BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Middlebury College football team rolled past host Bowdoin on Saturday, 47-29, to improve to 7-0 and remain alone on top of the NESCAC standings. With only a Nov. 9 game at Tufts remaining, the Panthers can clinch a share of the league title with a win over visiting Hamilton at 12:30 p.m. this Saturday.
With the win at Bowdoin, Panther Coach Bob Ritter saw his record at Middlebury improve to 100-53. The Panthers led by 41-7 after three periods before taking the foot off the gas against the winless Polar Bears. 
The Panthers took a 7-0 lead on their second possession, when Alex Maldjian broke free up the middle and scampered 45 yards for a score. On their next possession quarterback Will Jernigan capped a six-play, 60-yard drive with a 23-yard keeper  at 4:27 of the first period, and it was 14-0.
The Panthers made it 21-0 with at 1:06 left of the period by covering 61 yards in six plays. Jernigan tossed a pass over the middle to Maxim Bochman from 13 yards out for the TD.
In the second quarter as Polar Bear receiver Nate Richam-Odoi took a pass from Matthew Marcantano over the middle and broke free for a 53-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7.
Later in the quarter Panther linebacker Jack Pistorius stepped in front of a Marcantano pass and returned it to the Bowdoin one. Maldjian dove into the end zone on the next play to give the Panthers a 28-7 lead at the break.
In the third period Middlebury got an 18-yard touchdown run from Jernigan and a 17-yard strike from Jernigan to Bochman to increase the lead to 41-7 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter Bowdoin opened the period with a seven-yard Nate Richam-Odoi TD run and a 22-yard scoring pass from Austin McCrum to Max Freedman.
Middlebury capped its scoring with a 22-yard pass from Ben Tauber to Joseph Mastrangelo, but the PAT was blocked by Bowdoin’s Alex Tyson and returned for two points by Soren Birkeland with 3:26 on the clock. The catch was the first of Mastrangelo’s career and Tauber’s first touchdown pass.
McCrum hit Brendan Ward from 25 yards out with 37 seconds left to create the final score.
Jernigan completed 13 or 24 passes for 153 yards and rushed for 53 yards. Maldjian led the team with 95 yards rushing on 20 carries, while Tauber had a 57-yard rush. Frank Cosolito led all receivers with five catches for 67 yards, Bochman caught four passes for 45 yards, while Maxwell Rye had four receptions for 41 yards.
Rye punted the ball three times for 114 yards, setting career school records for punts (182) and yards (6,638). Wyllis McKissick and Pete Huggins each finished with six tackles, while Pistorius made four stops, recovered a fumble and picked off a pass. Michael Carr finished with two stops and intercepted two passes.
McCrum completed 13 of 18 pass attempts for Bowdoin, while Marcantano was 2-12 for 55 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Richam-Odoi led all rushers with 105 yards on 26 carries. Joe Gowetski led all tacklers with 15.