On an electric Homecoming afternoon in Waterville, Colby rode a fast start, a fourth-quarter takeaway, and red-zone grit to a 17–10 victory over Hamilton. The Mules paired a rugged ground game (164 rushing yards) with timely defense to close out their second home win.
Quarterback Patrick Miller set the early tone on Colby's opening scoring drive, ripping runs of 16 and 24 yards before putting away a 13-yard touchdown to Jack Nye at 5:25 of the first for a 7–0 lead. Hamilton answered midway through the second after a muffed punt set them up at the Colby 4, where QB Luke Kurzum powered in to tie it 7–7.
The Mules reclaimed momentum just before halftime. Miller's 41-yard burst flipped the field, Ray Thornton's 10-yard catch moved the chains, and Antone Moreis finished the march with a 15-yard touchdown run at 1:53 to make it 14–7 at the break, sending the team and crowd into halftime buzzing.
Hamilton controlled long stretches of the third quarter and trimmed the margin to 14–10 with a 24-yard field goal at 4:42, but Colby's defense repeatedly stiffened near the fringe of scoring range. Corner Cooper Bunnell's second-quarter interception halted one promising Continentals drive, and the pass rush, led by Sebastien Romain, Trey Stevens, and Lincoln Merrill (three combined sacks), showed up in weighty spots down the stretch.
The game swung for good early in the fourth when Eli Soehren's punt was fielded at the Hamilton 32 and jarred loose; Subomi Soyoye pounced at the 30. Though an aborted snap stalled the possession, Avi Gotshalk drilled a 36-yard field goal at 4:41 for a 17–10 cushion. Hamilton's last threat reached the Colby 11, but the Mules produced consecutive stops to turn it over on downs with under a minute left.
Miller finished with 197 total yards (15 rushes, 119 yards; 12-of-19 passing, 78 yards, TD), while Nye (4–33–TD), Thornton (4–22), and Sean Trinder (2–20) handled key catches. Moreis added 46 rushing yards and the first-half score. Special teams quietly carried their share: Soehren averaged 39.3 on six punts with a coffin-corner downed at the 1, and Gotshalk went 2-for-2 on PATs and hit the decisive field goal.
Hamilton outgained Colby 350–242 and held the ball for 33:47, but the Mules were perfect in the red zone (3-for-3) and +1 in takeaways, enough, with a roaring Homecoming crowd behind them, to secure a gritty NESCAC win at Harold Alfond Stadium.
