Tag: Alex Maldjian

The Official Nothing But NESCAC Football Postseason Awards

Now that we have such an interesting season of individual performances in the books, we thought it would be interesting to have two sets of eyes (Haven and Matt) tackle this year’s edition of postseason awards. With no clear and obvious offensive and defensive players of the year, we did our best to present what we felt were the best candidates for the biggest individual awards the league has to offer. 

Matt’s note: I would prefer you not click this link, but if you are interested in seeing how our preseason picks did, here are my predictions from September: https://nothingbutnescac.com/?p=7618

Offensive Player of the Year:

Haven’s Pick: WR Frank Roche (Tufts)

Midway through this season, another Frank essentially had this award in the bag- Frank Stola from Williams. Teams started to figure out Stola after that point, though, and his production dipped dramatically. The opposite happened to Roche, a Tufts graduate student from nearby Arlington, MA who has remained with the team since 2015 despite lots of trouble with injuries. Anyone involved with sports has heard the old cliche: it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. While Roche did not exceed 100 receiving yards in any of his first four games, he never had fewer than 50 and he had a long catch of at least 35 yards in each game to go along with two touchdowns. His numbers after that point were simply unbelievable. He finished the season with at least  6 catches and 100 yards in each of his final five games. This included an absurd eight touchdowns over his final three games. In addition to being a frequent endzone visitor, Roche was also extremely dangerous after the catch. He had games this season where he averaged 37, 30, 27, and 23 yards per catch. Tufts realized over the course of the season that they were not going to be led to glory by their run game, so they began to air it out with QB Jacob Carroll and often liked to go long to Roche or OJ Armstrong. Roche’s phenomenal play during the second half of the season helped Tufts develop a lethal passing attack despite remaining a middle of the pack team. He led the NESCAC in receiving yards, yards per catch, and was second in touchdowns. What makes his stats more impressive is that he did not even lead his team in receptions- that honor went to Armstrong. Roche made himself known as a standout receiver when his senior class has been synonymous with names like Koby Schofer and James O’Regan. Next year’s league will also feature a strong group of receivers- Stola will be back, along with Trinity’s Jon Girard and Wesleyan’s Matthew Simco. Nobody produced down the stretch this season like Roche, though. In a year down on running back talent and with no real standout single QB like we have had in past years, Roche separated himself from the competition by stepping up his game down the stretch and being a dangerous big play/scoring threat on a mediocre team. He made the most of his fifth year and is our pick for OPOY. 

Matt’s Pick: QB Bobby Maimaron (Williams)

Like Haven mentioned, there were not a lot of standout options for this award this year after Stola’s 2nd half. I picked Maimaron for a few reasons–the 20:2 TD:INT ratio is just ridiculous, and it is actually just the 10th season ever in which a NESCAC QB threw for 20+ TDs (Only the 3rd non Middlebury Air Raid season as well). He was 4th in the league in rushing yards, while orchestrating the devastating RPO that allowed the Ephs to run for 240 yards a game. The completion percentage (47.8%) and passing yards per game (162.9) are the obvious knocks, and while I’m not arguing that he’s Joe Burrow, those stats were largely affected by throwaways and the fact that they were a run first offense whose top receiver was double and triple teamed for the last month of the season. He was just 9th in the league in attempts, but despite the completion percentage, ranked 3rd in yards per attempt (8.0) and 2nd in yards per completion (16.7). And among the top teams in the league, who else would you pick?

Honorable Mentions: Frank Stola (Williams), Alex Maldjian (Middlebury), Will Jernigan (Middlebury), Ashton Scott (Wesleyan)

Haven’s Pick: LB Joe Gowetski (Bowdoin)

The fact that Bowdoin went 0-9 should not take away from the fact that Gowetski, a senior from Needham, MA, was all over the field every Saturday. While individual performances always look better with team success, guys like Gowetski and Polar Bears RB Nate Richam were standout players on bad units and were likely gameplanned for extensively. That makes their numbers even more impressive. What made Gowetski great this year was his knack for being around the ball. He was second in the NESCAC with 84 total tackles, first in tackles for loss with 21, and tied for third on the sacks list with 5.5. This is in addition to a forced fumble and fumble recovery. I agree with Matt that there was no clear standout defensive player this season like an Andrew Yamin last year, and I think Middlebury, Williams, and Wesleyan’s standout guys all deserve recognition for their contributions to their team’s success. However, I have a soft spot for guys who go into every game knowing their chances of winning are slim to none and still perform. Gowetski’s stats showed that he was constantly around the ball and probably affected countless plays that did not show up in the stat line. His individual efforts on a team where he did not get much help earn him Co-DPOY in his senior season. 

Matt’s Pick: LB Jack Pistorius (Middlebury)

The DPOY race was much like the OPOY race–LB Joe Kelly of Amherst raced out to an early lead through the first half of the season, but injuries down the stretch cost him and opened this award to a ton of different guys. There are so many different options–Williams and Trinity had the two best defenses in the league, but none of their individual numbers stand out, while guys at Middlebury and Wesleyan ran up the numbers and finished with the two best records in the league. Ultimately I chose Pistorius, not just because of his terrific numbers–72 tackles (4th), 5.5 sacks (4th), and 11.5 TFL (10th)–but because of his performances in their biggest games of the season:

Williams: 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL
Trinity: 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL
Amherst: 13 tackles, 2 TFL
Wesleyan: 10 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL

In their biggest games of their 9-0 championship season, the majority of which we expected them to finally lose, it was Pistorius who rose to the challenge and led their defense and their team to the 4 wins that defined their season.

Honorable Mentions: LB Pete Huggins (Middlebury), LB Luke Apuzzi (Williams), CB Ben Thaw (Wesleyan)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Alex Maldjian (Middlebury)

Any NESCAC football fan that followed Middlebury’s success this season had to see this one coming. Not only was Maldjian the best rookie running back, he was also the best running back period by most accounts. A freshman out of Rumson, New Jersey, Maldjian led the conference in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns. His ball security was impressive as well as he only lost one fumble all season. Maldijan was simply unparallelled as a NESCAC running back. He was the only player to register triple digit yards per game and the only player to record double digit rush touchdowns with ten in eight and a half games. Combine this with Middlebury quarterback Will Jernigan’s 511 rush yards and 8 touchdowns, and it makes sense why Midd gave us the first 9-0 season in league history. When the pass game faltered or the defense was gassed, the Panthers continually relied on Maldjian to gain tough yards, run clock and give the D some rest. Coach Bob Ritter clearly had a lot of faith in Maldjian from day 1, as he got 21 carries in his first college game against a league-best Williams defense. Maldjian did not need much time to adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game after that. He totaled 361 scores and two touchdowns in his next three games, two of which were against Trinity and Amherst. It became clear early in the season that Maldjian was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next few seasons. His impact was even felt when he was off the field. On October 12 vs. Colby, Maldjian was injured in the first half and did not return, only registering five carries. This ended up being Middlebury’s closest game, a 27-26 win in which they were bailed out by multiple Mule missed kicks and frankly were outplayed. If he had played this whole game, there’s a decent chance we could be talking about a thousand yard rusher here. Maldjian would return next Saturday and put the Panther offense on his back. He was at his best when Midd became the team everyone wanted to take down. Over his last four games, Maldjian averaged a whopping 28.5 carries per game and totaled 471 yards with 7 touchdowns. Most NESCAC backs would be happy with 7 touchdowns over an entire season, but this kid did it in four games as a freshman. This level of production was more than enough to earn him OROY. With Maldjian in the backfield for the next three years, Middlebury fans should feel great about their team’s chances for another ring. 

Honorable Mention: RB Joel Nicholas (Williams)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: S Drew Michalek (Williams)

A two man race for this award between Michalek and DL Nick Helbig, Wesleyan, ultimately goes to the Eph, who helped anchor their league best defense with 3 INTs and a fumble recovery, while also racking up an impressive 44 tackles from the secondary. The Williams defense did not force a ton of turnovers, but when they did, Michalek was often right in the thick of things–his team leading 5th pass break up on the 3rd play of the game against Amherst fell into fellow S Ben Anthony’s hands for a pick 6 in their 31-9 season finale win.

Honorable Mention: DL Nick Heptig (Wesleyan)

Coach of the Year: Bob Ritter (Middlebury)

It wasn’t just that Middlebury completed the first 9-0 season in NESCAC history. Or the fact that no one had Middlebury in their championship picture at the start of the season. It was the way they did it. Wins against Williams, Trinity, and Amherst in 3 of the first 4 weeks of the season put them firmly in the driver’s seat, but also painted a huge target on their backs. They played their best game of the season in a 45-21 blowout of Wesleyan in what proved to be the de facto conference championship game, and then showed their championship mettle in nailbiters down the stretch, winning 3 of their final 5 games by one possession or less. And on top of all of that, it was how they did it–reinventing themselves as a power run team after years of shattering passing records behind some of the most prolific arms in league history. Despite the lack of big arm, and even losing key OL to graduation, Ritter guided QB Will Jernigan’s development into the best big game QB in the league, and RB Alex Maldjian burst onto the scene as the best RB in the league in his first season of football. Returning most of their top offensive weapons, as well as their top 7 tacklers, Ritter should have a great chance to repeat next year.

Honorable Mentions: Dan DiCenzo (Wesleyan), David Murray (Hamilton) 

Special teams Co-POY:

K Sam Thoreen (Hamilton)

(10/10 FGs, longest made FG of the season, 23/25 XPs, 2nd highest scoring kicker, 6th highest scoring player) 

K Mason Von Jess (Wesleyan)

(8/12 FGs, 31/32 XPs, top scoring kicker, 4th highest scoring player)

It Is What It Is: 2019 End-of-Season Power Rankings

(1) 1. Middlebury (9-0)

No surprises here – the Panthers capped off the first 9-0 season in NESCAC history with a convincing victory over Tufts in Medford. Rookie RB Alex Maldjian ’23 led the league in rushing with 905 yards on the season (100.6 per game) and he seems to be a shoe-in for the NESCAC Rookie of the Year award. The receiving corps took a big step up this year and that was in large part due to the enormous improvement of QB Will Jernigan ’21. The Georgia native must have spent the summer implementing the TB12 method because he looked like an entirely different quarterback this year than he did last year. As a sophomore in 2018, Jernigan was 8th in the league with 127 passing yards per game and 10 touchdowns on the year. In 2019 he finished 2nd in the league with 221 passing yards per game and 16 touchdowns. It’s starting to make sense why they went from 5-4 in 2018 to 9-0 this season. 

It would also be impossible to talk about this Middlebury team without talking about the defense – this unit led the NESCAC in interceptions and sacks, terrorizing opposing teams all year. The junior LB duo of Pete Huggins ’21 and Jack Pistorius ’21 finished tied for 4th in the conference in tackles with 72 each, they were both top-10 in TFLs, and they each added an interception for good measure. These guys would both be the best linebacker on any other team and the Panthers have them both! DB Kevin Hartley ’20 finished tied for 1st with 5 interceptions on the year and both Michael Carr ’20 and Finn Muldoon ’23 were top-10 in the NESCAC in picks as well. There’s no controversy this year – it’s safe to say that Middlebury was the best team and they proved it. Of their 9 games on the year, 6 of them were decided by one score or less and those include a double overtime victory at Amherst and a one-point scare against Colby. No matter who they were up against the Panthers were able to do just enough to find a way to win and that’s what championship teams do. Congrats to Panther Nation.

(3) 2. Wesleyan (8-1)

We’ve taken a lot of heat from Wesleyan fans over the past few weeks and deservedly so. Not a single one of us here at NbN believed that the Cardinals would be able to go 8-1 or honestly even 7-2. Even after their 5-0 start I thought that they were going to finish 6-3 or maybe even 5-4 given that they closed out the season with Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, and Trinity. Well they absolutely proved us wrong and I’m willing to admit that. Ashton Scott ’22 looks like the next star quarterback of the NESCAC and he made a legit POY case with his 17:3 TD:INT ratio and a league-leading completion percentage. Scott couldn’t have done it without the help of fellow classmate and breakout star Matthew Simco ’22 who finished 4th in the conference in both receiving yards and touchdowns, while finishing 3rd in receptions. The duo of Ben Thaw ’20 and Danny Banks ’22 are likely the best DB combo in the NESCAC with Thaw leading the league in picks and pass break ups and Banks coming in at 2nd in picks and 3rd in PBUs. The fact that Wesleyan was able to take down Amherst and Williams in consecutive weeks and going to 3 overtimes in the process is incredibly impressive and frankly it’s a shame that they couldn’t put up more of a fight against Middlebury because that would’ve been a ton of fun to watch. Either way this was a very impressive year for the Cardinals and with all the youth on their roster I don’t think this will be the last we’re hearing from these guys…

(2) 3. Williams (7-2)

I just want to go on record and say that if they’re able to avoid any major injuries to key players next year, the Ephs are my pick to win the 2020 NESCAC Championship. Yeah they lost two games this year and they lost those two games fair and square, but I really think this is the best team in the league. QB Bobby Maimaron ’21 has my vote for Offensive Player of the Year with his league leading 20 TDs and 2 INTs (also good for the best TD:INT ratio), while also adding the 4th most rushing yards in the conference. These are pretty incredible numbers and they’re also very difficult to sustain given that Williams almost exclusively runs RPOs. This kid is a stud. WR Frank Stola ’21 got off to one of the best starts to a season in recent memory for a receiver and Coach Raymond took full advantage, often using Stola as a decoy to draw away defenders during a few of their games later in the year. What may have taken the most pressure off of Maimaron was the Ephs’ menacing defense that led the league in both yards and points allowed. That’s how you keep your team in games. They say that defense wins championships so if this defense can ride the momentum into next year then it will be a very long season for anyone not wearing purple and gold.

(5) 4. Trinity (5-4)

In hindsight I kind of feel like we made the same mistake for Trinity that we did for Wesleyan, but the other way around. Because of their recent history, we assumed that the Bantams were pretty much the favorite for every game they played in. It turned out that they really weren’t that good this year, at least not by their standards. We all know how Coach Devanney loves running up the score so they had some lopsided victories over the Maine schools but when it came to the upper echelon of the league they really struggled. It took the Bantams until the 4th quarter to put away Hamilton and their 21-7 win over Amherst isn’t as impressive as it usually is because the Mammoths weren’t that great this year either. They lost one-possession games to Tufts, Middlebury, and Wesleyan, exposing their immaturity and showing that they tended to panic when time was winding down. Realistically this year is probably nothing more than a speed bump for this perennial powerhouse, but with the re-emergence of Williams and the improvements of Hamilton it’s time for the Bantams to start watching their backs.

(6) 5. Hamilton (4-5)

I’m really torn about what to say here because I was fully prepared to write a rave review about this year’s Continental team until they totally blew it in their final game against Bates. If you’re up 21-0 in the first half against a team that has only won once in the last two years then there’s really no excuse not to close that one out. With that being said, there are still a ton of positive takeaways from this season for Hamilton. They were able to beat both Amherst and Tufts for the first time in a while and they battled with Trinity until the final whistle. The emergence of David Kagan ’20 as a legitimate threat out of the backfield was huge to ease the burden for QB Kenny Gray ’20 who has really carried this team for the last four years. They also benefitted from an experienced trio of receivers in Christian Donahoe ’20, Will Budington ’21, and Sam Robinson ’20, each of whom stepped up in big moments, particularly given that WR Joe Schmidt ’20 was battling injury. I also think kicker Sam Thoreen ’22 deserves recognition because this guy is truly the best kicker in the league – he was a perfect 10/10 on field goals and 23/25 on extra points, giving him 53 points on the year which trailed only Mason Von Jess ’23 of Wesleyan. Coach Murray has done an outstanding job with this program and they are absolutely headed in the right direction, but they lose a lot to graduation this year so now we’ll have to wait and see if they can continue this positive trend with a new generation of faces.

(4) 6. Amherst (4-5)

Much like the Bantams’ season, this one was a disappointment for the Mammoths. Their first losing season since 1993 is definitely tough to swallow, particularly when so many of their games were decided in the final minutes or even seconds. It sort of felt like they were losing steam every game – once they suffered their first loss in double overtime to Middlebury things really started to spiral out of control. They easily took down Bowdoin the following week but then blew an 11-point lead with 4 minutes left against Hamilton, lost in double overtime again, this time to Wesleyan, and were smacked in their final two games against Williams and Trinity to close out the year on a 4-game losing streak. It seems to me that we should have treated Amherst like we treated Wesleyan earlier in the year – they started the year with the easier portion of their schedule and took care of business, but struggled mightily against the top teams and at times seemed overmatched. This is pretty much what we expected the Cardinals to do, but instead they went the other direction and got better as the year went on, playing some of their best games late in the year and beating a few of the top teams. 

It’s clear that they really felt the losses of RB Jack Hickey and LB Andrew Yamin from last season because those guys were two of the best playmakers in the league. It felt like the Mammoths were lacking star power at times and that really showed; QB Ollie Eberth ’20 saw his interception totals balloon from just 1 last season to 13 this season. Thirteen!! That’s a ridiculous increase and it’s pretty much because he was only throwing to one guy. WR James O’Regan ’20 had twice as many touchdowns (8) as any other player on their roster and he had more than double the amount of receiving yards as the next most on the team. It’s hard to make things happen when defenses know exactly who you’re trying to get the ball to. This is definitely a season to forget for Amherst and they’ll lose their top two offensive players to graduation this year so it’ll be interesting to see who they bring in to replace these key pieces.

(7) 7. Tufts (4-5)

This was a really weird year for the Jumbos. It felt like every week a different team came to play. They felt the high of beating the defending champion Bantams in Week 1 and the low of getting blown out by Hamilton at home in Week 7. QB Jacob Carroll ’20 quietly led the league with 247 passing yards per game and was 2nd with 19 touchdown passes, but was sloppy with the ball at times and threw more interceptions than anyone in the league besides Eberth. QB Trevon Woodson ’23 looked excellent in his short stints as the backup, so it’s possible that they have a more than capable replacement waiting for next season. WR Frank Roche ’20 had an outstanding year as he led the league with over 100 receiving yards per game and was 2nd with 10 touchdowns, but they didn’t have many other receiving threats and the run game was essentially non-existant. LB Greg Holt ’20 led the league in tackles and will soon receive another All-NESCAC selection, but the defense was nothing special and forced the fewest turnovers of anyone besides Bowdoin. It seems like Coach Civetti is faced with a similar challenge to some of the other coaches in the league: his first generation of star players (i.e. Chance Brady, Ryan McDonald) have come and gone and now he has to continue the trend. All the pieces are in place to do that, but it’s hard to know what to expect from the Jumbos moving forward.

(9) 8. Bates (2-7)

Easily my most controversial* pick in the end-of-season rankings is putting Bates ahead of a Colby team that beat them head-to-head and finished with an identical record. It’s easy to forget, however, that the Bates-Colby game was all but won by the Bobcats when they scored a would-be game-winning touchdown in the final minutes before it ended up being nullified by one of those classic phantom holding flags that we’re all accustomed to in the NESCAC. It seemed like they only gained momentum from there because they destroyed Bowdoin the next week and successfully orchestrated a 21-point comeback against Hamilton in the final game to end up with a more respectable 2-7 record. Brendan Costa ’21 is probably the most underrated quarterback in the league and he showed towards the end of this year that not only can he run and throw at a high level, but he can lead crucial drives late with the game on the line. This type of thing only comes with experience and that’s something that Costa surely has now that he’s spent nearly 3 full years as the starter. The Bobcats also showed that they have some real offensive threats, although nearly all of them battled injuries this year. Christian Olivieri ’22, Jackson Hayes ’22, Sean Bryant ’22, and Mohamed Diawara ’23 are the core of a receiving unit that has seen some serious improvements and their committee of running backs headlined by Liam Spillane ’21, Jaason Lopez ’21, and Tyler Bridge ’23 looked competitive with the best of them in spurts. As evidenced by the plethora of underclassmen mentioned so far, Bates isn’t losing much to graduation this year. If they can add a few more pieces and pick up where they left off then this will be a very different Bobcat team in 2020.

*Yes, I do believe that the words “controversial” and “biased” can be used interchangeably.

(8) 9. Colby (2-7)

I’d say this ended up being a pretty standard season for Colby football. They were mildly competitive in some games, beat Bates and Colby, and gave Middlebury their biggest scare of the season. When the dust settled they found themselves the winners of the CBB for the second year in a row and because I anticipate hearing from someone how it’s ludicrous to put Bates ahead of Colby, I will address it – I was at the Bates-Colby game and to be blunt the Bobcats were the better team that day. Yeah they lost, but outplaying Colby and having the referees take away a win does not go unnoticed. The better team doesn’t always win in sports and that was the case here. The Bobcats went on to solidify this claim by taking down Hamilton (who obliterated the Mules in Week 3) in their final game.

At the end of the day, this was not a terrible season for Colby. Winning the CBB is still something to be proud of and QB Matt Hersch ’22 had himself a solid second season, averaging over 200 yards per game through the air. Chris George ’20 emerged as the replacement for Jake Schwern out of the backfield and he had a solid year, as did receivers Andrew DeFranco ’20 and Rory Glavin ’21. LB Marcus Bullard ’21 finished 3rd in the NESCAC in tackles, but other than him the defense was unremarkable. The Mules were 2nd to last in the league in sacks so the defense really wasn’t able to get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They were also 2nd to last in rushing yards allowed per game, so the front 4 will need to be a point of emphasis heading into next season. Colby has nothing to be ashamed of after this season, especially after nearly taking down the league champs in Week 5. Coach Cosgrove now has 2 consecutive 2-win seasons, so the bar is set. 3 is the magic number.

(10) 10. Bowdoin (0-9)

It can’t be fun to be a Bowdoin Polar Bear football fan. Last in the almost every statistical category on both sides of the ball in 2019, 1 win over the last 4 years, and a new coaching staff that has an uphill battle every step of the way. RB Nate Richam-Odoi ’20 was 2nd in the conference in rushing yards; though he was pretty much the only bright spot on the offensive side except for maybe RB Brendan Ward ’22 who had a team-high 4 touchdown catches. LB Joe Gowetski ’20 finished with 84 tackles on the year, which was good for 2nd in the NESCAC, but the same could be said for him as Richam-Odoi – they didn’t really have anyone else on defense who made an impact and Gowetski couldn’t do it all himself, so it was a very long year. Hopefully Coach Hammer has a good recruiting class lined up for next year because things are looking grim otherwise.

Last But Not Least: Weekend Preview 11/9

Bates (1-7) @ Hamilton (4-4), 12:00pm, Clinton, New York

Saturday will be a huge day in Clinton as the Continentals have a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time since the NESCAC football records begin in 2000. Hamilton fought valiantly last weekend against Middlebury, allowing just two scores to one of the conference’s most potent offences. The game was neck and neck throughout but Middlebury took a 14-7 lead by the end of the 1st quarter and rode that to the final whistle. Despite this tough loss, the way that Hamilton has separated themselves from the CBB teams, as well as beating more historically successful programs like Amherst and Tufts, has been extremely impressive. The Continentals have the opportunity to display that separation even more this weekend as they invite a 1-7 Bobcat’s team to upstate New York. Coming into the weekend Hamilton’s Senior RB David Kagan ’20 is tied for 2nd in the NESCAC with 8 rushing TDs, sitting just one short of the leader. Against a Bates defense who gives up over 30 points a game, it looks very possible that Kagan could finish the season leading the conference. While the narrative looks good for Hamilton, nothing is a given.

Bates enters this weekend on a high note after taking their first win of the season away from rival Bowdoin. For the first time this season the Bobcat defense dazzled, allowing only 5 points to Bowdoin while putting up a 30 spot on them. QB Brendan Costa ’21 had his season-high with 3 touchdown passes, with 2 of those going to WR Jackson Hayes ’22, his only 2 catches on the day. While Bates would certainly love to finish the season strong on a second win, they will also be watching the Colby vs. Bates game with keen interest as a Colby loss means a share of the CBB crown for all 3 teams. Hamilton will be a whole different animal from the Polar Bear defense that Bates faced last week, and that may be a rude awakening for them. Against Colby the Continentals were able to pick off Matt Hersch 3 times, and the task will not be any easier for Brendan Costa. This is not the Continental squad of the past and Bates will have to figure out how to adjust to that this weekend.

Picks:
HC: Hamilton 31, Bates 21
SS: Hamilton 38, Bates 23
CC: Hamilton 31, Bates 20
RM: Hamilton 31, Bates 23
MK: Hamilton 24, Bates 14

Writers’ Pick: Hamilton

Amherst (4-4) @ Williams (6-2), 12:00pm, Williamstown, Mass

Coming into the final week of the season Williams finds themselves unlucky to be eliminated from championship contention after a tough 27-21 loss at Wesleyan last weekend. The Ephs were able to bring a one score lead into the final minute of the 4th quarter but allowed a rushing TD with just 17 seconds remaining to force OT. Williams got the ball to start OT but a quick turnover on downs turned into a loss immediately as they allowed a Wesleyan score on their first offensive play of OT. Had that gone differently Williams would be sitting in 2nd instead of Wesleyan. For now though, the Ephs have the opportunity to improve their record to 7-2 and finish strong at home on senior day. Bobby Maimaron ’21 continues to lead the conference in touchdown passes with an insane 20:2 TD to INT ratio. These stats are possible only because of the help of WR Frank Stola ’21, who is 2nd in the conference in receiving yards/game (96) and conference-leader in receiving touchdowns with 12. This dynamic duo have been putting up huge numbers all season long and I wouldn’t expect it to slow down for their last home game of this campaign.

Amherst had a tough time last weekend as they hosted the Bantams, as they were able to rack up over 300 yards of total offense but that only translated to one score. Turnovers killed the Mammoths in the first half, with their first two drives ending in an interception and a fumble. They were able to reach the back of the end zone once in the first half, a 27 yard touchdown pass from Ollie Eberth ’20 to James O’Regan ’20, but that would be their only score as their second half drives ended in an unsuccessful combo of punts and turnover on downs. Their offense will certainly need to liven up this weekend if it wants a chance to compete with the Ephs, who average nearly 30 points a game. Eberth has been a solid quarterback this year but does not really separate himself as a top talent in the way that Trinity’s Seamus Lambert ’22 does with his efficiency or even as Bobby Maimaron ’21 does with his ability to find the back of the endzone. This team has played middle-of-the-pack football all year and that is evident in their record. It will take far more than business as usual for the Mammoths to come out on top and on Saturday we will see if Amherst is up for the challenge.

Picks:
HC: Williams 34, Amherst 17
SS: Williams 31, Amherst 10
CC: Williams 31, Amherst 17
RM: Williams 27, Amherst 10
MK: Williams 24, Amherst 13

Writers’ Pick: Williams

Wesleyan (7-1) @ Trinity (5-3), 12:00pm, Hartford, Conn

The Cardinals pulled out a shocker last weekend as a series of insane plays propelled Wesleyan past Williams to a 7-1 record and places them in a comfortable 2nd place position. Big plays were the name of the game and David Estevez ’22 was the name of the guy making the plays as he threw for a 52 yard touchdown pass, returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, rushed for a 2 yard touchdown to tie the game in the last seconds of the 4th quarter and finally rushed for a 25 yard touchdown with his first touch of the ball in overtime to win the game. It was a day to have a day for Estevez as he must’ve had a very sore back on Sunday. While the NESCAC crown is still out of reach, the Cardinals can aim to end the season on a high note by going into Hartford and handing the Bantams their first 4-loss season since 2001. 

It has been an up and down season for Trinity as they have shown us that they simply are not the same dominant Bantam squad of the past few seasons. A big loss to Williams must’ve been a low point for the Bantams, as they had not had their score nearly doubled in quite some time. QB Seamus Lambert ’22 continues to be an extremely bright spot for this team, leading the conference in completion percentage (63.1%), passing yards (1904), yards per attempt (11.3) and QB efficiency rating which is an insane 182.2. He is a level above most other quarterbacks in the NESCAC and that is what has kept them competitive this season but the team as a whole does not have the ridiculous depth that allowed them to dominate as they have in the past. This game will be a statement from Trinity as 6-3 looks very different from 5-4, especially if you are a prospective student-athlete. Is this a rebuilding year for the Bantams or simply a few unfortunate losses? It will be easier to answer that question on Sunday.

HC: Trinity 23, Wesleyan 21
SS: Trinity 28, Wesleyan 24
CC: Wesleyan 27, Trinity 20
RM: Trinity 20, Wesleyan 13
MK: Trinity 28, Wesleyan 20

Writers’ Pick: Trinity

Middlebury (8-0) @ Tufts (4-4), 12:00pm, Medford, Mass

The Panthers have already clinched this year’s title, but they have the opportunity to go out in style this weekend as they seek their first undefeated season in program history. Last week they held off a pesky Hamilton team in a 14-7 defensive battle for their final homestand. Midd’s pass rush continued to impress as their 4 sacks last weekend maintained their conference lead with 23 on the season. RB Alex Maldjian ’23 had yet another breakout game to lead the Panthers to victory, rushing for a season-high 145 yards and 2 touchdowns on a whopping 35 carries. Maldijan has been the workhorse that has propelled the Middlebury offense thus far, leading the conference in carries (177), rushing yards (769) and rushing touchdowns (9). QB Will Jernigan ’21 and his receiving core have helped take the pressure off of Maldijan, allowing him to put up these outstanding statistics. Along with having a defense that has been nothing if not consistent this season, the stage is all set for Middlebury to complete the perfect season and a Jumbo squad who has certainly seen better days may be their final victim. 

This season has been up and down for Tufts but overall falls far below the standard that Jumbos fans are used to seeing. A loss to Hamilton must have been a real sting to the ego a few weeks ago but Tufts was able to save face and cruise to victory against a Colby team that simply wasn’t up to the challenge. RB Mike Pedrini ’21 showed signs of life in the first drive of the game, cutting through the Colby defense like butter for the first 70 yards of the game and a touchdown. The offensive attacked cooled off for the rest of the first half, with the exception of a 100 yard kickoff return, but the Mule offense was nowhere to be seen either. The second half was all about the passing game as Jacob Carroll ’20 and Frank Roche ’20 found the back of the end zone on 3 different occasions to give Tufts a comfortable victory. This storyline is much more reminiscent of Tufts teams of the past and should give Jumbo fans hope that there are great pieces to build on for the future. For now though Tufts faces their toughest challenge to date and it seems unlikely, based on their inconsistency, that they will rise up to it.

HC: Middlebury 29, Tufts 17
SS: Middlebury 24, Tufts 13
CC: Middlebury 35, Tufts 20
RM: Middlebury 24, Tufts 14
MK: Middlebury 20, Tufts 14

Writers’ Pick: Middlebury

Colby (1-7) @ Bowdoin (0-8), 4:30pm, Brunswick, ME

It’s all on the line for Coach Cosgrove and the Mules this weekend as he looks to maintain his perfect CBB winning percentage. Last week was another tough one for Colby, getting run all over in the first half and then being torn up by QB Jacob Carroll ’20 and WR Frank Roche ’20 in the second half. A few forced fumbles and an impressive touchdown pass from QB Matt Hersch ’22 to former QB turned wide receiver Jack O’Brien ’20 were small victories but otherwise it was a game to put behind them before this weekend. The Mules have to go into this game with all the confidence in the world after seeing the way that Bates took care of the Polar Bears with ease. On paper, everything seems to be in their favor, but with CBB games the beauty is that you never know for sure.

It has been a tough season for Bowdoin and their woes continued last week as they were handed another lopsided loss by rival Bates. This game really went to show how far behind the rest of the NESCAC Bowdoin is compared to even the other CBB teams. Bates and Colby has both put up some respectable performances this season despite losing every game, with the exception of Colby over Bates, while Bates has shown lifelessness without fail. It is hard for me to believe that anything can change this narrative and that the Polar Bears can magically pull it together for this last game of the season. They have one more shot left at redemption this Saturday night, under the lights, at home, on senior day, against a CBB rival. If that does not give them enough to put up a fight than nothing will.

Picks:
HC: Colby 27, Bowdoin 13
SS: Colby 24, Bowdoin 10
CC: Colby 28, Bowdoin 10
RM: Colby 31, Bowdoin 10
MK: Colby 31, Bowdoin 7

Writers’ Pick: Colby

Trudging On: Week 7 Power Rankings

(1) 1. Middlebury

While Middlebury did not handle Bowdoin last Saturday as well as a lot of other teams have, they had a strong offensive effort and they remain the league’s only undefeated team. That is sufficient to keep them atop our rankings. The score may make the game seem closer than it was, but the Panthers were ahead 41-7 until Bowdoin put up 22 points in the fourth quarter. This may have been the fault of Middlebury’s backups, but either way the defense cannot be giving up 22 point quarters if Midd wants to go undefeated. The Panthers got it done on the ground again with 95 yards and 2 scores from RB Alex Maldjian ’23, and 53 yards with 2 more scores for QB Will Jernigan ’21. Jernigan now has seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 14 more in the air and deserves a lot of the credit for Middlebury’s success this year. Middlebury has had a few close calls, but their offense has played well enough lately to give their defense some room for error. While the title is theirs to lose, Middlebury still has to do their job and they will have their hands full this week against a Hamilton team that is having its best season in a long time. 

(2) 2. Williams 

The Ephs picked up a huge win in Hartford last weekend, handing Trinity their first home loss in 20 games. There are individual players to recognize for the team’s strong performance, but this was mainly a masterful coaching performance by Mark Raymond. He knew Frank Stola ’21 was going to get smothered and he did, which opened the door for Dan Vaughn ’22 to rush for 123 yards against the league’s top run defense, and for two other receivers to combine for three TD receptions. Not many teams win when their QB completes only 6 of 20 passes, but Williams has such a dominant run attack and defense that they were able to make up for this. Don’t forget that this is a team that went 0-8 in 2016-17. Defensively, Raymond again did his homework, as they attacked a reeling offensive line and sacked QB Seamus Lambert ’22 six times while holding the Bantams to a criminally low 42 rushing yards. I debated putting Williams at 1 because I think they have played better than Middlebury lately, but they still have an uphill battle for the championship. Raymond will need to win the chess match again this week as Williams pays Wesleyan a visit in a matchup of 6-1 teams. 

(5) 3. Wesleyan 

The Cardinals bounced back from getting smoked by Middlebury and won a double-OT battle with Amherst. Amherst won this Little Three battle last year, so it was a huge win for the Cardinals. This team should be in championship contention for the next few years because their sophomores have already given them lots of production. Ashton Scott ‘22 had one of his best games yet, tossing for 282 yards and 3 scores. Classmates Matthew Simco ’22 and Danny Banks ’22 were OPOTW and DPOTW. The Cardinals have erased many of the doubts we had about them after they breezed through the soft part of their schedule earlier in the season, but unfortunately they’ll still need Middlebury to lose to have any shot at the title. The Cardinals will have two dogfights in their next two games with Williams and Trinity, but they have proven that they can win close games. In addition, their sophomores are looking like the core of the team, which will bode very well for the coming years.

(4) 4. Amherst 

Like Trinity, Amherst is a team with perennial success and high expectations that has seen this season spiral out of hand. As Cam outlined in this week’s stock report, Amherst has had their season marred by their inability to close out tight games. They have lost three games by three points, and two have gone to double overtime. Whether it be due to blown leads or turnovers, Amherst just has not been able to perform in the clutch and both their offensive and defensive units have regressed back to the middle of the pack after being extremely solid the last few seasons. They’ll need QB Ollie Eberth ’20 to be better than his 3 interceptions last week, and they’ll also need a running game to emerge quickly- Eberth cannot be the leading rusher every week. It’s clear that the loss of some of their studs from last year (Jack Hickey, Andrew Yamin) is still being felt. While it’s great to see more parity and competitiveness across the league this season, some teams have to pay the price for that, and this year those teams appear to be perennial bullies Amherst and Trinity. They host Trinity this week in what is effectively a 4th place game, and while the Bantams were not impressive last week either, it’s hard to feel good right now about the Mammoths’ chances in a tight game. 

(3) 5. Trinity 

Trinity continued its humbling season with its first home loss in 20 tries against Williams. Offensive line and special teams play were areas of concern, but the main issue was the coaches’ inability to adjust to what Williams was giving them. Tijani Harris ’22 is a talented back and has had a strong season, but running him off tackle out of the shotgun over and over again right into the teeth of Williams’ linebackers is not going to fool anyone. Trinity has to learn to adjust to what other teams give them and not just keep hammering the same few plays that have won them games in past seasons. Their inability to protect Seamus Lambert ’22 hurt their talented receivers’ ability to make plays. Defensively, Trinity was successful in shutting down Frank Stola ’21, but Williams was able to adjust and ride their run game to victory while taking shots downfield at the right times. Losing seasons are just not something that happens in Hartford, and that should be motivation enough for Trinity to grind out a win in one of its next two games. However, they have two tough opponents in Amherst and Wesleyan. The Bantams have the right guys on both sides of the ball to win these games, but they need to give Lambert more time to find his receivers and show a little bit more creativity in their play calling if they want to bounce back. 

(7) 6. Hamilton 

Just a few weeks ago, Hamilton was 2-3 and seemed destined for the 7 spot in the standings that they have gotten pretty used to with in recent years. Since then, the Continentals have taken down Amherst and Tufts and with Bates and Middlebury left on the schedule, there’s a strong chance that they’ll end up with their first winning season since 1996. This is a testament to coach David Murray. No matter the score or situation, his guys always play hard and their efforts are finally starting to pay off. If Middlebury coach Bob Ritter does not win Coach of the Year, Murray has to be the next guy in the conversation. We are finally seeing Kenny Gray ‘20 perform to his ability; last week at Tufts he completed 21 passes for 236 yards and 3 TDs. Hamilton also has two proven runners in Joe Park ’22 and David Kagan ’20. Middlebury’s defense has not been stellar lately, so the way Hamilton’s offense is playing should absolutely be a cause for concern. Given that Middlebury barely squeaked by Colby and allowed Bowdoin to go off in the fourth quarter last week, I think their game against Hamilton this week should be a tight one. 

(6) 7. Tufts 

It may surprise you to hear that Tufts currently leads the league in passing yards per game, thanks in large part to QB Jacob Carroll ’20. Unfortunately, their run game has not been able to match this production, which is a big reason why Tufts really has not had any impressive wins since Week 1 against Trinity. The defense shows up when it wants to- they only allowed 8 points to Trinity and shut out Bowdoin, but gave up 36 to Hamilton last week and 33 to Bates earlier this month. With talented guys on the unit like LB Greg Holt ’20 (74 total tackles this season to lead the league) and Jovan Nenadovic ’22, there’s no excuse for this type of inconsistency. At this point, I would contend that Tufts has the lowest ceiling of any non-CBB team, and I feel more confident in Hamilton’s chances when it comes to taking down Middlebury in the next two weeks. 

(8) 8. Colby 

Don’t let the Mules get hot! It took seven weeks, but we finally saw a Maine team break through into the win column last week as Colby got an edge in the CBB race with a thrilling win over Bates. The hosts raced out to an early 23-0 lead at halftime and appeared to have the game in command before Bates stormed back and scored a 2 point conversion to make it 23-20 early in the fourth. Colby showed a balanced offense with QB Matt Hersch ’22 completing 15 passes for 206 yards and no picks, as well as RB Devin Marrocco ’22 accounting for three scores. Defensively, Colby bent but didn’t break in the second half. LB Marcus Bullard ’21 has been a standout and is second in the league at 10.4 tackles per game. While many expected Colby to take a step forward in the win column this season, they have hung with good teams (Amherst, Middlebury) and Coach Cosgrove has not had his own recruiting classes on the field yet. Cosgrove is one of the best coaches you’ll find in the state of Maine and has proven himself at the D1 level. Combine this with a good young quarterback and the new athletic facility being built next year, and Colby should be in good shape to make progress in the next few seasons. This week, they host a disappointing Tufts team and have a good chance to set themselves up for a three-game winning streak to end the season. 

(9) 9. Bates 

The Bobcats came close to snapping a fat 17 game losing streak at Colby last weekend, but unfortunately their second half rally ran out of steam. The Cats have at least gotten some production from QB Brendan Costa ’21 lately; he threw for 268 yards and two TDs last weekend. It seems that Bates is trying to run an offense that does not suit their strengths, which has hindered their ability to win games…although it’s hard to tell what these strengths actually are. The Bobcats converted more than half of their first downs and won time of possession, but had their efforts marred by 10 penalties. These guys deserve a lot of credit for not giving up in unfortunate circumstances, but they’re running out of chances to prove they can compete. Like Coach Cosgrove, Bates coach Malik Hall has not had his own recruiting classes completely on the field yet so maybe it’s too early to fully evaluate him. At the same time, though, people in Lewiston can’t be happy with the lack of progress made on his watch. His seat continues to get hotter, so we’ll see if Bates can manage to dodge another winless season with a win against Bowdoin or Hamilton in their final two. 

(10) 10. Bowdoin

At first glance, it looks like Bowdoin actually put up a decent fight in their game against Middlebury last weekend (47-29). However, the fact remains that they were down 41-7 at the end of the third quarter and likely had their way with Middlebury’s bench players. Sorry Bowdoin fans, but NBN is committed to unbiased reporting and we did not want to suggest that Midd’s performance was any less dominant than it was. That being said, Bowdoin’s offense was better in that fourth quarter than it was in several of their games this season. RB Nate Richam ’20 continued his strong case for All-NESCAC with 105 yards and another TD. QB Austin McCrum ’21, who has bore the brunt of our criticism for the better part of this season, actually had a solid game- 146 yards and two TDs with no picks. McCrum is a D1 transfer and has another year of eligibility, so hopefully he can turn it around next season and have more of these strong games. Luckily for Bowdoin and first-year coach BJ Hammer, they know they can compete in their next two CBB games, and despite their winless record they will have a chance to earn bragging rights within the vast state of Maine. 

Everything on the Line: Middlebury vs. Wesleyan Game of the Week Preview

Heading into the weekend, there are two undefeated teams remaining in the NESCAC this year. But that number will be reduced to just one after 5-0 Wesleyan takes on 5-0 Middlebury in Vermont this Saturday. For Wesleyan, a win keeps their undefeated season alive, and moves them into first place in the league, but they will be far from the favorites with Williams, Amherst, and Trinity looming in their final three games. For Middlebury, a win takes your chances of winning the league from like 95% to 99%. They would have to lose two out of three to Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Tufts. A loss would mean they no longer controlled their own destiny, but they would certainly still be title favorites. Regardless, there is a lot to be decided once the ball is kicked off.

Key #1 for Middlebury: Get Healthy

In Middlebury’s narrow escape of Colby last week, they were without First Team TE Frank Cosolito ’20, Second Team OL Kevin Woodring ’20, and lost top rusher and ROY frontrunner RB Alex Maldjian ’23 early in the game to a lower body injury. Needless to say, these three are huge pieces for the Panther offense—the best TE in the league, their most experienced lineman, and the man who has been arguably the best running back in the league this year as well. I’m told Cosolito and Maldjian are good to go for Saturday, with no word on Woodring. As is, this offense is not overwhelmingly talented—they are going to need their best players at as close to 100% as possible.

Key #2 for Middlebury: Win the Turnover Battle

It’s hard to believe that despite being 5-0, Middlebury has won the turnover battle in just 1 of their first 5 games—when they picked off Seamus Lambert 4 times in their win over Trinity. They are a -2 on the year in turnover margin—throwing 6 interceptions and fumbling 7 times, while intercepting 9 passes and recovering 2 fumbles. Jernigan alone has fumbled 7 times and lost 5 of them, an issue that could be further exacerbated if Maldjian is unable to shoulder the rushing load. To continue to lose the turnover battle and beat the teams they’ve beat is almost impossible and at some point, you have to wonder if it will catch up to them.  Wesleyan, on the other hand, has dominated turnover margin, a league leading +9, in addition to a league leading 16 sacks, this defense creates havoc all over the field. Middlebury has the talent advantage in this game but it’s not great enough that they can continue to give the other team extra possessions.

Key #1 for Wesleyan: Get Ahead Early

Against the perceived favorite and on the road, this is absolutely crucial. This has been the blueprint against Middlebury all year, it just hasn’t come much to fruition, clearly. Colby gave it the best bid last week when they went up 13-0, but Middlebury responded with 27 unanswered points. Will Jernigan ’21 has greatly improved as a passer, but he is still at his best when he has his full menu of options available—being put in situations where he can run or pass. He will not be able to beat Wesleyan with his arm, they have too many playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. For Wesleyan, they did a poor job of this last week, allowing Tufts to score the only 10 points of the first half before waking up at halftime. They will not have that same luxury against Middlebury. If the Cardinals can score first and hold any sort of a lead for the first half, Middlebury will not be able to run the ball nearly as much as they would like. On the flip side, if Midd strikes first and is able to control the game, it will spell trouble for Wesleyan.

Key #2 for Wesleyan: Let Ashton Scott Loose

Wesleyan’s sophomore standout QB has been reflective of their team as a whole so far through these first five weeks—he’s performed incredibly well, as has his team, but there is still so much we don’t know about him/them due to their weak schedule. Scott is 2nd in the league in completion percentage at 62.9%, tied for 1st with 13 passing TDs, and 3rd in the league in yards per attempt with 8.0, while also being tied for 1st with just 2 interceptions. He has shown the ability to make plays with his feet as well, 10th in the league with 50.2 rushing yards per game, which is tied for 3rd amongst all QBs. The coaching staff has been careful not to ask him to do too much as they have wisely and effectively allowed him to grow into his role, but at this point in the season, he is his team’s most talented offensive player. They have to take the training wheels off and let him win, or lose, this game. 

Everything Else:

This is such a fascinating game for so many reasons. Stylistically, we’ve already highlighted how the turnovers could cause serious problems for Middlebury, but also how they keep winning in spite of them. Wesleyan will come into this game probably has confident as they have been all year, following an under the lights thriller in their first real test of the season against Tufts, won on a 29-yard connection between Scott and WR Matthew Simco ’22 with just 6 seconds left. Middlebury knows they dodged a serious bullet last week between a blocked PAT that would have tied the game with 7 minutes left, and obviously what would have been the game winning FG from 37 yards with 20 seconds left. This could be, in the long run, the best thing to have happened to Middlebury—a wake-up call. Will we see them come out more motivated to correct their mistakes from last week, or will another poor performance build on itself? When it comes to picking a winner, there are so many unknowns, but I know more about this Middlebury team than I do about Wesleyan. No one has won more big games than Will Jernigan this year. Every single week he and this team find a way, and I think they will find a way again.

Prediction: Middlebury 24, Wesleyan 17

It’s Only Getting Better: Weekend Preview 10/12

Before we get down to it I just wanted to update everyone on the current standings for our writers picking the winners of every game. We’ve been fairly successful, although we still haven’t quite reached the exciting part of the year. Ryan is still the only one to have correctly predicted the final score of any game, as he picked Amherst 27-13 over Bates in Week 1. There’s still a lot of football left to play so we’ve got plenty more to come, but this is where we’re at as of now:

Matt Karpowicz: 16-4
Haven Cutko: 16-4
Ryan Moralejo: 16-4
Cameron Carlson: 15-5
Spencer Smead: 14-6

Colby @ Middlebury, 1pm, Middlebury, VT

This weekend’s slate of games does not offer a ton of intrigue, and it doesn’t help that it includes this matchup of the hottest team in the league playing probably the coldest. Colby was the one CBB team to not finish within a touchdown of their opponent last week in a shutout loss against Williams. Colby’s defense, led by LB Marcus Bullard ’21 who is second in the league in tackles, actually held up pretty well. Only Middlebury has held the Ephs offense to fewer points this season and they forced Maimaron and company to go 2 of 9 on third down. Unfortunately, the offense could not reward their defense’s commendable play and failed to cash in on an advantage in time of possession. The Mules did not turn the ball over, but punted five times and missed two field goals. That’s just extremely uninspiring football. They will need to do better than 237 yards of total offense and especially focus on converting third downs if they expect to have a chance against a strong Middlebury defense. 

The strange thing about Midd’s wild win over Amherst last week was that both teams had clear opportunities deep in enemy territory to just kick a field goal and win, but neither of them could do it. Middlebury is obviously happy being undefeated no matter how they get there, but they have to be thankful that a traditionally-executing Amherst team decided to outdo Midd’s late game miscues with one of their own and help hand the Panthers the win. Middlebury has gotten by this year with strong all-around play more than big names, but RB Alex Maldijan ’23 deserves recognition for coming in as a freshman and putting up 125 yards and 2 TDs in the biggest game of his college career. He currently leads the NESCAC in rushing and will be a big part of Midd’s success for the next few years. Expect him to continue his success against a run defense that allowed 227 yards on the ground last weekend. QB Will Jernigan ’21 has also enjoyed a nice season so far; he made up for a big interception in the first overtime last week by leading the game winning TD drive in the second. Unless the Colby offense wakes up in Vermont on Saturday, don’t expect a close one.

SS: Middlebury 31, Colby 6 
HC: Middlebury 28, Colby 10 
MK: Middlebury 28, Colby 14
CC: Middlebury 35, Colby 10
RM: Middlebury 33, Colby 10

Writers’ Pick: Middlebury

Trinity @ Bates, 1pm, Lewiston, ME

Expect Bates to come out fired up for this one. They’re in the dirty Lew coming off their best offensive performance of the season in a close loss to Tufts, who allowed 20 fewer points to Trinity in week one than they did to the Bobcats. We finally got to see what QB Brendan Costa ’21 can do, as he completed 19 of 28 passes with a touchdown and also ran for 62 yards on the ground. RB Christian Sanfilippo ’21 made the most of his carries, getting 6 for 11 yards…with three touchdowns. Props to Christian, because you’d be hard pressed to find a league where the guy second in rushing touchdowns is 36th in yards. Fullback numbers at their finest! We will see if Bates’ performance is a fluke when they meet a Bantam defense allowing the fewest yards per game in the league. Trinity is also the only team to allow fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground, led by their strong linebacker unit of Sean Smerczynski ‘20, Brian Casagrande ‘22, and Daniel Negron ‘20. Look for guys like DE Jimmy Christiano ‘21 and S Matt McCarthy ‘21 to be making plays on Saturday as they have all season. 

It doesn’t make a lot of sense that Trinity is only 2-2 given that they have dominated in many of the game’s biggest statistics as always. QB Seamus Lambert ‘22 leads the league in passing yards and is tied for the lead in touchdowns, showing that this offense is still as potent as any. On top of that, the Bantams still top the NESCAC in points and yards per game. Bates is also last in pass defense, and that doesn’t bode well coming into a matchup with the best receiving corps in the league. So while Bates may feel like they have a better chance than usual to beat Trinity for the first time since 1975, these cats need to understand that Trinity has been a few turnovers and penalties away from leading the pack as they almost always do. In addition, it’s looking like Trinity’s sophomores are forming the core of the team. Lambert, Casagrande, Devante Reid ’22, and others have a lot of football ahead of them, so don’t expect the Bantams to fall off very far from their usual dominance. Bates has reason to be feeling good about this weekend, but they just haven’t been consistent enough for this to be the year they snap the streak.

SS: Trinity 28, Bates 13
HC: Trinity 35, Bates 13
MK: Trinity 48, Bates 10
CC: Trinity 52, Bates 6
RM: Trinity 44, Bates 16

Writers’ Pick: Trinity

Bowdoin @ Amherst, 1pm, Amherst, MA 

We’re still in the middle part of the season before the best teams and the worst teams start to play each other, and that leaves us with ho-hum matchups like this one. Both teams are coming off games in which a win was very much within reach. Amherst had a late lead and then squandered opportunities in crunch time to beat Middlebury in a classic, while Bowdoin opened some eyes by coming within a touchdown of undefeated Wesleyan. Polar Bears RB Nate Richam-Odoi ‘20 once again carried the offense, accounting for 177 of the team’s 282 total yards. He will need to have a similarly huge performance if Bowdoin wants to have any chance in this game. On the other hand, QB Austin McCrum ’21 has yet to really get going this season and that has really limited Bowdoin’s offensive capability. Amherst’s defense is likely going to focus on stuffing the talented Richam-Odoi, so McCrum should have some opportunities to connect with guys like Greg Olson ‘21 and Bo Millett ‘21 against a pass defense that’s surprisingly second to last in the league. Unfortunately for Bowdoin, their defense may have an even taller task this weekend as the unit that allows the most yards per game will need to figure out how to stop the lethal combo of Ollie Eberth and James O’Regan. 

Amherst has not been a terribly exciting team this season and they err more towards the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, but they make up for it by playing relatively mistake-free football. They are always disciplined and well-coached, so it was surprising to see them let the biggest game of the season slip away as they did last weekend. Nonetheless, we cannot ignore that they were that close to beating the championship front runner, so we have to assume that they will come out firing on their home turf and let Eberth go to work behind a traditionally strong O-line. DL Joe Kelly ’21 has stepped up and done a great job filling the void left by Andrew Yamin; he currently leads the league in solo tackles and sacks. He will help control Richam-Odoi and force Bowdoin to engage their pass game a bit more. I think Bowdoin’s close game last week exposed Wesleyan’s weaknesses more than it did Bowdoin’s strengths. Expect the Mammoths to get back on track at home.

SS: Amherst 28, Bowdoin 10
HC: Amherst 27, Bowdoin 7 
MK: Amherst 41, Bowdoin 6 
CC: Amherst 35, Bowdoin 6
RM: Amherst 27, Bowdoin 7

Writers’ Pick: Amherst

Hamilton @ Williams, 2pm, Williamstown, MA

Williams has looked sharp since their opening week loss at Middlebury, winning the first three games of a five-game stretch in which they are home four times. It’s too bad that they don’t get another crack at Middlebury, because this is a team with the talent to run the table and definitely the chance to beat the Panthers in a future matchup. Alas, all the Ephs can do is take care of business and hope Midd falters. This week they face a Hamilton team that definitely looks improved, but still in their own tier above the CBB teams and below the teams competing for a title every year. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Hamilton did keep up with Trinity on the scoreboard until late, but Kenny Gray ’20 completed fewer than half his passes and RB David Kagan ’20 fell way off from his usual production this season and only managed 18 yards on 14 carries. That’s not going to get it done against the league’s top scoring defense. Given that Hamilton only managed 10 points against Wesleyan and that Williams shut out Colby last week, it’s hard to feel good about their offense on Saturday unless WR Joe Schmidt ’20 comes back and puts up big numbers. 

Williams’ offense did not have one of their better weeks last week, but you can’t blame Coach Raymond for once again taking a run-heavy approach a week after they totaled nearly 400 yards on the ground the week before. They wore Colby down with RBs Dan Vaughn ’22 and Joel Nicholas ’23 each getting 13 carries and averaging 8.5 and 7.1 yards on each carry, respectively. This offensive strategy has gotten Williams wins so far and it keeps Bobby Maimaron safe. Additionally, establishing the run game will open up holes for WR Frank Stola, who is in the OPOY running and leads the NESCAC in receiving yards and touchdowns. While Hamilton looks to be more competitive with non-CBB opponents thus far, their offense has not shown enough promise for anyone to feel good about their prospects against an Ephs defense allowing only 8.8 points per game. Williams has made a habit of finishing in the top 3 without a ring lately, and this season could be looking like more of the same. They could make a great case for the NESCAC to offer postseason play, but that’s a discussion for another day. 

SS: Williams 35, Hamilton 27
HC: Williams 31, Hamilton 10
MK: Williams 31, Hamilton 14 
CC: Williams 31, Hamilton 14
RM: Williams 37, Hamilton 20

Writers’ Pick: Williams

Tufts @ Wesleyan, 6pm, Middletown, CT

It’s fitting that the rare NESCAC night game is also our Game of the Week. The excitement of this game stems from the fact that includes probably the league’s two most perplexing teams thus far. Tufts has been wildly inconsistent, beating Trinity and playing Amherst close but also getting smoked by Williams and barely holding off a late game rally by Bates last weekend. Wesleyan is 4-0, but they have only played the league’s four worst teams and they did not do themselves any favors by only beating Bowdoin by a touchdown (the game was tied with 6 minutes left). That makes this game a tough one to pick- we don’t yet know what the result is when Wesleyan plays a good game against a good team. Another offensive weapon did emerge for the Cardinals, as RB Glenn Smith ’21 scampered for 108 yards and a big touchdown on a day where the talented young QB Ashton Scott ’22 did not have his best day. It’s yet to be determined whether or not kicker Mason Von Jess ’23 will be the next Eric Sachse or Steven Hauschka, but he has been a major special teams asset so far and his kicking ability could end up being a deciding factor in this game. 

Tufts’ offense needed to wake up at some point, and Bates’ horrid defense was their alarm clock. Coach Civetti made himself look like a genius with his two-QB offensive approach. Jacob Carroll ‘20 had a strong game with 223 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevon Woodson ’23 was a sharp 5-6 with another touchdown while also averaging 6.3 yards a carry on the ground. Implementing multiple quarterbacks frequently is a strategy prone to scrutinization, so we’ll see if that will be a pattern continuing this week or if Civetti felt he could experiment a little bit against lowly Bates. Wesleyan is not a defense you want to mess around against, especially with DL Taj Gooden ’21 back in the lineup. This is our Game of the Week so we will have additional coverage, but it should be a good one and everyone else in the league will have finished their games and be able to watch Wesleyan try to keep pace with Middlebury in the race for the title.

SS: Tufts 21, Wesleyan 20
HC: Wesleyan 28, Tufts 21 
MK: Wesleyan 24, Tufts 17
CC: Wesleyan 28, Tufts 14 
RM: Wesleyan 27, Tufts 16

Writers’ Pick: Wesleyan

Middlebury, Vermont – Title Town?: Stock Report 10/9

Unless you live under a rock you probably heard something about the epic, double-overtime Middlebury-Amherst game on Saturday. Fortunately for those of you that do live under a rock, I’m going to talk a little bit more about it. This football game was an absolute classic. The Panthers raced out to a 21-0 lead before the end of the first quarter and when I saw that I thought it was going to get ugly in a hurry. Apparently I forgot that the Mammoths don’t fold because before I knew it Amherst held a 28-21 lead and had possession of the ball with 10 minutes left to play. This is when the game really started to live up to the hype (much of which was created by us). The Middlebury defense forced a 3 and out and just a few plays into the subsequent drive, Will Jernigan ’21 connected with Greg Livingston ’20 for a 54 yard touchdown to even things up with 6 minutes left.

After the Mammoths couldn’t get anything going on the other end, Jernigan orchestrated a 9-play, 2 and a half-minute drive to put the Panthers on the Amherst 10-yard line with 33 seconds left to play. You’d think that with the game tied at this point Middlebury would run the ball a few times and then kick a field goal as time expired – particularly because their running back, Alex Maldjian ’23, was having a career day. Instead, the Panthers went with the Pete Carroll strategy from Super Bowl XLIX and they passed the ball. Those up in Vermont must not have remembered how that worked out for the Seahawks, because Jernigan had his next pass picked off by John Ballard ’20 at the goal line to send it to overtime.

Middlebury received the ball first in overtime looking to redeem themselves and Jernigan was intercepted, again, on the second play of the drive. This put Amherst in essentially the same position that the Panthers were in at the very end of the game – you’re already in field goal range, so just be careful with the ball for a few plays then kick a field goal and go home. If only it were that easy. On a 3rd and 10 play, Eberth took a shot towards the end zone and was picked off by Finn Muldoon ’23, sending the game into double overtime. Absolutely bananas.

This time the Mammoths got the ball first and didn’t put much together, but they were finally able to kick that elusive field goal to take a 31-28 lead. On 3rd and 5 from the Amherst 20, Jernigan found Maxwell Rye ’20 for a 7-yard completion and a first down, avoiding kicking a field goal to force a third overtime. The Amherst defense stayed tough and forced another 3rd and long, but Jernigan made a big-time play and found Maxwell Rye ’20 again, this time in the end zone to secure the win (and potentially a NESCAC Championship) for the Panthers.

I know it’s easy to find out everything you just read by looking at the box scores and reading the recaps from each team’s website, but those don’t give you the human element. This was the type of game that every player on both of these teams will remember forever. This was historically two of the best teams in the NESCAC battling it out like great teams do for the right to take home a trophy. That’s the type of game this was; it felt like a championship game. NESCAC sports are special because of games like this one and, as you’ll read more about below, it likely will be the championship game barring an unexpected collapse by the Panthers.

Stock up

Middlebury’s Title Chances

No reason to wait around here – the Panthers have put themselves in the driver’s seat for the NESCAC Championship. They’ve now taken down Trinity, Williams, and Amherst who are three of the top four other teams in the league. This means that even if they lose a game they still hold the tiebreaker over each of these squads and that is absolutely huge. The most obvious challenger is undefeated Wesleyan, but keep in mind that Wesleyan’s four wins have come against Colby, Hamilton, Bates, and Bowdoin so they literally have to play the five best teams in the conference over their last five games. Now I’m not saying that the Cardinals aren’t going to win all five, but they ha– actually I am saying that they aren’t going to win all five. In fact, I’d be surprised if they even won three. The league is Middlebury’s to lose at this point so stay tuned to find out if they pull an ’04 Yankees on us.

League Entertainment Value

Looking at the slate of games heading into this weekend, it didn’t look like we were in for very much excitement. Aside from Amherst-Middlebury every game featured a team traditionally found at the top half of the league versus a team traditionally at the bottom. I’ll be honest, I was expecting several blowouts. I was very happy to find out that I was wrong, because every game besides Williams-Colby ended up as one-score games in the fourth quarter with the trailing team possessing the ball. Bates, Hamilton, and Bowdoin all had chances to lead game winning or game-tying drives against Tufts, Trinity, and Wesleyan, respectively. At the end of the day these games were all won by the favorites, but if we’re going to have such blatant imbalances in the standings then at least it’s nice to have that little bit of hope that the underdog might win, right? If nothing else it keeps fans in the stands until the end of the game… 

Bates Offense

Likely the biggest surprise of the weekend came from the Bobcat offense who came into the league last in most statistical categories. It also didn’t seem favorable that they were matched up against the Jumbo defense that had only allowed 8 points to the NESCAC’s top scoring offense. Apparently this didn’t faze the young Bates offense, because they came out firing. Brendan Costa ’21 was throwing the ball all over the field, connecting with 7 different receivers en route to his first 200-yard game of the season. Their goal line touches were dominated by fantasy vulture Christian Sanfilippo ’21, who had 6 carries for 11 yards and 3 touchdowns. Talk about getting your 19 fantasy points the hard way. This was the first time all year that Bates looked like they could really put solid drives together using both the run and the pass, which is a serious improvement. They had to go 88 yards in 90 seconds to cap off a 19-point comeback and were ultimately unsuccessful, but this looked like a completely different unit on Saturday. We’ll see if the improvements are enough to take down the Trinity Bantams for the first time since 1979.

Stock down

Bantam Dynasty

I’ll be honest I’ve been really excited to write this stock down for a while now, but I wanted to wait until it was the right time. Now feels like a good enough time for me. Trinity is still one of the best teams in the league, so this speaks more to how good they have been over the last three years than to their struggles this season. Prior to this season this year’s senior class had a 24-2 career record with three NESCAC Championships. That’s dominant. Through four games this season they already have two losses and really haven’t looked like the same team at all. They did what they should have done against Bowdoin, but their showing against a much weaker Hamilton team was not the Bantam football that we’re accustomed to seeing. Again, I don’t mean to say that we won’t see another NESCAC Championship trophy make its way to Hartford in the near future, but the time has come that we can officially say that Trinity is not the best team in the conference. They won’t win the conference championship this year and their ridiculous run, for now, is over. Finally it’s someone else’s turn.

Amherst Offense

If Middlebury had lost to Amherst, they probably would’ve found themselves in the stock down category as well. The Mammoths should have won that game for a number of different reasons, the most obvious of which is the fact that they had the ball on Middlebury’s 25-yard line in overtime, only needing a field goal to win it. Are you kidding me? Granted Middlebury blew it at the end of regulation, but shouldn’t that have taught them how to handle the exact same situation less than 20 minutes later? I don’t want to put the whole thing on QB Ollie Eberth ’20, but throwing 4 picks certainly isn’t the way I would go about winning a championship. Including overtime, the Mammoths possessed the ball for 50 minutes, compared to just 25 for Middlebury. Let that sink in. Amherst had the ball for twice as long as the Panthers and still lost. All the Mammoths can do now is focus on the next game and hope things fall their way. It’s an uphill battle from here. 

A Lot on the Line: Middlebury vs. Amherst Game of the Week Preview

This is a really interesting game because even this early in the season there’s a real chance that this ends up deciding the NESCAC Championship. Middlebury has already beaten Trinity and Williams; two of the three teams that I thought had the best title chances coming into the season (Amherst being the third). They still have to play Wesleyan who has looked very good, but aside from them it’s Hamilton, Bowdoin, Colby, and Tufts who hasn’t looked all that great either. Amherst still has the bulk of their schedule remaining but Amherst is Amherst and I’ll be damned if I rule out the Mammoths. There’s a lot to be said about this game, so let’s get down to it.

Key #1 for Middlebury: Hold On to the Ball

This one is pretty straightforward, but the Panthers lead the NESCAC with 7 fumbles thus far and while they may have only lost 3 of those, ball security will have to be a big focus heading into this weekend. This will be especially true because Amherst has recovered 5 fumbles this year, the best mark in the league. It’s going to come down to the guys who have the ball consistently – RB Alex Maldjian ’23 and QB Will Jernigan ’21. Maldjian has already found himself a spot as the team’s starting running back and he’s really the only guy that gets any touches out of the backfield for them. The problem is that he already has 2 fumbles on the year and Jernigan has 3, so these guys in particular will need to lock in on holding on to the ball.

Key #2 for Middlebury: Pocket Awareness

Again, this one is pretty much on Jernigan. The Mammoths have one of the best defensive lines in the league, and they get to the quarterback very quickly. Jernigan has started to earn his money as a passer this year, but he won’t have as much time to survey the field this Saturday so we’ll get a chance to see what his instincts are. Last year he was very much a run-first quarterback so it’ll be interesting to see which Will Jernigan comes out when there are two Amherst defensive ends barreling at him. His two key playmakers to throw to have been receiver Maxwell Rye ’20 and tight end Frank Cosolito ’20, so he’ll likely look to them when the play collapses. If Jernigan can stay composed when all hell breaks loose then I like Middlebury’s chances a lot at Amherst this weekend.

Key #1 for Amherst: Red Zone Efficiency

This is a big one. The Mammoths have only scored 5 times on 13 trips (only 3 touchdowns) to the red zone through 3 games, the second lowest rate in the NESCAC. This is especially troubling because their first 2 games came against Bates and Colby – two of the weakest defenses in the conference. There’s a chance that this could be because they haven’t really seemed to have a consistent running back, it has really been a committee in the backfield so far. Out wide Amherst only has about 2½ receivers that you really have to worry about, so it seems like teams have just keyed in on those few guys when they get deep in their own territory. This also brings me to my next point…

Key #2 for Amherst: Finding a Third Offensive Threat

To the untrained eye this seems like one of the most glaring problems for the Mammoths this year. Eberth has success throwing the ball and he also leads the team in rushing, so it’s no question that he’s a huge threat. He also loves throwing to WR James O’Regan ’20, who has nearly half of the team’s receptions and more than half of their receiving touchdowns on the year. Aside from these two guys it’s sort of a mystery who Amherst will rely on. Luke Mallette ’20 is clearly Eberth’s second favorite target, but it’s a far cry from the relationship that Eberth has with O’Regan. Louie Eckelkamp ’23 has the most carries and yards out of the backfield, but the carries have been pretty divided among a few different guys. In order to beat Middlebury they’ll need more guys to step up on offense because this isn’t like the defenses they were seeing up in Maine.

Everything Else:

On paper this looks about as even as a matchup can get. Statistically speaking, Amherst and Middlebury are within one place of each other in nearly every major category on both sides of the ball. These are teams that have had success in the past and are perennially the class of the NESCAC. Both teams are trying to replace key pieces lost from last year’s squad, but they also each return a good portion of their starting lineups as well. Will Jernigan ’21 looks like he spent his summer learning how to play quarterback because he looks nothing like last year’s Will Jernigan whose gut instinct was running a QB power. The transformation that he has gone through along with Middlebury’s talented offensive playmakers make this offense incredibly difficult to stop, and I’m not sure that Amherst is quite ready for a team of this caliber. It seems as though the Mammoths have a bit more to replace from last year and I think that allows the Panthers to come into town and steal a win.

Prediction: Middlebury 24, Amherst 21

Almost Halfway: Weekend Preview 10/5

Williams @ Colby, 1pm, Waterville, ME

It will be homecoming weekend for this upcoming contest in Waterville where the struggling Colby Mules (0-3) will host a red-hot Williams (2-1) squad. The Ephs have won comfortably for the past two weeks, giving both Bowdoin and Tufts little room to breathe. The Ephs have stepped up on both sides of the ball during this hot streak averaging over 42 PPG and allowing less than 10. Much of this offensive success is due to QB Bobby Maimaron ’21 emerging as one of the best offensive weapons in the NESCAC this season. He has always been known as an effective runner, averaging over 65 yards/game last season and finishing 5th in the NESCAC with 8 rushing TDs. It is in the air where Maimaron has made big strides this year. So far he has thrown for 7 touchdowns through 3 weeks, whereas he threw for only 8 touchdowns all of last season. This could pose a great threat for the Mules has they have been scorched by the option this year.

The biggest problem for Colby hasn’t been the defense, despite how the score lines look, but rather it has been turnovers. Ball security has not been a virtue for the Mules as they lead the NESCAC with 4 lost fumbles. To make matters worse, QB Matt Hersch ’22 also leads the NESCAC with 6 interceptions thrown on this young season. The task will not get any easier this weekend as this group will have to face an Eph’s defense that has been able to compete with even the best offenses in the conference this year. A lot will have to change for Colby and quickly for them to have a shot in this game because right now it looks like Bobby Maimaron ’21, Frank Stola ’21, and the rest of the Ephs are primed to put on a show.

SS: Williams 38, Colby 9
RM: Williams 37, Colby 13
CC: Williams 38, Colby 14
MK: Williams 34, Colby 10
HC: Williams 38, Colby 14

Writers’ Pick: Williams

Tufts @ Bates, 1pm, Lewiston, ME

After the high of taking down back-to-back champs Trinity in week one, it has all been downhill for Tufts. The brick wall of a defense that dominated the Bantams has since disappeared and the Jumbos now find themselves in a 1-2 hole. Last week Frank Stola ’21 and Bobby Maimaron ’21 were able to move the ball up and down the field at will, combining for 3 touchdowns in the first half and 4 in total. The lack of defense gave the struggling offense no hope to recover and it all devolved from there. First half woes plagued the Jumbos once against last week against Amherst as they found themselves shoutout and down by 14 at the half. Tufts has not had the chance yet to play one of the lower-tier teams in the conference so this weekend will be a chance to reestablish themselves as a high-level competitor.

You really have to feel for the Bobcats at this point in the season. Their first 3 contests have been against Amherst, Middlebury and Wesleyan, who have a combined record of 9-0. While Tufts will be the first sub .500 team that Bates plays but that does not mean that they are not comparable competition. I have actually been fairly impressed with the way that the Bates defense has been able to keep some of these contests within respectable margins despite the extreme lack of contribution coming from the offensive side of the ball. The lack of QB Brendan Costa ’21 has put the Bobcat offense to an absolute standstill for which it appears it will be difficult to recover. Bates’ best chance in this contest is to play the consistent brand of defense they have throughout the years and hope for a few lucky breaks to come their way in the form of turnovers. This game is not completely out of reach for Bates but they would certainly need nearly everything to go right to pull it off.

SS: Tufts 21, Bates 6
RM: Tufts 34, Bates 10
CC: Tufts 31, Bates 14
MK: Tufts 28, Bates 0
HC: Tufts 24, Bates 3

Writers’ Pick: Tufts

Hamilton @ Trinity, 1pm, Hartford, CT

The Continentals are riding high heading into their third game of the season after capturing their first win of the year decisively over the Colby Mules. The offensive attack was too much for the Mules to handle as QB Kenny Gray ’20 threw for 2 TD and ran for another while RB David Kagan ’20 tacked on 2 TDs of his own. Despite this success the Bantams are different challenge for Hamilton and cutting through Trinity like they did Colby won’t be possible. The Hamilton defense has also been lackluster thus far, allowing opposing teams at least 24 points in each game. Allowing 24 points to each Bowdoin and Colby is not a good sign of what is to come when they are lined up against Trinity. With the offensive attack weakened and the defense overwhelmed, it could make for a sloppy weekend for Hamilton.

The Bantams have had some serious struggles of their own heading into week 3. Two disappointing losses sandwich a blowout win over Bowdoin in what has been a rollercoaster of a season up to this point. Trinity made it clear week 2 that they still have what it takes to put up crooked numbers against worse opponents, but they also made it clear again in Week 3 that they are no longer the impenetrable force that they had once been. That all being said, Trinity is being thrown a softball this weekend on which they should cash in greatly. The result here should look much more like week 2 and hopefully give Bantam fans some hope at salvaging what has been a season to forget.

SS: Trinity 38, Hamilton 17
RM: Trinity 49, Hamilton 13
CC: Trinity 42, Hamilton 21
MK Trinity 38, Hamilton 14
HC: Trinity 35, Hamilton 21

Writers’ Pick: Trinity

Wesleyan @ Bowdoin, 1pm, Brunswick, ME

Bowdoin fans will need to prepare themselves for what will be yet another tough weekend as they play host to the undefeated Wesleyan Cardinals. After putting up a fight against Hamilton in the first week Bowdoin has endured a couple of substantial road losses against the likes of Trinity and Williams. The blueprint for this game appears to be much the same as the last two unfortunately. It is fairly clear to see Austin McCrum ’21 and Nate Richam-Odoi ’20 do not have enough help offensively to generate an effective offense and the Bowdoin defense is not capable of containing the top offenses in the league. I’m not meaning to drag on the Polar Bears, this could probably be said about any CBB team. Until something big changes in Brunswick, and Maine as a whole, Bowdoin will have to continue to endure these tough losses for the foreseeable future.

Wesleyan’s 3-0 record looks fantastic at the moment and there’s almost no doubt that they will remain a perfect 4-0 following this weekend. While this undefeated reign of dominance is certainly impressive to start the season, it is important to note that Wesleyan’s strength of schedule thus far has been as weak as can be. So far they have taken on Hamilton, Bates, Colby and now get to face Bowdoin. Since the Cardinals have won fairly convincingly in every contest, they haven’t been challenged yet and it is hard to really see where they stack up with the likes of Midd, Amherst, Williams and others. This weekend will not give us any insight into that unfortunately as it should be another breeze for Wesleyan.

SS: Wesleyan 28, Bowdoin 7
RM: Wesleyan 41, Bowdoin 7
CC: Wesleyan 38, Bowdoin 13
MK: Wesleyan 35, Bowdoin 13
HC: Wesleyan 35, Bowdoin 10

Writers’ Pick: Wesleyan

Middlebury @ Amherst, 2pm, Amherst, MA

Finally we come to our most competitive, and possibly only, competitive match as both Middlebury and Amherst enter this weekend undefeated. For Middlebury their rise to the top has been mainly due to their smothering defense which suffocated the likes of Trinity and Williams. The improvement defensively has been extremely impressive considering that the lineup has not changed all that significantly from last year. QB Will Jernigan ’21 has been consistently effective for the Panthers, currently sitting in 3rd place in the NESCAC in passing yards. What has helped allowed Jernigan to have so much success has been the effectiveness of his running back Alex Maldjian ’23. Maldjian has been a workhorse for Midd, leading the NESCAC in rushes with 63 and is 2nd in rushing yards with 280. He has been an extremely valuable piece for this Midd offense and has helped them be so efficient at moving the ball up and down the field. Overall the narrative seems to suggest that the Panthers have everything going in their favor, but what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?

Amherst began the season with a few gimme wins over Colby and Bates but really established themselves as a candidate for title winners when they took down Tufts last week. The Mammoths played Tufts much closer than they did Colby or Bates, but it was clear that Amherst was in the driver’s seat the whole game. QB Ollie Eberth ’20 has commanded the offense well, averaging over 200 yards in the air and throwing 7 TDs through 3 weeks. His work on the ground has been impressive, as he averages nearly 70 yards a game. Eberth is the focal point of this Mammoth attack and he has yet to be contained this year. Defensively Amherst has been textbook thus far, allowing 13 points per game and having forced 10 turnovers. The defense has done more than enough work the past 3 weeks to keep Eberth and the rest of the offense in the game, but this weekend it may be a much tougher task. This game obviously has huge title implications, despite being just the halfway point in the season. Both teams are sure to leave it all out on the field Saturday in what is sure to be an exciting contest.

SS: Middlebury 28, Amherst 21
RM: Middlebury 27, Amherst 21
CC: Middlebury 24, Amherst 21
MK: Amherst 24, Middlebury 13
HC: Amherst 24, Middlebury 20

Writers’ Pick: Middlebury