A win over Bates tomorrow afternoon to kick off the annual CBB competition would certainly go a long way towards brightening Bowdoin's 2010 season.
Although it has been a tough season of disappointment and loss, enthusiasm and excitement are never lacking for the Polar Bears during their final two games of the season against their in-state rivals.
"It's exciting," said first year quarterback Grant White in anticipation of his first CBB. "The seniors have all been talking about it and they are intent on keeping the CBB trophy at Bowdoin. You could already sense it at practice that it is a big deal for both the team and the campus and I can't wait to be a part of it."
After splitting matchups against Colby (a 32-27 win) and Bates (a 28-24 loss) last season, the Polar Bears were able to claim a three-way tie and retain the CBB Championship Trophy.
"We throw records out the window during these final two games," said senior captain and defensive lineman Scott Roman, describing the importance of the annual CBB games. "There's really nothing to save up at this point. It's always a tough week of practice and always a physical game. We're preparing for another scrappy physical game and it's always fun to play."
"Bates is fairly unconventional," said Roman. "They're not a team that's going to come out and crush you out on the ball. Their offense is designed to take advantage of mistakes we make on defense. We need to have a strong presence on defense both on the outside and on the inside. As long as we play gap-sound defense, we'll be able to contain them outside."
The Bears' inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities came back to haunt the Polar Bears once again during last Saturday's 41-7 loss at Wesleyan.
On its opening drive, Bowdoin drove all the way to the Wesleyan nine-yard line. However, Billy Donahue '11 hooked his 26-yard attempt wide left.
The Polar Bears answered back on Wesleyan's opening drive, when first year defensive back Matt Savard intercepted a pass as Wesleyan was driving deep into Bowdoin territory.
The Bowdoin defense held steady and forced three-and-outs on the next three Wesleyan drives.
However, the Polar Bear offense was still unable to take advantage of these defensive stops.
Instead, Wesleyan blocked another 26-yard Donahue field goal attempt and a pass from R.J. Shea '12 was intercepted in the Wesleyan end zone, leaving the game scoreless midway through the second quarter.
Wesleyan drew first blood when it punched in a two-yard touchdown with about six minutes to play before halftime to take a 7-0 lead after the PAT.
Bowdoin was unable to respond on its next two drives that resulted in a lost fumble and a three-and-out. Wesleyan capitalized on Bowdoin's miscues with a 26-yard touchdown pass and PAT to take a 14-0 lead just before half.
The Cardinals never looked back as they proceeded to score four second half touchdowns and rush for over 300 yards in rout to a 41-7 win, the second-largest margin of victory in series history.
Bowdoin's lone score came early in the third quarter when Zach Donnarumma '14 ran in for an eight-yard touchdown.
"The loss was disappointing to say the least," said head coach Dave Caputi. "We came out early and did some really good things. We were strong on defense at first, but we wasted our scoring opportunities and had turnovers on offense, which gave Wesleyan the momentum. Once a couple of bad things happened, it snowballed from there."
Though the Polar Bears cannot improve record-wise from a season ago when they went 3-5, they cannot over-stress the importance of these final two games enough as they look to have a strong finish.
"It would be great to have that type of victory going into our last game against Colby," said Caputi. "We have had upwards of 14 starters lost during the season and once this happens, it really taps into what we are as a football team. We have a great group of guys who have worked hard throughout the year and had to go through a lot of injuries and adjustments. We want to go out on a good note and we need to get there starting this week."
Bowdoin will play its final home game of the season tomorrow afternoon against Bates. Senior Day presentations will precede kickoff, which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.