The Middlebury football team knotted the score at 17-17 with 2:13 left in Saturday's third quarter at Williams, but the hosts scored with 4:25 remaining in the contest and held on for the 24-17 triumph. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• After the Panther defense forced a three-and-out on the Ephs' initial drive, the visitors marched down the field on a 13-play, 74-yard drive that spanned 7:26 of the initial quarter. Quarterback Brian Moran connected with Jeremy Kiefer on the left side for a 13-yard scoring strike with 6:05 on the clock before Tony Wang converted the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.
• Another quick possession for Williams gave Middlebury the ball at its own 22. The Panthers moved the ball down the field over the next 6:02, but the scoring chance was halted when George Papadopoulos intercepted a pass at the goal line.
• The Ephs quickly answered on the third play of the ensuing drive when Owen Johansen found Zach Falls for an 84-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. Leonardo Maiuolo blasted the PAT through the uprights to knot the contest at 7-7 with 8:00 remaining before halftime.
• Williams kept the momentum in its favor, getting the ball back and taking the lead on a five-yard touchdown run from Jon Oris. Maiuolo converted the point-after-touchdown for a 14-7 score at the 2:48 mark.
• The Panthers answered with a scoring drive to close the half, pushing the ball down the field on a 12-play possession that encompassed 69 yards. Wang capped the series with a 23-yard field goal for a 14-10 score heading into the break.
• The teams traded drives to start the third quarter before Maiuolo kicked a 28-yard field goal from the right hash to give the Ephs a 17-10 edge with 4:04 left in the frame.
• Middlebury bounced back seconds later. Following a touchback on the kickoff, Connor McClellan broke through the left side of the line on the opening play for 70 yards down to the Williams five.
• Two plays later, Kiefer caught a screen pass on the left side and muscled into the endzone from four yards out. Wang blasted the extra point through to level the contest at 17-17.
• Williams moved down the field on its next offensive series, but the Panther defense stopped three runs inside the 10. Maiuolo stepped toward a 20-yard field goal attempt, but Brian Olson jumped and blocked the kick with his right hand.
• Middlebury gained possession, pushing the ball up the field for 10 plays covering 73 yards before Wang missed a 40-yard attempt just to the left with 4:36 showing.
• The Ephs regained the lead on the first play of the drive when Johansen found Falls for a 77-yard strike, followed by a Maiuolo PAT, for a 24-17 score.
• With 1:42 left in regulation, Charlie Grant returned a punt for 10 yards to the Panther 44. Moran hooked up with Kiefer for 10 and Mike Ahonen for 40 to put the visitors at the Williams six-yard line. The Eph defense fended off four throwing attempts and held on for the 24-17 triumph.

NOTES

• Moran finished the day 24-for-41 with 249 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He moves into seventh place in the program's record books with 3,367 career air yards.
• McClellan's third-quarter scamper of 70 yards was a career best, while his 163 yards is his highest total in a navy and white uniform. The 163-yard output marks the second time this fall and the third time overall that the running back eclipsed the 100-yard plateau.
• Kiefer's two receiving scores match his career high.
• James Woodward paced the Panther defense with a career-high nine tackles, while Michael Votta concluded the contest with seven stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Matt Shaw contributed eight tackles in the game, surpassing the 100-tackle mark for his career (103).
• The blocked field goal was Olson's second this season.
• The programs played for the 97th time since 1906 with seven of the last 13 contests being one-score contests.

Middlebury returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Trinity for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.