 225 yards per game against the run. Middlebury’s offensive line, meanwhile, has been terrific protecting Mac Foote this weekend despite struggling last week against Trinity’s pass rush, but has struggled to open running lanes for running back Remi Ashkar. Ahskar has topped the century mark on the ground just once so far this year, but expect him to do it again today behind a motivated offensive line.

Prediction: Middlebury 52 – Hamilton 10. The Panthers will return to form today and trounce an overmatched Hamilton team.

Middlebury went in to Trinity with a NESCAC championship in mind and left with a humbling reminder from the Bantams that room at the top is hard to come by in this conference.

Trinity’s 45-7 rout was about as convincing as they can come, as the Bantams dominated from start to finish, on every unit, and in every aspect of the game. In a game that represented opportunity and legacy for the 2012 Panthers, they did anything but live up to the moment.

After Trinity received the kickoff and moved the ball effectively ont the first drive, a nice red zone stop limited the Bantams to a field goal, Middlebury’s offense then took the field against the top-ranked Trinity D, looking to even things up. A few plays into that first drive, Mac Foote fired a ball low to Billy Chapman coming across the middle in traffic, and it bounced up into the air, where Trinity linebacker Stephen Goniprow grabbed it, and therein ended the only possession Middlebury ever had within a score of the lead.

After the Middlebury defense made a tackle for a loss and a sack on the first and second plays of the ensuing drive, Trinity converted on a 3^rd and long with a 59 yard touchdown pass from Ryan Burgess to Chris Ragone. The ball could have been deflected, but the Middlebury defensive back did not go after it aggressively, and it went over his head and into Ragone’s hands.

From there on out, Trinity scored and stopped at will. Foote threw an interception on a pass intended for Rankowitz in the end zone on the next drive. Mac telegraphed the pass, defensive back Nick Campbell made a break on the ball, and Rankowitz waited on it instead of attacking. Trinity ball again. What followed was a montage of big Trinity plays that could have filled an entire highlight video. Here are the highlights, of the highlights:

-Evan Bunker picks up 47 yards rushing on a 3^rd and 8 from his own 3 yard line.

-Ben Crick scores on a 40 yard pass and run from Burgess.

-Bunker gains 22 yards on a 4^th down on the next drive, then rushes it in for six one play later.

-As the second quarter winds down, Crick scores again, this time after breaking tackles and getting to the outside on a 49 yard run.

-Towards the end of the 3^rd quarter, on a 3^rd and 26, Ben Crick breaks tackles near the line of scrimmage and at the second level before knifing through the middle of the secondary on his way to a 66 yard touchdown run.

After that Crick touchdown, which made the score 38-0, both teams added a scoring drive before the second units came into to finish off the game.  Crick finished the day with 198 yards from scrimmage, and Bunker with 165. Burgess was 9 of 16 for 193 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Trinity safety Rae Haynes had several huge hits and pass breakups, putting on one of the most impressive defensive performances that we have seen, and leading a Trinity secondary that held Foote to 133 yards and 1 touchdown. The touchdown was to Zach Driscoll, who had only 52 yards on 5 catches.  Credit to the defensive backs on Trinity’s three sacks as well, as the front seven as able to send extra men early and often without consequences downfield.

So why did the game turn into a Trinity highlight reel, to the shock of most all NESCAC observers?

First, Trinity is a better team. Crick and Bunker are unbelievable runners, far more talented than anyone we have seen come through Middlebury this season. But the Trinity defense was even more impressive, as their speed was a huge disruption to Middlebury’s passing game. Whenever Mac Foote saw an open receiver, a Bantam would break to the ball so fast that by the time Foote threw it the receiver wouldn’t be open any more. Foote and the offense never adjusted to that. Middlebury’s previously dominant offense was overwhelmed and outmatched from the start.

But playing a great defense doesn’t explain a blow out like this, and the other contributing factor was the total lack of life from the Middlebury defense. After that deep touchdown to Chris Ragone, Middlebury’s defense laid down and never got up. It was amazing how poorly they tackled and pursued all game long, to the extent that it was obvious they had completely lost their competitive mentality. It looked like every defender expected somebody else to wrap up the ball carrier or close the gap, and so many times, it resulted in nobody doing it. Crick and Bunker bounced off would-be-tacklers like they belonged in a different division from them, and the previous strengths of this Middlebury defense—situational football and limiting the big play—were thrown out the window and replaced by their polar opposites.

So, the NESCAC title was not meant for these Panthers, and if they finish off the season with wins over Hamilton and Tufts, they will lock up the second spot in the conference, which is still a season to reflect on positively. But the game today is the one that will remind us that the 2012 Panthers were a good, not great, football team.

The Panthers improved to 5-0 on the season with a 38-23 win over Bates in front of a capacity crowd on homecoming weekend in Middlebury.

Led once again by senior wide receiver Zach Driscoll, the offense pulled away in the second half after a slow start, and the defense did enough to hold the Bobcats in check. Though the performance was ugly at times, the win puts the Panthers at 5-0 heading into what will almost certainly be the NESCAC Championship Game, this Saturday at also-undefeated Trinity.

The defense started the game uncharacteristically flat, allowing the Bobcats to beat them on the ground and through the air. It seemed that the biggest issue for the defense was missed tackles. Bates’ Patrick George and Trevor Smith picked up significant yards after contact all day, and Bates finished the game with 219 yards on the ground, the most Middlebury has allowed all season. Smith, the senior dual-threat quarterback, gave Middlebury a lot of trouble. He made great reads both in the pocket and in the option. His signature play was a second quarter 3rd down conversion in which he bounced off a tackle in the backfield, rolled left and found a receiver open downfield. The play reflected the playmaking abilities he showed all game long. Senior linebacker John Wiet was the biggest bright spot for the defense, as he was all over the field on his way to 15 tackles. Matthew Benedict had 15 tackles and freshman Tim Patricia added 12 despite a quiet start.

The offense started slow, as has been a theme this season, and quarterback Mac Foote played inconsistently throughout, despite finishing with 436 yards and 5 touchdowns. (By the way, if you haven’t seen it, check out this feature in the Boston Globe on Mac Foote and the Panthers). On the first drive of the game, Foote had two chances to throw touchdown passes to Driscoll and overthrew them both. He then threw an interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Driscoll. It looked like Foote hit Driscoll in the wrong shoulder and Bates defensive back Kyle Starr made a nice play on the ball.

Remi Ashkar got the offense out of their funk by putting forward his best game of the season. He had 106 yards on 26 carries, behind a Middlebury offensive line that did a nice job of consistently creating holes for the senior running back. Ashkar’s best play came on a 4th and 1 early in the game when he hit the pile hard and carried it for a seven yard gain. Ashkar had 48 rushing yards in the first quarter alone.

It looked like Bates played single coverage on Driscoll for most of the game, and the superstar made them pay to the tune of 15 catches, 203 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown came on Middlebury’s second drive, on a second and long-play from 35 yards out. Driscoll came across the middle from Foote’s right to his left, then once he hit the left side of the hashmarks he broke vertically downfield and Foote hit him in the right shoulder in the pocket between Driscoll’s man and the safety. Driscoll broke the safety’s tackle at about the 5 yard line on his way to the score. Driscoll’s monster performance put him in first place in Middlebury history in receptions, and it might just have locked him in as the 2012 NESCAC Offensive Player of Year.

Middlebury’s second touchdown went to freshman Harrison Goodkind, the up and coming athletic 5′-10″ wide receiver who had 3 catches for 32 yards in the game. The Panthers had the ball near the goal line, and Foote hit Goodkind in traffic a yard or two short. Goodkind was facing away from the end zone and pushed himself backwards through contact into the end zone. The freshman added the play of the game in the third quarter when he elevated above two Bates defenders on a crossing route in traffic and brought down the laser pass from Foote for a 19 yard gain. Goodkind moves at a different speed than most NESCAC defenders.

Preseason All-American tight end Billy Chapman brought in two touchdowns on 94 yards receiving in the game. He dominated the middle of the field, holding on to several catches while being hit. Chapman is a big-time matchup problem for defenses. Sophomore Brendan Rankowitz had 4 catches for 57 yards including an incredible 3rd quarter play in which he leaped up over a Bates defender to bring in an underthrown deep ball for a 43 yard gain.

While the passing attack put up big numbers all around, it looked like it might have been Foote’s worst game of the season. He threw two interceptions and had several overthrows, mistimed passes, and forced throws that could have been picked. He made up for it with big plays but his play did not inspire confidence. He needs a bounce back performance if Middlebury is going to beat Trinity next week.

A few other notes and observations:

-Ryan Moores continued to show why he is one of the best offensive linemen in the NESCAC. On one screen pass in the flat to Remi Ashkar, the 6-6 tackle bounced outside and got in front of Ashkar before the cornerback in the open field. It’s very fun to watch him move in space.

-Middlebury’s front seven had its worst performance of the season and Trinity’s Bunker-Crick combo will run all over them if they don’t turn things around.

-On a big third down conversion to Driscoll, Foote wouldn’t have been able to allow the route to develop had Remi Ashkar not made a great low block on the blitzer coming off the edge. After the play, Foote immediately went to Ashkar to show his appreciation.

-Joel Blockowitz might have gotten away with illegal contact earlier on the route in which he made his interception on Bates wide receiver Kevin Davis, and Davis gave the referee a mouthful for the no-call.

-Kicker Jake Fuery made a nice heads up play recovering a fumble on a kickoff early in the 3rd quarter. The ball looked like it bounced off the leg of the Bates returner as he was running under the ball to make the catch, and it bounced about twenty yards forward before Fuery pounced on it near the sideline.

-Zach Driscoll NESCAC record watch:
Single-season receptions: 54 (record is 76, on pace for 86)
Single-season receiving yards: 781 (record is 1137, on pace for 1,250)
Single-season receiving touchdowns: 11 (record is 14, on pace for 17)

Mac Foote NESCAC record watch:
Single-season completions: 162 (record is 262, on pace for 259)
Single-season passing yardage: 1,919 (record is 2,873, on pace for 3,070)
Single-season passing touchdowns: 21 (record is 25, on pace for 33)

Middlebury is 4-0 for the first time since 1992 after beating Williams last weekend, ending a 12-game losing streak that began in 2001. The 30-13 victory against the Ephs increased Middlebury’s season point differential to +87, an average of over three touchdowns points per game.

As has become routine for these Panthers, they dominated the game on both sides of the ball. McCallum Foote shredded the Williams defense, putting up 431 yards on 43 attempts, relying on senior stud wide receiver Zach Driscoll. Driscoll had the game of his career, with 12 catches, 250 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, and was also named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week.  Credit is once again owed to the offensive line, as they held the Williams defense without a sack, and gave Foote the time to let Driscoll’s deep routes develop all game long. Middlebury’s line has only allowed two sacks all season.

Driscoll, who has been the team’s MVP of the first half, is on pace to break a number of single season receiving records and has cemented himself as one of the best players ever to wear a Middlebury uniform. By season’s end, Driscoll will be the most decorated wide receiver in school history. The 6’2” wideout has the third most receptions in a career and needs just 5 more to move into second place and 10 to hold the record, previously set by AJ Husband in 1998. Driscoll’s next touchdown catch will set the single season record for touchdowns, having already obliterated the all-time mark. Finally, he’s 273 yards short of the all-time receiving yard record, which means he will most likely graduate as Middlebury’s leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

Coming off a win over Williams and with Trinity looming next weekend, Middlebury needs to be careful not to overlook an edgy Bates team today. While this appears to be a potential trap game, the approach that coach Bob Ritter and his team take to every game and the unique offense that Bates runs should ensure that the Panthers are ready to go. One thing to watch, which will provide an interesting wrinkle is Bates’ offensive style. The Bobcats run the triple option offense, similar to what Georgia Tech uses.

Weather forecast: 65° F with 8-10 mph winds and 10-20% precipitation. In other words, perfect weather to play football.

Key to the game: Offensively, these two teams are like yin and yang. Bates has attempted fewer passing plays than anyone in the conference. Middlebury has attempted by far and away the most passes in the conference. Bates has called more running plays than anyone in the NESCAC but Trinity. Middlebury has rushed fewer times than anyone save Tufts. 72% of the plays the Bobcats have run from scrimmage have been running plays. Middlebury, meanwhile, passes on 65% of plays — and the number would be more distorted if they weren’t playing from ahead in the second half. And while Bates is a ground and pound team, the Bobcats average 25.5 points per game. It will be especially important in this game, then, for Middlebury to establish an early lead. If the Panthers can force Bates out of its running game and make the Bobcats try to beat them through the air, Middlebury will run away with this game. For the Bobcats, scoring early will be crucial. If they can hang around through the first half and run the ball effectively, eventually they may be able to wear down the Middlebury defense.

Matchups to watch:

Mac Foote vs. the Bates secondary: The Bobcats defense leads the NESCAC with 11 interceptions. The unit has been very opportunistic and Foote needs to be careful not to force too many passes into coverage, something he had a tendency to do at times, particularly when targeting Driscoll late in his drop backs. Foote will need to spread the ball and Billy Chapman, Brendan Rankowitz and Harrison Goodkind will play big roles in this game if the Panthers win.

Trevor Smith vs. the Middlebury front seven: Smith is limited as a passer, but he has rushed the ball 80 times this season, fourth most in the NESCAC. Smith makes the Bates offense run, quite literally. In the triple option, the quarterback makes option reads on running plays, assessing the defensive line, and particularly the defensive end, the way many quarterbacks read the defensive secondary on passing plays. Middlebury’s front seven has been stellar so far this season, but this will be a different test entirely from anything they’ve seen so far.

Prediction: Middlebury 42 – Bates 17. Bates will have some success running the ball, particularly early in the game, but the triple option is not ideal for trading scores with this vaunted Middlebury passing attack. At some point the Bobcats will be forced to air the ball out and the Panthers have made great plays in the secondary this season.