BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College football team mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback but came up just short against Colby College on Saturday afternoon, falling 19-13 in the season finale at Whittier Field. The Mules retain the CBB Championship with the victory, improving to 2-7, while the Polar Bears finish their campaign at 0-9.
Game Highlights
- The teams played through a scoreless first half, with both defenses making key stops. Bowdoin had opportunities to take the lead but missed field goal attempts of 45 and 27 yards in the second quarter, sending the teams into halftime tied at 0-0.
- Colby seized control early in the third quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points in a span of less than four minutes. Jagger Matera opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run before connecting with Alex Clapp on a 31-yard scoring pass. Avi Gotshalk added a 34-yard field goal to give the Mules a 16-0 advantage with 8:33 remaining in the period.
- Bowdoin's defense sparked a comeback early in the fourth quarter when Angus Leary recovered a Colby fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 16-6 with 13:25 remaining.
- The Polar Bears continued to capitalize on Colby miscues, recovering another fumble to take possession at the Mules' 43-yard line. Soren Hummel engineered a seven-play scoring drive, connecting with Conrad Babka on a four-yard touchdown pass. Caden Perry's extra point brought Bowdoin within 16-13 with 8:23 to play.
- Colby answered with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that consumed more than five minutes, capped by Gotshalk's 25-yard field goal with 3:16 remaining to extend the lead to 19-13.
- Bowdoin had two final opportunities to take the lead. The first ended with a fumble near midfield, but the Polar Bears regained possession with 1:25 remaining. Hummel moved Bowdoin into Colby territory before Noah Abdur Rahim intercepted a pass with 1:03 left, sealing the victory for the Mules.
By The Numbers
- Angus Leary established a new Bowdoin career sacks record, surpassing the previous mark of 23 held by Kevin Saxton '99 with a first-quarter sack. Leary finished with two sacks on the afternoon and now has 25 for his career, while his 10.5 sacks this season tied the school record established by Fred Lohrum in 1985.
- Leary capped his outstanding performance with seven tackles, three tackles for loss totaling 23 yards and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Zach Taylor also recorded seven tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Steven Vargo added six stops.
- Soren Hummel completed 31 of 50 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown. Conrad Babka led the receiving corps with seven catches for 116 yards and a score, while Ty Connolly hauled in a team-high nine receptions.
- Bowdoin outgained Colby 312-304 in total offense and held a 20-15 advantage in first downs. The Polar Bears converted eight of 15 third-down opportunities but were hurt by four turnovers.
- Colby's Matera completed 14 of 21 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, while Alex Clapp caught five passes for 109 yards and a score. Chrishon Capra-Hobbs rushed for 81 yards on 20 carries.
