Middlebury scored the game's first 27 points and never looked back, on its way to a 43-14 win at Bates (0-6) on Saturday afternoon in Maine. The Panthers (5-1) return to action next Saturday when they host Trinity at 1:00 p.m. on homecoming.

Middlebury scored on its opening driving of the game when quarterback Jared Lebowitz found Maxim Bochman on a quick one-yard route for the touchdown. Following a three-and-out hold by the defense, the Panthers drove to the Bates one-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs.

Middlebury made it a 14-0 game on their next possession, driving 79 yards on nine plays with Lebowitz finding Tanner Contois for an 11-yard scoring strike. Lebowitz connected with Aidan Power three times on the drive for 35 yards.

Panther quarterback Jack Meservy threw his first career touchdown pass on the team's next drive, connecting with Jimmy Martinez for a 56-yard strike and a 20-0 lead at the 11:27 mark.

Middlebury took advantage of a forced fumble by Matthew Daniel on its next drive, driving just 35 yards for a 27-0 lead on a seven-yard rush from Peter Scibilia.

Bates got on the board late in the half when quarterback Brendan Costa found Marcus Ross for a seven-yard touchdown pass, making it a 27-7 game with 25 seconds remaining.

The Panthers scored on their first drive of the second half, going 88 yards on 10 plays in a span of 4:09. Meservy completed 6-8 passes to six different receivers on the drive, before Scibilia found the end zone for the second time, this one a four-yard rush. Middlebury held a 33-7 lead with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter.

Middlebury cashed in on another Bobcat turnover later in the quarter when Daniel picked off a pass at the Bates 37-yard line. Eight plays later, kicker Carter Massengill converted from 28-yards out for a 36-7 advantage.

The Panthers added one more touchdown in the game, as Will Jernigan went 55 yards on the ground for his first career touchdown, giving his team a 43-7 advantage with 5:18 left to play.

The Bobcats ended the scoring with 1:40 remaining on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Costa to Jason Lopez.

Lebowitz finished the game 12-18 for 166 yards with a pair of touchdown passes, while Meservy went 13-22 for 175 yards a touchdown. Lebowitz now has 48 career passes resulting in points, moving him in to third place on the school's all-time list.

Jernigan's 55-yard touchdown run led the rushers, while Scibilia gained 44 yards on eight carries with a pair of scores. Martinez led the receivers with three catches for 73 yards and a score. John Jackson finished the game with eight tackles, while Kevin Hopsicker and Kevin Maxwell had six apiece.

Costa connected on 13-24 passes for 141 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also led all rushers with 131 yards on 28 attempts. Joe Frake earned a game-high 12 tackles.