The Bates football team and the Bowdoin College Polar Bears renew their rivalry this Saturday at Garcelon Field under the lights for “The Big Game”, the 124th meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. Kickoff is set for 5:30pm.
The Bobcats (1-3) are averaging 15.3 points per game on offense, eighth in the NESCAC. The visitors from Brunswick are averaging 19.5 points per contest, sixth in the conference. Bowdoin (1-3) is also sixth in scoring defense while the Bobcats rank ninth.
Bowdoin running back Andre Eden averages 74.5 rushing yards per game, third in the NESCAC. Polar Bear QB Andrew Boel averages 219 passing yards per game, with three touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. Jed Hoggard paces the Bowdoin pass catchers at 66.3 receiving yards per game and two touchdowns.
For the Bobcats, sophomore quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) is averaging 193 passing yards per game with four touchdown passes in three games. His two favorite targets by far this year have been seniors Mohamed Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Christian Olivieri (Hull, Mass.), who rank sixth and seventh respectively in the NESCAC in receiving yards per game. Both players have made 16 catches on the season, with Diawara pacing Bates in yards (279) and touchdowns (3).
Defensively, Bates senior captain Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and junior George Hawkins III (Jacksonville, Fla.) are two of the top five tacklers in the conference. Hooks is second in the NESCAC at 9.5 tackles per game while Hawkins III is fifth with eight per game. Max Jacobs leads Bowdoin with 7.5 tackles per game.
The Bobcats have dominated the rivalry recently, winning nine of the last 10 games between the two schools.
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