The Middlebury College football team ended its season strong with three wins in its last four contests to finish up at 3-5 after an 0-4 start. The Panthers played their final game at Tufts, picking up a 21-16 win over the Jumbos on Ellis Oval.

Middlebury took a 7-0 lead with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter when Tiger Lyon found tight end Jamie Staples from five yards out to cap a 57-yard drive. The Jumbos cut the score to 7-6 with a 70-yard touchdown pass and a missed extra point with 12 seconds left in the quarter.

The Middlebury defense got on the board midway through the second quarter as they forced an intentional ground penalty in the end zone, resulting in a team safety to make it a 9-6 lead. The Jumbos earned another late quarter score in the second session, as a 21-yard field goal tied the game at nine entering the half.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Tufts took a 16-9 lead early in the fourth on a 10-yard touchdown pass following a Middlebury fumble. The Panthers answered midway through the quarter as Lyon found Cole Parlin for a 43-yard scoring strike. A blocked extra point left Middlebury with a one point deficit at 16-15.

The Middlebury defense held on its next possession, setting up a four-play, 46-yard game-winning drive. Lyon hit Staples for 19 yards and Parlin for 10 before finding Ryan Armstrong from 11-yards out to give the Panthers a 21-16 lead with 4:59 remaining.

Phil Ford ended Tufts' next possession with an interception, while the Panther defense took over on downs on the Jumbo's final possession of the game.

Lyon ended the day 24-37 for 282 yards with three touchdown passes. Staples was his top target, hitting the tight end 10 times for 123 yards, including a touchdown. Parlin ended the day with five catches for 93 yards with a touchdown. Defensively, Coleman Hutzler had 13 tackles on the afternoon, while Erik Woodring made 11 stops.