2002 Football

Experience is the key for the 2002 Bates College football team as they look to improve on their 1-7 season in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). The Bobcats return 18 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball, six of whom are seniors. In all, Bates has 11 members of the Class of 2003 on the squad, the largest senior class since the Bobcats' 1999 Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) championship team.

Bates' offense should be fun to watch in 2002. The Bobcats return the third-rated rusher and passer in the conference in senior tailback Sean Atkins (New York, N.Y.) and senior quarterback Kane Jankoski (Spencer, Mass.). Atkins, a two-time All-NESCAC performer, boasts two of the top four rushing performances in school history, including a 270-yard showing last season at Wesleyan. His 202 yards in the first half were a school record. Atkins averaged 94.1 yards per game despite missing significant parts of three games because of injury. Atkins is joined in the backfield by classmate and fellow co-captain Paul Tenney (Swampscott, Mass.), a fullback who is both a punishing blocker on the gridiron and a fierce defender on the men's lacrosse team.

After a slow start, Jankoski emerged as a top passer in the NESCAC, ending the season with a quarterback efficiency rating of 106.5. He threw for a career-high 1115 yards, completing 104 of his 201 passes to rank second in the NESCAC with a 51.7 completion percentage. He earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors in 2001 against Bowdoin, when he completed 19-of-31 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns in the Bobcats' 38-35 overtime win. Jankoski's receiving corps features junior wideout Owen Miehe (Glen Rock, N.J.) Miehe cracked the top 10 in the NESCAC in receiving in 2001, averaging four catches per game. He had a pair of breakout performances last season, hauling nine catches for 78 yards against Bowdoin and seven catches for a career-high 164 yards and a TD against Middlebury.

The offensive line returns three starters who average 262 pounds. Returnees Jeff Bolduc (Southborough, Mass.), Nick Markos (Lynn, Mass) and Ethan Dolleman (Limerick, Maine) allowed no sacks in three of the Bobcats' eight games last season and helped the offense average 266 yards per game of offense.
On defense, the Bobcats are led by their always-strong linebacker corps. Junior Pat Foley (Newburyport, Mass.), the 2000 NESCAC Defensive Rookie of the Year, led the team with 60 total tackles and tied for team-high honors with 39 solo stops. Sophomore Kevin Madden (Concord, N.H.) made a name for himself filling in for an injured Foley in the Bobcats' season finale against Hamilton, earning NESCAC Rookie of the Week honors for his 13-tackle performance against the Continentals. Foley's classmate Pat Connors (Randolph, Mass.), who was second on the team with 48 tackles, and senior Adam Sheppard (Canton, Mass.) round out the linebacking corps.

2001 All-NESCAC defensive lineman junior Kurt Chapman (Brunswick, Maine) was an offensive player as a rookie, but he came into his own on defense last season. Chapman led the team with four sacks and eight tackles for loss. He recorded a sack in each of the Bobcats' last four contests. Chapman was one of the defensive stars against Bowdoin, posting eight solo tackles and a sack to end the game in overtime.

In the defensive backfield, senior Pat Boyaggi (Cleveland, Ohio) returns as a three-year starter. Boyaggi made two interceptions last season, both in CBB play, blocked two kicks and was second among DBs with 29 tackles. Junior Rob Maguire (Wayland, Mass.), who made the transition from wide receiver as a rookie to safety in 2001, was third overall on the team with 47 tackles and tied with Foley with 39 solo stops. Maguire was also an All-NESCAC selection in baseball last spring.
On special teams, junior Nat Carr (Cambridge, Mass.) will handle the place kicking duties. He hit just three of nine field goals last year, but four of his six misses were from beyond 40 yards. He also hit from 39 and 40 yards and gave the Bobcats a victory with his 32-yarder in overtime against Bowdoin. Jankoski doubles as the Bates punter, averaging 31.8 yards per kick. Sophomore return man Rob Dion (Lewiston, Maine), a triple-threat as a running back, wide receiver and kick returner, trailed only Atkins in all-purpose yardage. He averaged 18.5 yards per game on kick returns, including a 51-yarder against Wesleyan.