Nelson and Tichy Lead Bowdoin To First Football Victory of 2015

Noah Nelson threw for a Bowdoin first-year record in yards (328) and touchdowns (4)

BRUNSWICK, Maine  - The Bowdoin College football team earned its first win of the season and first victory of head coach JB Wells' tenure in a 30-20 triumph over Hamilton on Saturday.

Led by first-years Noah Nelson (328 yards passing, 4 touchdowns) and tailback Andrew Tichy (106 yards rushing) the Polar Bears improved to 1-3 on the season. Hamilton remained winless at 0-4 on the year.

How It Happened

• Bowdoin controlled the first half, holding the ball for over 17 minutes and out-gaining Hamilton 236-97 in total offense
• The Polar Bears got on the board first thanks to a 32-yard field goal from Andrew Sisti at 7:23 of the opening frame
• Bowdoin then capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Ken Skon early in the second quarter
• The Polar Bears added to their lead late in the half with a five-play, 50-yard drive as Nelson found Griffin for a two-yard touchdown, giving the hosts a 15-0 lead at the break
• Hamilton came out hot in the second half, scoring twice in the third quarter to draw within two points
• The Continentals scored on the longest play of the day, a 45-yard pass from Cole Freeman to Charles Ensley with 10:05 remaining in the third
• Later in the period, Hamilton marched 80 yards in seven plays, scoring on a three-yard plunge from Jason Nastovski to trim the Polar Bear lead to 15-13 entering the fourth quarter
• After the teams traded three-and-outs, Bowdoin regained control of the game quickly in the fourth quarter as the Polar Bears covered 42 yards in two plays
• Nelson found Daniel Barone for a 32-yard pass to the Hamilton 10 and connected with Nick Vailas for a score on the very next play to make it 22-13
• After another Hamilton three-and-out, the Polar Bears put the contest out of reach with a six-play, 71-yard drive as Nelson found Bryan Porter from 11 yards out to increase the Bowdoin lead to 30-13 with 10:25 to go.
• Freeman led Hamilton on a late scoring drive, covering 88 yards in 12 plays and finishing with a touchdown pass to Nick Caso with 47 seconds remaining

By The Numbers

• Bowdoin racked up 439 yards of total offense on the day, averaging nearly six yards per play on the afternoon
• In his first career start, Nelson was outstanding, throwing for a Bowdoin first-year record 328 yards and four touchdowns on 28-43 passing 
• Tichy rushed 28 times for 106 yards on the afternoon
• It marked the first time in Bowdoin history that a first-year quarterback passed for over 300 yards and a first-year tailback rushed for over 100 yards in the same game
• Daniel Barone caught six passes for 91 yards while Stephen Griffin caught six balls for 58 yards
• Cole Freeman came in for Hamilton at quarterback and threw for 262 yards on 19-39 attempts
• His top target was Ensley, who caught eight balls for 139 yards and a score
• LaShawn Ware carried the ball 16 times for Hamilton, accumulating 77 yards on the ground
• Bowdoin's defense totaled six sacks on the afternoon including two apiece from Latif Armiyaw and Phillippe Archambault
• Branden Morin collected a game-high nine tackles for Bowdoin
• Hamilton's Cade Larabee racked up a game-high 16 tackles
• Conor Powers had four solo stops and stripped a fumble away from Bowdoin in the second quarter

Up Next

• Bowdoin will return to action with a contest at Trinity next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
• Hamilton will host Colby for a noon start next Saturday