The 2004 Bowdoin College Football Team opened the season at Youngman Field this past Saturday against the Middlebury Panthers. With a veteran offense and a young, exciting defense, this year's squad hopes to turn around a program that has been steadily improving during head coach Dave Caputi's tenure.
Bowdoin's offense returns nine of its eleven starters from the 2003 season. Junior Ricky Leclerc begins his first full season at the quarterback position, as he was injured for much of last year. It should be a pleasure to watch him team up with star tailback Rob Patchett '05, who led the NESCAC last year in all-purpose yards with 163.2 yards per game. On the defensive side of the ball, All-NESCAC caliber linebacker Shaun Kezer '06 will look to build upon the 97 tackles he collected last season, leading the Polar Bear defense. Seniors John Flinn and Ben Babcock provide the leadership on a defense almost entirely made up of underclassmen.
Last Saturday, Bowdoin jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter when junior cornerback Steve Curwen picked off a Middlebury pass, and then raced 51 yards to the end zone. With six tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception for a touchdown, Curwen earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. After taking a 10-7 lead into the second quarter, several missed opportunities on Bowdoin's part caused them to fall behind for the rest of the contest. Despite having chances to put points on the board in the second half, Bowdoin would eventually fall to Middlebury's high-powered offense by a score of 31-17.
The recipe for Middlebury's success on Saturday was big plays. A 52-yard pass and a 42-yarder went the distance for the Panthers. In order to succeed, the coaching staff needs to find a way to prevent these types of plays that plagued Bowdoin all of last season. However, Bowdoin's defense came up with several big plays of their own to keep the game close. With a 21-10 lead late in the first half, Middlebury drove the ball deep into Polar Bear territory. Sophomore defensive tackle Zach Hammond picked up his second sack of the game, which led to a missed field goal by the Panthers offense. With six tackles (four for a loss) and his two sacks, Hammond is quickly making a name for himself around the league as a premier run stopper. Shaun Kezer and newly converted linebacker John Regan led the team with 12 tackles on the day. Regan also recovered a fumble which was forced by sophomore Dave Donahue, but the offense was unable to capitalize.
The Polar Bear offense had a few bright spots in the game, but missed multiple opportunities to put the ball in the end zone when it mattered the most. Leclerc completed 19 of his 42 attempts for 201 yards. The junior quarterback was able to spread the ball out to six different receivers, showing the many options the offense has this year. Senior captain Brian Durant had four catches for 69 yards, while junior wide receiver Jeff Nolin pulled in an amazing eight receptions that went for 63 yards. Rob Patchett averaged 4.4 yards per carry, but Bowdoin's pass-oriented attack diminished his ability to make the game-breaking plays that he has consistently manufactured in his career.
After being handed seven points by their defense, special teamer Mike Curtis '07 recovered a huge fumble when Middlebury muffed a punt inside their own ten yard line. A confident Bowdoin offense generally turns a play like this into an automatic six points every time, but could only settle for a Nolan McNair '08 25-yard field goal on this occasion. In the second quarter, a clock-consuming twelve-play drive featured many big plays. However, this drive to the endzone ended with Bowdoin fumbling on the goal line. The Polar Bears have an offense that is still learning how to play with one another, and should improve their play in similar circumstances. It is often difficult to remain positive after losing a game such as this one when they squandered opportunities, but all one needs to do is look at how the offense operated their final scoring drive of the afternoon. When this offense clicks, it clicks! After a missed field goal by the Panthers, Bowdoin marched 72 yards down the field to the opponent's end zone. This drive was highlighted by a 23-yard pass to junior TE Jared Pritchard, a 43-yard heave to Durant, and several big runs from Patchett. Capping the drive was a 1-yard run by the hard-nosed, goal-line back Matt Boyd. If Leclerc can gel with his receivers and backs on a consistent basis, the sky is the limit for this offense. Expect to see Bowdoin's offense put up some big numbers against Amherst College this coming Saturday. If you have never been to a home football game at Bowdoin, come join other members of Polar Bear Nation in the far end zone of Whittier Field as the Black and White battle the Lord Jeffs at 1:00 p.m.