By ROB PELKEY
Online Editor
 

After losing 50 of their last 51 games, Bates' victory came in their 100th meeting against the White Mules, which was held on homecoming weekend in Waterville. The win marks the end of a 14-game losing streak, a 10-game winless streak against Colby, and 33 straight losses on the road.

The bizarre finish began for Bates with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After recovering a missed Bates field goal at their own 20, Colby had worked their way to a first down at midfield. Then the Bobcat defense scored two big sacks on White Mule quarterback Nate Bradley -- first a five-yarder from defensive back Pat Collins '01, then an 11-yard strike from defensive lineman Greg Donoghue '98. With little chance to regain possession, the Mules went for it on fourth down and 25. Defying the odds, Bradley's "Hail Mary" pass found star receiver Miguel Gonzalez 36 yards down the field.

Two plays later, the Mules had a first down and a goal to go at the Bates 10 yard line. On first down, Colby ran the ball to the Bates 3 yard line; on second down, Bradley's pass was incomplete. Then, on third down, the Bobcats committed pass interference, moving the ball half the distance to the goal line and creating an automatic first down for Colby. The Mules' first down pass was incomplete. Their pass on second down was tipped into the air by Brendan Cullen '98, and caught by linebacker Bob Rosenthal '01; however, Rosenthal was ruled out of bounds, nullifying the possible interception.

With nine seconds on the clock and fans from both schools elbow-to-elbow on the sidelines, the Mules brought out the field goal unit on third down to attempt to put the game away for Colby. Collins blocked the kick; however, the Mules recovered the ball, allowing them to attempt the field goal again with six seconds remaining. The Mules were able to get the attempt off; however, intense defensive pressure on the right side of the line forced kicker Andrew Tripp to pull the 25-yard attempt wide left, sealing the one-point victory for Bates. After the kneeldown by Bates QB Matt Bazrigan '00 to end the game, much of the large contingent of Bobcat fans swarmed the field, celebrating with the players in a scene reminiscent of the team's epic 1995 victory over Bowdoin.

Though the game's ending played out much like the denouement of a Rod Serling masterwork, the Bobcats played fiercely competitive football for the first 57 minutes of the contest. Bates got on the board early, scorng twice in the first quarter on two touchdown receptions by wideout Paul Fantasia '00. The first one, a 26 yard completion on fourth down and 22 yards, came with just over five minutes left in the quarter. The second, for 29 yards, came at the end of the quarter, and was punctuated by a successful run by senior running back P.J. McGrail for the two-point conversion. This score was set up by a fake punt two plays earlier, when punter and backup quarterback Chris Snow '98 completed a pass to linebacker Frost Hubbard '00. Colby came back in the second quarter, staging a gritty 11-play drive helped along by Bobcat penalties and capped with a five-yard run by Gonzalez five minutes into the quarter. Neither team could produce later in the quarter, so the Bobcats took a 15-7 lead into the half.

Despite usually turning in weak third-quarter performances so far this season, the Bobcats were out in full force after the half, scoring again on a drive from midfield consisting of three runs by McGrail, capped by a dramatic 26-yard rush to the end zone to put the Bobcats ahead 22-7. McGrail rushed for 124 yards total on the afternoon, with 112 yards coming in the second half. Colby scored later in the quarter, as big plays from receiver Gonzalez and running back Brian Souza set up a touchdown and two-point conversion to narrow the lead to 22-15. The Mules scored another touchdown on their next possession, stringing some more big plays together to set up a one-yard dive just over three minutes into the fourth quarter. Tripp's extra point attempt was no good, however, so the Mules could only close the gap to a single point.

The Bobcats had a chance to put the game away for certain with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter. On fourth and one with the ball on the Colby eight-yard line, the Bobcats set up in a "lonesome polecat" formation, consisting of the quarterack and center, a wideout on the right side, no offensive line, and eight players lining up down the left sideline. The Mules, spooked, burned one of their two remaining time outs. After the break, Bates opted to attempt a field goal, but kicker Rejean Guerriero `01's 30-yard attempt went wide right. Colby then took possession, leading to the game's harrowing ending.

Head Coach Rick Pardy praised the Bobcat special teams for playing an outstanding game, but his pride in the entire team's performance was evident. "It was a great emotional feeling that we came out of [the game] with a victory, that our kids played well until the end... I'm really proud of those guys, of how hard they played at the end of the game, and how hard they played throughout the game," he said.

Tomorrow the Bobcats take to Garcelon Field to play their 100th game against arch-rival Bowdoin, who have gone 2-4 this season with victories over the lower-echelon Hamilton and Tufts squads. In their last home game against Bowdoin two years ago, Bates defeated the Polar Bears 33-29 to snap a New England record 36-game losing streak, touching off a legendary campus-wide celebration that resulted in thousands of dollars in dorm damage.

Will tomorrow's game offer a repeat of this epic moment in Bates sports history? Pardy, understandably, is cautious. "They throw the ball well, they have good receivers, they have a solid offensive line - they're a solid offensive football team. It's going to be a real challenge to our defense to shut these guys down," he said. "But we can run the ball well against them, we can throw well against them."

Still, he admits, the emotional CBB rivalry makes it an entirely different ball game. "Everything that was previously in the picture goes out the window when you talk about a CBB game," said Pardy. "The records don't mean much; it's just a special game. ... Our feeling [against Colby] was `hey, anything can happen, we've got to play our tail off and make sure this goes our way.' It's just a crazy rivalry."

Though early weather forecasts call for continued cloudy, rainy conditions, more than1,000 fans are nonetheless expected to turn out for tomorrow's game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.; the game will be broadcast live over WRBC 91.5 FM.