Lewiston, Maine - Bobcats are considered the apex predators of the forests, their cunning and quiet maneuvers are deadly to most animals they prey upon. Tonight, the food chain was disrupted as the Mules marched into the Bobcats den and walked out unscathed. The Colby College Football team earned their first win of the 2023 season tonight, as a tight 30-24 win over Bates took them to 1-2 on the season while their counterparts have yet to find a win.

The Mules came to play. On Bates' first drive, a fumble forced by Mark Kassis was recovered and returned 20 yards by Julian Young. From the Bates 17, two rushes from Keon Smart put Colby on the board first. Multiple stops on defense only allowed a field goal from Bates, giving the Mules the ball back with 30 seconds to go in the first. From their own 25 yard line, Keeling found Smart for a 75 yard touchdown, the senior quarterback's first of his career. To start the second, both teams were forced to punt, eventually leading to Bates' first touchdown to make the game 14-10. To end the half, on a Bates punt, Trevor Smith came up big as he got in the way of Colby's second blocked punt in three games which was scooped up by Mike Williams for Colby's third touchdown of the half. The Mules led heading into the break, 21-10.

Colby continued to dominate coming out of half as multiple tackles from Julian Young and Marc Dougherty kept Bates pinned. An interception late in the third from Joshua East gave Colby the ball back at their own 20 yard line, leading to yet another two-rush drive by Smart as he broke away for a 69 yard touchdown to capitalize on the turnover. Freshman kicker Christos Tzoumakas missed the extra point bringing the score to 27-10. The fourth quarter offered a scare as the Mules' one goal was to survive. Bates opened up final quarter with a quick touchdown, drawing within 10 to make the score 27-17. A subsequent three and out from the Mules gave the ball back to Bates who found the end zone to make it a one score ball game. Colby got the ball back with seven minutes to go, driving down the field off a 32 yard completion to Matt McHugh, putting the Mules inside the Bobcat's half, setting them up for an eventual 30 yard field goal from Tzoumakas to make the game 30-24. With four minutes to go, Bates drove down the field looking to close the game out and complete a massive comeback. From the Colby 15 with 8 seconds left on the clock, the Mules' defense forced an errant throw deep into the end zone as Lincoln Merrill got in front of the intended receiver to seal the interception and the game. 

Led by second string quarterback Thomas Keeling and Keon Smart on the offense as well as another dominant performance on the opposite end of the ball by Colby's defense and Julian Young, the Mules found their first win of the season and a promising one. On the offensive side of the ball, Keeling completed 12 of 19, throwing for 165 yards while Smart torched the Bates defense on the ground as he tallied 137 total yards. On the defensive end, Andrew Hart racked up 3 solo tackles for a loss of 12 yards, while Young had another outstanding game with 13 tackles.

The Mules will be in action again next Saturday as they host Wesleyan at 1pm in a game which will need to see Colby's best if they're to take down the undefeated Cardinals.