Wesleyan 42, Bates 16
at Middletown, Conn.

WESLEYAN SPOILS ATKINS' BIG RUSHING DAY
Sophomore tailback gains 270 yards, Bobcats fall 42-16

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Junior tailback Sean Atkins (New York, N.Y.) had the second biggest rushing day in Bates College history, but it was not enough as the Bobcats (0-4) dropped a 42-16 decision to the Wesleyan University Cardinals (3-1) today.

Atkins rushed for 270 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. He picked up 222 yards on 23 carries in the first half, when he scored both Bates touchdowns on runs of 65 and 34 yards. Wesleyan made adjustments in the second half, holding the junior to just 48 yards on 13 carries. Atkins' performance is second only to the 274-yard rushing day that Chris Hickey '88 had against Colby in 1987. It is also the second biggest rushing performance in Division III this season.

Wesleyan was able to take advantage of a youthful Bates defensive backfield that features just one player who played there last year. Cardinal sophomore QB Brennan Carney (So. Burlington, Vt.) completed 16 of 29 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns to senior George Thompson (Virginia Beach, Va.). Thompson caught nine balls for 180 yards, including scores of 17 and 24 yards.

Behind a pair of two-yard TD runs by sophomore Young Douglas and Atkins' season-long 65-yard TD run, Wesleyan led 14-7 after the first quarter. Bates sophomore Nat Carr (Cambridge, Mass.) kicked his first career field goal at the start of the second to cut the lead to 14-10. Wesleyan upped the lead to 21-10 on Thompson's first TD catch of the game, but Atkins answered seven plays later from 34 yards out. He was stopped on a two-point conversion try, and Bates trailed 21-16. Wesleyan took momentum into the locker room by going 65 yards in four plays, capped by Douglas's third TD. The Cardinals scored once each in the third and fourth quarters. They also stopped Bates on fourth and goal early in the fourth period, the result of sophomore Rob Maguire's (Wayland, Mass.) first career interception, to keep the Bobcats off the board in the second half.

Full Game Stats