The Middlebury football team rattled off 28-unanswered points on Saturday, pulling away for a 31-10 triumph over Bowdoin on a sun-soaked Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers grabbed an early lead with 11:43 left in the opening quarter. Alex Hartigan forced a fumble on a punt return that Seth Cobb recovered. Four plays later, Tong Wang booted a 25-yard field goal to give the hosts a 3-0 edge.
• The Polar Bears knotted the contest 1:18 later when Caden Perry converted a kick through the uprights from 36 yards out.
• Middlebury started its decisive run with 1:49 remaining in the second stanza. Connor McClellan muscled his way into the endzone from a yard out and Wang split the uprights on the extra point for a 10-3 advantage.
• The hosts nearly added to the lead in the final minute of the quarter, but the Bowdoin defense forced and recovered a fumble at its 11-yard line to keep it a 10-3 contest.
• The Panther defensive unit forced a three-and-out during the initial drive after the halftime break. The offense quickly answered with a two-play, 45-yard drive that was aided by a penalty. Highlighting the march down the field was a 20-yard pass from Moran to Jordan Angstreich and capped by a 10-yard scoring scamper by McClellan. Wang converted the PAT for a 17-3 lead.
• Following a Bowdoin punt, Middlebury pushed the advantage to 24-3 when Moran found Luis Kuehberger down the right sideline for a 30-yard scoring strike. The 10-play drive spanned 84 yards and took 3:57 off the clock.  
• The Panthers added to the lead when Caleb Smith found a hole up the middle from five yards out that capped a 10-play, 90-yard scoring drive to make it a 31-3 score with 7:55 remaining.
• The Polar Bears garnered their first touchdown with 2:20 left as Soren Hummell scampered down the right side from 10 yards out. Caden Perry split the uprights for the final 31-10 tally.

NOTES

• Moran finished 18-of-27 with 260 yards through the air and a touchdown. He ascends into eighth place in career passing touchdowns with 19.
• McClellan ran the ball 20 times for 86 yards and two rushing scores. He also added four catches for 40 yards. Matt Shaw recorded nine tackles to pace the defensive unit, while Owen Halter had six stops, a sack and two quarterback hurries.
• Wang recorded a career-best seven points with a field goal and four PATs.
• Middlebury and Bowdoin squared off for the 30th time with the Panthers holding a 22-7-1 advantage in the all-time series that began in 1916. Middlebury has won the last 11 contests. 

The Panthers return to action next weekend, traveling to Maine for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Colby.