Matt Milano threw for a career-high four touchdown passes to lead Middlebury to a 35-6 win over Bates (1-4) on homecoming weekend at Alumni Stadium. The Panthers (3-2) earn their 26th-consecutive victory over Bates, and will return to action next Saturday at Trinity. The Bobcats return home to face Colby a week from today.

Middlebury took advantage of a turnover early, after Nate Leedy picked off a pass at the Bates 33-yard line. Milano hit Brendan Rankowitz over the middle for a 33-yard scoring strike on the team's first play following the turnover for a 7-0 lead.

Bates responded on its next possession when Matt Cannone hit Mike Tomaino on a slant pattern. The 20-yard pass turned into a 74-yard touchdown run as Tomaino broke away and headed to the end zone. The play would be the only points of the game for the Bobcats, as they trailed 7-6 following a missed extra point.

Middlebury took a 14-6 lead at the 12:35 mark of the second quarter when Milano found Matthew Minno after a fake hand-off, resulting in a 21-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 lead. The drive was kept alive by a key third-down conversion from Milano to Ian Riley.

Bates later drove to the Middlebury 32, but turned the ball over on downs as Addison Pierce made a big stop on a four-and-one play.

The lead increased to 21-6 just 31 seconds before halftime when Jake Vacovec recovered a fumble after a bad snap was recovered in the end zone.

The half ended with a 21-6 Panther advantage as all four scoring drives elapsed just 1:56 off the clock.

Milano hit four different receivers on a short 32-yard drive with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter to put his team on top, 28-6. A key 11-yard fourth-down conversion pass from Milano to Riley kept the drive alive. Rankowitz scored his second touchdown of the game, pulling down a two-yard toss in the back right corner of the end zone.

The Bobcats hoped to take advantage of a fumble late in the third quarter, but turned the ball over themselves when Vacovec picked off a pass from Cannone at the Panther 46. The lost fumble was the first for Middlebury in 19 games, dating back to September of 2012.

Milano later found Minno with a well-thrown high pass over the middle for a 30-yard touchdown.

Middlebury outgained Bates 331-185 on the day, including a 287-92 advantage through the air. The Panthers had a huge advantage in field positon, beginning at their own 45 while Bates averaged a start from its own 24.

Milano finished the day 29-43 for 287 yards with four touchdowns, while Drew Jacobs led the rushers with 42 yards on 16 carries. Rankowitz caught seven passes for 65 yards, while Minno made five receptions for 91 yards, both scoring two touchdowns apiece. Ryan Rizzo finished the afternoon with five catches for 43 yards. Tim Patricia paced the Panther defense with seven tackles and two sacks, while Pierce added seven tackles, two for lost yardage. Albert Giroux ended the game with six tackles, two for loss and forced a fumble.

Ivan Reese led all rushers with 43 yards on 13 carries, while Tomaino caught two passes for 89 yards and a touchdown to lead Bates. Cannone went 3-7 for 92 yards with a touchdown and two picks. Mark Upton led all tacklers with 11 stops, three for lost yardage and one forced fumble. Adam Cuomo made nine tackles with 1.5 of them resulting in lost yardage.

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