AMHERST, Mass. – Bates senior wide receiver Mohamed Diawara caught a 28-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining in the game to lift Bates College to a 27-23 win over the Amherst College football team in NESCAC action on Saturday at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.

The play capped a wild fourth quarter that saw four lead changes and gave the Bobcats (1-3) their first win of the season. The Mammoths (0-4) are back in action next Saturday (Oct. 15), visiting Colby for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Mammoths scored first as senior Conor Kennelly split the uprights with a 38-yard field goal to cap a 13-play, 52-yard Amherst drive midway through the first quarter.

* With the Bobcats driving in the second quarter, Amherst junior linebacker Andy J. Skirzenski picked off a pass near midfield and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to put the Mammoths up, 9-0. It was the first collegiate interception and touchdown for Skirzenski.

* The Bobcats used some trickery to get on the board before halftime. Sophomore quarterback Colton Bosselait passed behind the line of scrimmage to senior wide receiver Jackson Hayes, who then passed to classmate Sean Bryant for a 9-yard touchdown pass. The Mammoths then blocked the extra point attempt as sophomore lineman Phil Slaughter got a hand on the ball.

* Bates scored on another 9-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter when Bosselait found Diawara in the end zone to give the Bobcats a 13-9 lead.

* The Mammoths reclaimed the lead on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Beginning the drive from the Bates 31-yard line thanks to a botched Bobcats punt, Piazza found junior wide receiver Jack Betts for a 26-yard completion that brought the Mammoths to the 5-yard line. From there, Piazza rushed in himself for a 4-yard touchdown, the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career.

* The Bobcats capitalized on a short drive of their own later in the fourth. Bobcats senior lineman Jack Ryan recovered a fumble at the Amherst 24-yard line and a pass interference call on the first play of the Bates drive gave the Bobcats 1st-and-goal at the 9-yard line. On third down, Bosselait connected with senior wide receiver Christian Olivieri, who leaped to reel in the 8-yard pass and give the Bobcats a 20-16 lead with 7:26 to go.

* On Amherst's next possession, Piazza led the Mammoths down the field with a 15-play, 72-yard drive, including a 19-yard completion to sophomore tailback Jack Roberge that brought the Mammoths to the 7-yard line. A pair of rushes by Piazza pushed the line of scrimmage to the 2-yard line and junior tailback Louie Eckelkamp barreled into the end zone to give the Mammoths a 23-20 lead with 1:09 remaining on the clock.

* The Bobcats answered with a quick drive up the field as Bosselait connected with Olivieri for three first down passes before finding Diawara as he stepped into the end zone to haul in a 28-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds on the clock, giving the Bobcats the 27-23 lead after junior Archie Green Jr. kicked the extra point.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* The Bobcats netted 308 yards of total offense while the Mammoths gained 216 yards. Bates had a 248-133 advantage in passing yards while Amherst had the edge on the ground with an 83-60 lead in rushing yards.

* Bates tallied 24 first downs while Amherst moved the chains on 15 occasions. Bates was 12-of-17 on third-down conversions while Amherst was 7-of-15 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down.

* Piazza was 20-for-25 with 133 passing yards and no interceptions as well as 21 rushing yards and a touchdown.

* Eckelkamp was Amherst's leading rusher with 55 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

* Betts finished with 31 receiving yards on two receptions, largely due to his 26-yard reception that was Amherst's longest play from scrimmage in the game.

* Bosselait was 23-for-40 for the Bobcats, passing for 239 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Sophomore running back Jamil Mouehla led Bates with 20 yards on 10 carries, while Olivieri hauled in 9 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown.

* Defensively, sophomore linebacker Ben Taylor and senior lineman Flynn McGilvray led the Mammoths with six tackles each with McGilvray adding 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack. Skirzenski also recorded a sack to go with his pick-six.

* Junior linebacker George Hawkins III led the Bobcats with 10 tackles including 2.0 tackles for loss.