1-MIDDLEBURY (8-1)
Middlebury lost a tight game to Wesleyan but won the rest of their games including close games against Williams (by 2), Trinity (by 5) and Bowdoin (by 7). Their victory in Hartford over a dominant Trinity team and their 19-10 win over Tufts late in the season propelled them to a co-championship in Coach Mandigo’s first season. They finished ranked #1 in my Power Rankings over Trinity despite less statistical dominance, based on their victory over the Bantams in Hartford.
Offense
The Panthers finished 3rd in offensive scoring and 3rd in passing offense. QB Cole Kennon was 2nd in the NESCAC in passing yards and threw for 17 TDs, but he also led the league in interceptions with 13. The Middlebury wideouts were impressive led by WR Patrick Jamin and Donovan Wood, who finished 4th and 6th in receiving yards, respectively and combined for 11 TDs. Jamin had a TD catch in the final minute against Williams to win that game 12-10. WR Mike Ahonen was also a major factor down the stretch. The passing game was needed as the running game never truly found its footing, as opponents outrushed the Panthers and 5 different running backs led Middlebury in rushing for a game in ’23.
Defense
The Panthers finished 2nd in scoring defense, but only 4th in rush defense and 8th in pass defense. The Middlebury defense was 2nd in 3rd down defense and the best in the red zone, allowing touchdowns at a league low 30% of the time. Their red zone defense was crucial in close wins over Bowdoin (INT in the end zone), Trinity (stopped run from the 2 as time expired) and Tufts (4thand goal stop from the 1). Middlebury’s defense featured a slew of highly rated playmakers including five 1st team All-NESCAC defenders in lineman Tomas Kenary and David Filias (who finished 1st and 2nd in the league in sacks, respectively, with 19 combined), LB John McCool (who finished 5th in league in the tackles) and DBs Finn Muldoon (2nd in the league in tackles) and Rocco Stola (who had 11 PBUs). Tomas Kenary, who had 11.5 sacks and 19.5 TFLs was the NESCAC Defensive Player of the year.
2-TRINITY (8-1)
The Bantams blew out most all of the NESCAC in a truly dominant season, but had a killer home loss against Middlebury, where they were stopped two yards short of victory on their final play. Trinity finished with a stunning positive point differential of 282 points or 31 points per game but finish #2 in my Power Rankings to Middlebury based on the head-to-head loss. The Bantams were fortunate that the NESCAC awards co-champions (and do not use head-to-head as the tiebreaker) but based on their performance also have to wonder how such a dominant season resulted in sharing the crown.
Offense
Trinity finished 1st in the NESCAC in offense and 1st in passing. QB Spencer Fetter was great: he led the league by a wide margin in completion percentage (63.4%), passing yards (285 yds/game) and TDs (32), and had only 3 interceptions. That effort led the league to name him the Co-Offensive Player of the Year. His key target was 1st team All-NESCAC WR Sean Clapp, who led the NESCAC in catches, yards and TD receptions, and made a legitimate case for Co-Offensive Player of the Year. 1st team All-NESCAC RB Tyler DiNapoli rushed for the 2nd highest yards in the league, running for 113-701 yds and 5 TDs. Two other backs for Trinity, Will Kirby and Colin McCabe, combined for another 661 yards rushing and 12 TDs. The offensive line, with two 1st team All-NESCAC lineman in Patrick Donovan-Jenkins and Anthony Castillo, assisted in Trinity rushing for 4.7 yds/carry and yielding just 4 sacks.
Defense
Trinity finished 2nd in the NESCAC in offense, and 1st in rush defense. The Bantams yielded a mere 2.3 yards per carry, and just under 65 yards per game. The front seven was comprised of six graduate students, led by three 1st team All-NESCAC defenders in DL Cooper Mandel, DL Joseph Lepore and LB Michael Masse. In pass defense, Trinity had a league leading 20 interceptions (the 2nd highest had 14) with DB Ma-Lyke Davis and DB Tyler Jameson both snagging a league leading 5 INTs each. On special teams, 1st team All-NESCAC K Matthew Jumes was a perfect 14 for 14 in field goal kicks.
3-TUFTS (6-3)
The Jumbos were dominant in 6 games, but lost a stunner in Clinton to Hamilton, were blown out by Trinity in the opener and lost a tight one against Middlebury. They rank #3, ahead of 6-3 Wesleyan based on a head-to-head win and a stark statistical differential. To a large degree the Tufts’ statistics would suggest a record better than 6-3.
Offense
Tufts finished 2nd in the NESCAC in offense, and 1st in both rushing and 3rd down conversion rate. On the ground, RB Chartellis Reece led the league with 808 rushing yards, which was close to or greater than four NESCAC teams’ total rushing output. QB Michael Berluti threw for 19 TDs against just 5 interceptions, completed 55% of his passes, ran for 516 yards and averaged 282 yds between the run and the pass. WR Jaden Richardson was named the league’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year, and he generated slew of big plays including 13 TDs and a 18 yd per catch average. The Jumbo offensive line, led by 1st team All-NESCAC lineman Travis Cepalia, yielded just 6 sacks on the season and paved the way for a 5.4 rush per carry average.
Defense
The Jumbos finished 1st in overall defense and pass defense. The Jumbo secondary yielded just 145 yds per game, just 8 passing TDs and intercepted their opponents an offsetting 8 times. 1st team All-NESCAC DB Louis Timmins finished the year with 4 interceptions and 6 PBUs. The Jumbos had had a 1st team All-NESCAC player at each level of their defense – Timmins (secondary), E.J. Comerford (linebacker) and Ed Iuteri (defensive line). Tufts finished 1st in 4th down defense, yielding conversions on less than 24% of opponents’ tries.
4-WESLEYAN (6-3)
Wesleyan upset Middlebury and beat rivals Amherst and Williams to take the Little Three crown. The losses to powers Trinity and Tufts were to be expected, but the Cardinals had tough loss to Colby in OT. Wesleyan was outgained by 62 yds and outscored by 19 points, but still found its way to win 6 games.
Offense
The Cardinals finished middle of pack in the league statistically on offense, including 4th in passing. QB Niko Candido averaged 240 passing yds per game and had 21 TD throws but completed just 53% of his passes and had 11 INTs. The Wesleyan offense was fueled by the two topflight wideouts: WR Chad Wilson and Thomas Elkhoury finished 5th and 7th in receiving yards in the league, respectively, with Wilson catching 10 TDs and earning 1st team All-NESCAC honors. The Cardinals rushed for just 2.7 yards per carry, led by a trio of running backs with RB Tyler Flynn the leading rusher with 309 yds. The offensive line yielded a league high 33 sacks.
Defense
As with their offense, Wesleyan finished middle of pack in the league statistically. A couple Cardinals stood out: 1st team All-NESCAC CB Wesley Abraham finished tied for 1st in interceptions (5) in the league and returned 2 picks for touchdowns. Fellow defensive backs Sean Walker and Jack Nally ranked rank 4th and 7th in the league passes defended, respectively. Linebackers Ben Carbeau and Jack Edwards rank 6th and 8th in the NESCAC in tackles and Edwards earned 1st team All-NESCAC honors.
5-AMHERST (4-5)
Amherst beat Hamilton and Bates and finished the year with back-to-back wins over Bowdoin and Williams. The late wins, including a tight win over their archrival Williams, propelled them to the 5th ranking.
Offense
The Mammoths averaged just 14 points per game, finishing 9th in scoring, rushing yards and total offense in the NESCAC. The quarterback position was in transition – they started with freshman John Collier, changed to Jack Cox and finished with Mike Piazza. WR Carter Jung provided some big plays – he averaged 15.4 yds per catch. The offensive line performance was below par: the Mammoths had a paltry 2.3 yds per carry and yielded 24 sacks. No Amherst RB finished in the Top 15 rushers in the league.
Defense
Amherst finished in the middle of the pack defensively, but was 2nd in pass defense. The Mammoths had 11 interceptions against giving up 14 passing TDs. 1st team All-NESCAC DB Luke Harmon made several game changing plays finishing with 75 tackles (3rd in league), 10 TFLs, 2 sacks and 3 INTs returned for 80 yds. Amherst did not generate much pass rush, as they only had 10 sacks. LB Trey Doyle finished 9th in the league tackles with 61 and freshman Christian Moore had a game for the ages against Williams: he intercepted a bobbled Eph pass at the Amherst goal line and returned it 76 yds, had a scoop and score and intercepted Williams in the Amherst goal line late in the game.
6-BOWDOIN (4-5)
Bowdoin beat Bates and Colby to win the CBB and reach 4 wins for the first time since 2011. They lost to Middlebury, Amherst, and Wesleyan by a total of 16 points. The Polar Bears are ranked #6 behind 4-5 Amherst, as the Mammoths beat Bowdoin.
Offense
Bowdoin finished 3rd, behind Trinity and Tufts, in the NESCAC in offensive yardage averaging 392 yds per game. QB Andrew Boel was impressive in 7 games before being sidelined, completing 60% of his passes, hitting 15 TD passes, and averaging 275 yds per game (which is 3rd in the NESCAC). The Polar Bears finished 2nd in the league in passing offense and featured two 1st team All-NESCAC pass catchers: WR Colton Fahey was 2nd in the league in receiving yards (and 3rd in all-purpose yds) and TE Brendan King finished 8th in receiving yards and had 10 TDs. RB Andre Eden finished 3rd in the league in rushing. Bowdoin struggled with interceptions (13) and finished negative 5 in turnover differential.
Defense
The Polar Bears finished 2nd in the league in rush defense. Bowdoin’s Koy Price was 2nd in the league with 12.5 TFLs and had 5.5 sacks and garnered 1st team All-NESCAC honors. The Polar Bears registered the highest sacks in the NESCAC, with 28. LB Max Jacobs led the team in tackles with 62 and had 4.5 sacks. Bowdoin was the most penalized team in the league, costing themselves 63 yds a game in penalty yardage.
7-WILLIAMS (3-6)
The Ephs opened the season with nice win at Colby and beat Hamilton and Bates. Williams lost their other games including a tough loss where they outgained Amherst, but turnovers cost them the game against their archrival. Williams lost to Wesleyan to go 0-2 in the Little Three and are ranked highest among the three 3-6 teams based on their head-to-head wins over those teams.
Offense
Williams’ offense finished 2nd in league rushing but 9th in passing. The run game was led by RB Mario Fischetti, RB Jon Oris and freshman QB Owen McHugh, as the Ephs averaged 4.2 per carry. Fischetti led the NESCAC in rushing in his first four games before going down while McHugh and Oris combined for 847 yds for the season. The passing game struggled, as McHugh was last in the league in completion percentage amongst the league starters, completing just 48% of his passes, which was a factor in Williams finishing last in 3rd down conversions, converting just 29% of its chances. No Ephs receivers finished in the Top 15 in the league.
Defense
Williams finished 3rd in rush defense and 4th in scoring defense. The Ephs had 27 sacks with DL Cameron Smith and LB Ethan Scott combining for 13 sacks and 68 tackles on the year. Williams endured some unfortunate fumble luck: opponents fumbled 17 times, but the Ephs only recovered 6. Holden Gehring, who caught 22 for 254 yds, also provided help in the Williams’ secondary, where he had 2 INTs.
8-HAMILTON (3-6)
Hamilton beat Colby and Bates and had a stunning comeback overtime victory at home against Tufts. They lost tight games to Amherst and Williams, and were outmatched in their other games. The Continentals sit at 8th in the power rankings ahead of 3-6 Colby (as they beat the Mules) and below 3-6 Williams (as they lost to the Ephs).
Offense
Hamilton finished 4th in rushing offense but last in passing yardage. Freshman RB Nate Wildman led the Continentals in rushing for the first part of the season, including a 119-yard day against Amherst, and converted QB Matt Banbury took most of the carries the 2nd half of the year. Freshman QB Luke Kurzum, who was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, was also a strong runner, and the trio of Banbury, Wildman and Kurzum finished 6th, 8th and 9th in the NESCAC in rushing, respectively. The passing game yielded a league low 150 yards a game, with expected growing pains from starting a freshman at QB; Kurzum had 7 TDs to 5 INTs. No Hamilton wideout finished in the Top 19 in receiving yards in the league, as TE Marc Howrigan was unable to replicate his strong ’22 season.
Defense
The Hamilton defense struggled in ’23: they finished 8th in rush defense and 9th in pass defense. The Continentals finished with just 12 sacks, and 6 of those were made in their final game against winless Bates. LB Cole Rivell was strong in the run defense, registering 74 tackles, which ranked 4th in the NESCAC. The secondary had several new starters, but CB Kyle Bratcher was a standout – he finished with 8 PBUs and 4 INTs on the season.
9-COLBY (3-6)
The Mules had an impressive win over Wesleyan and topped Amherst and Bates, but finished the year with four straight losses, including dropping home games to Hamilton and Bowdoin. In those early wins, special team plays were critical: Colby blocked a punt for a TD (Bates), blocked a game winning FG (Wesleyan), and benefitted from a missed FG and PAT (Amherst). Colby finished with a negative point differential of 105 points. The Mules are ranked 9th based on their losses to the other two 3-6 teams, Hamilton and Williams.
Offense
Colby finished 8th in the league in scoring. The quarterback position lacked continuity: Miles Drake started the first two games, followed by Thomas Keeling through game 8, and freshman Christopher Milmoe started the final game. Keeling was efficient – he completed 57% of his attempts, had 8 TDs to 2 INTs and averaged 178 yds passing per game. WR Matt McHugh – who had one catch in two games in ’22 – emerged as a big play wideout for the Mules: he had 45 catches for 529 yds including two games where he had 160 and 120 yds receiving, respectively. The offensive line had its issues: Colby ran for just 2.1 per carry and yielded 32 sacks (the NESCAC worst was 33). RB Keon Smart finished 10th in the league in rushing and was a pass catching threat: Smart finished with 691 yds between rushing (339 yds) and receiving (352 yds).
Defense
Colby finished 9th in scoring defense (just at 28 pts per game), although their yardage statistics were closer to the middle of the pack. The defensive line was able to generate pressure as they notched 21 sacks, but the Mules only had 3 INTs while giving up 17 TD passes over the 9 games. LB Julian Young was a tackling machine – he earned 1st Team All-NESCAC honors and finished 1st in the NESCAC with 94 tackles, which was 16 higher than next highest player.
10-BATES (0-9)
The Bates had to replace several key starters from their ’22 campaign, and in playing a slew of young Bobcats failed to win a game in the 2023 season. Their best chance for victory came against Colby, but too many turnovers led to a six-point loss. Bates finished with a league worst point differential of negative 213, and their winless campaign led to the #10 ranking.
Offense
Bates finished last in the league in scoring and rushing offense. The running game average a mere 1.9 per carry as Bates leaned on freshman RB Ryan Lynskey and sophom*ore RB Adam Steinberg. The offensive line, which had two freshmen starters, struggled as evidenced by league low rushing totals and the yielding of 28 sacks. The passing game finished 7th in the league, fueled in large part by experienced QB Colton Bosselait and TE Steven Guerrette as well as an emerging star in WR Sergio Beltran. Beltran finished in the Top 10 in the league in receiving, and broke 100 yds receiving in two games, while Guerrette finished in the Top 15 in receiving. At QB, Bosselait completed 50% of his passes and had 11 TDs but threwo 8 INTs. The Bobcats gave meaningful snaps to freshman QB Seneca Moore, who was more of a running threat: he attempted 23 passes while rushing 49 times.
Defense
Bates had major defensive issues in 2023: they were last in overall defense, last in rush defense, had only one interception and allowed opponents to convert over 50% of their combined 3rd and 4th down conversions. DL Matt Juneau was a standout, finishing 7th in the NESCAC in tackles and registering 4.5 TFLs. The Bobcats could only muster 5 sacks. The linebacking corps and secondary were green: Bates started four freshman and two sophom*ores at those units, so the growing pains were to be expected.
