A bevy of turnovers led the Polar Bears to a 12-0 loss to an 0-3 Hamilton squad last Saturday in New York.
Nine fumbles, three of which were lost, and two interceptions stalled Bowdoin's offensive opportunities while the defense limited the Continentals to only two scores. However, Hamilton's early scoring efforts led to Bowdoin's fourth loss in a young and, thus far, winless season.
Before its game against Bowdoin, Hamilton had not scored a single point during the 2006 season.
Midway through the first quarter, Hamilton received the ball on the 50-yard line after Bowdoin unsuccessfully ran the ball on fourth down. The Continentals then ran the ball on eight out of nine plays, resulting in a two-yard touchdown rush by John Lawrence. Senior Dave Donahue blocked the ensuing extra point attempt, limiting Hamilton to six points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Bowdoin produced a drive that penetrated deep into Hamilton territory on the back of a strong rushing effort by running back Jeff Smith '08. However, the effort was thwarted when J. Koch intercepted a pass from quarterback Tom Duffy '07 on Hamilton's 16-yard line. The Polar Bears ended Hamilton's subsequent 80-yard drive with a fantastic defensive stand on Bowdoin's five-yard line.
The Bears followed up with another long drive, this time getting inside the red zone. But Hamilton defensive back Matt Pitarresi forced wide receiver Doug Johnson '07 to fumble after a reception, only one play after Duffy and Johnson connected on a 63-yard pass. Brandon Clair recovered the fumble and returned it 43 yards. Two completed passes later, Hamilton found itself with another touchdown, this time with Damon Hall-Jones '09 blocking the point after.
Duffy, Johnson, and Smith were each responsible for two fumbles, with all three of them losing one. Combined with two interceptions, Bowdoin turned the ball over four times in Hamilton territory, killing potential scoring drives.
"Turnovers were a huge part of the loss," said senior offensive lineman Russell Stevens. "We had our best offensive and best defensive game of the season, but the turnovers were costly. This week will be big with the game against Trinity, especially since it's Homecoming. We'll need to keep up our offensive and defensive performance and keep the ball in our hands. We need to force Trinity into some turnovers."
However, the team's offensive production was in many ways at its best in the game. The Polar Bears amassed a season-high 364 yards of offense, along with a season-high 20 first downs.
Bowdoin's defense also did well, stopping the Continentals on several key possessions while recovering two interceptions of their own. Captain Brendan Murphy '07 returned to the team after missing a game with a hamstring injury and intercepted a pass to halt a fourth-quarter Hamilton drive. Senior linebacker John Regan also nabbed an INT in the first quarter. Michael Vitousek '07 led the team in tackles with eleven (eight solo), while first-year Tyler Tennant contributed seven solo tackles of his own and assisted on three. Joseph Cruise '07 had the team's lone sack, which pushed Hamilton back three yards.
Twelve points is the lowest total a team has scored against Bowdoin since a 35-10 win over Wesleyan last October.
In their previous game (on Parent's Weekend), the Polar Bears fell to Tufts 16-6 in Brunswick.
The Jumbos dominated the game with 246 yards of offense on the ground. Bowdoin played a clean game with only one penalty and no turnovers, but the offense was held in check with only 240 yards, 143 of which came on its final two possessions.
Tufts came out with a touchdown on its first possession and never looked back, controlling the clock for over 35 minutes. Bowdoin's lone touchdown came on a one-yard connection between Duffy and tight end Mike Karrat '08.
The Polar Bears' next game is at home this Saturday against Trinity at 1 p.m. Bowdoin looks to avert history, as the team's last win against Trinity came in 1998. Bowdoin has not opened a season 0-4 since its 2003 winless season.