The Polar Bears travel to Amherst this coming weekend for an early-season, high-stakes NESCAC showdown.
Coming off an impressive win against traditional NESCAC-powerhouse Middlebury last Saturday, the Polar Bears are looking to win their fifth consecutive game, dating back to last season.
A victory would give the Polar Bears their longest winning streak since the 1970-71 season, when the team achieved six victories in a row.
Senior co-captain and starting quarterback Oliver Kell commented on the team's upcoming matchup, saying, "Amherst is a very physical team, they've beaten us every year I've been here, so we're going to have to take our game to the next level to get the result we're looking for."
The level of play on display at Whittier Field in the team's home opener against Middlebury last Saturday was quite high, as the team managed to rack up over 500 offensive yards and 50 points, but according to Kell it could have been better.
"I think when we go back and look at the film we'll see that we weren't perfect. We made a lot of mistakes but we were fortunate to have made some plays to put some points on the board," said Kell.
The Polar Bears' opening possession set the tone for the rest of the game, as the team methodically pushed down the field for the young season's first touchdown, a six-yard run by sophomore wideout, Pat Noone.
After another Noone touchdown—this time a 51-yard catch and run—put Bowdoin up 14-0, before Middlebury was able to climb back into the contest with two scores of its own.
The Polar Bears quickly regained their lead thanks to a 61-yard scamper along the sideline by senior running back Nick Tom.
Nevertheless, the Panthers were able to answer once again, scoring two more touchdowns before the end of the first half to take a 28-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half saw more offensive fireworks, as Kell threw touchdown passes to Phil Tonucci '10 and Justin Starr '10 during the third quarter, giving Bowdoin a precarious 37-35 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Polar Bears were able to expand their lead on the back of another touchdown by big-play machine Noone, who finished the day with over 200 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to his credit.
"I knew he was going to be good, but I never expected him to go out and do what he did today," Kell said.
Up 44-35 with less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Polar Bears scored the knockout blow on a 16-yard touchdown run by Nick Tom, following a timely interception by senior linebacker Kevin Zikaras.
The milestone win was marked by Kell's record setting performance, as the senior quarterback passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns, and became Bowdoin's all-time leader in passing yards.
When Bowdoin Head Coach David Caputi was asked about his senior quarterback, he offered a slight smile before saying, "He's pretty good."
"It's a great honor, but it's a testament to the coaches and to my teammates for putting me in situations [where] I can succeed," said Kell. "As you saw today, it's really all about getting the ball in the hands of the playmakers."
Kell and the Polar Bears will look to build on the momentum of their record-setting win against the Panthers when they head down to Amherst this Saturday, where they will take on the Lord Jeffs at 1:30 p.m.
"This game will be an important test for us. They're one of the best teams the NESCAC has to offer so it'll be fun to see where we stack up," said second-year starting offensive lineman Joe Smith '12.
Caputi agreed with this assessment, noting that Bowdoin football fans have a lot to be excited for this season.
"We've been a little banged up recently but guys are starting to get healthy and, as you saw on Saturday, we've got a lot of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball," he said.