Bates 28, Hamilton 0
at Clinton, N.Y.

Bates (4-4)		7   7   14   0   28
Hamilton (0-8)		0   0    0   0    0

Scoring

TM   Q   TIME   PLAY						DRIVE	SCORE
B    1    4:56	Sean Atkins 1 run (Rejean Guerriero kick)	7-33	7-0
B    2    3:32	Jason Coulie 84 pass from Matt Bazirgan
				  (Guerriero kick)		1-84	14-0
B    3   12:24	Paul Erickson 78 run (Guerriero kick)		1-78	21-0
B    3    9:11	Dennis Perreira 48 pass from Coulie 
				  (Guerriero kick)		4-40	28-0

Full Game Stats

BATES BLANKS HAMILTON, 28-0, TO FINISH SEASON AT .500

CLINTON, N.Y. -- The Bates College football team (4-4) completed their most successful season since 1982 with a 28-0 shutout of Hamilton College (0-8).

The Bobcats broke the ice in the first quarter by takig adavantage of one of three Continental fumbles on the day, needing to go just 33 yards in seven plays for before first-year TB Sean Atkins (New York, N.Y.) went in from a yard out for his fourth score of the season. Junior kicker Rejean Guerriero's extra point made the score 7-0 with 4:56 left in the first.

Bates doubled the lead in the second quarter on the longest passing play in school history. Senior QB Matt Bazirgan (Newbury, Mass.) connected with senior WR Jason Coulie (Manchester, N.H.) for an 84-yard score on the first play of a drive late in the second quarter to put the Bobcats up 14-0 with 3:32 left in the half.

The Bobcats got a pair of long third quarter scores to put the Continentals away. Senior RB Paul Erickson (Merrimac, Mass.) had his longest play of the season, a 78-yard run on Bates' first play of the second half. After holding Hamilton to three-and-out on the next possession, Bates closed out the scoring with a gadget play, as Coulie threw his first career TD, a 48-yard strike to junior WR Dennis Pereira (Burlington, Conn.) with 9:11 left in the game.

The Bates defense held Hamilton to 236 yards on 79 plays (2.65 yards per play) in posting the Bobcats' first shutout since 1989. The Bobcats allowed just 55 yard on the ground, posting five sacks for 31 yards. Senior DB Paul Calner (Narragansett, R.I.) led the way defensively, recording 12 tackles (seven solo), including two sacks for -17 yards and two other tackles for a loss of 14.

With the win, the Bobcats complete their first .500 season since 1982, also the last time they had a three-game winning streak. In the final game of the 1990s, Bates gains its first win outside of Maine since the first game of the decade, Sept. 22, 1990, at Amherst. Hamilton, which lost to Bates for the first time since 1984, completes its first winless season since 1981.