Bowdoin quarterback Michael Wolfendale rushes for a touchdown in Saturday’s 39-15 loss against Middlebury. Brian Beard / Bowdoin Athletics

BRUNSWICK — Early in the second quarter, the Middlebury sideline looked deflated.

The defense had just allowed Bowdoin to go up 12-0, the offense had yet to gain a first down, let alone positive yardage, and the offensive line was consistently getting beat. But midway through the fourth quarter, the Panthers were jumping up and down the sideline, celebrating their second-half comeback and a 39-15 victory, their first win of the season.

“We just couldn’t get out of our own way,” Middlebury football coach Doug Mandigo said of his team’s slow start. “Bowdoin played great, give them credit. They put a lot of pressure on us both sides of the ball. We just couldn’t get out of our own way.”

Bowdoin (0-2) jumped out to an early attack, thanks to consistent pressure off the edge. Senior linebacker Koy Price and freshman defensive end Angus Leary took turns forcing Middlebury (1-1) quarterback Brian Moran off his spot, rushing his throws. The duo did not give Moran a reprieve, sacking him three times, combining for a safety that gave Bowdoin a 5-0 lead, as well as forcing and recovering a fumble that set up a Michael Wolfendale touchdown run in the second quarter.

The Polar Bears then forced a quick three-and-out and would be back in the red zone six plays later with a balance of quick throws and keeps from starting quarterback Robbie Long. Bowdoin kicker Caden Perry, who made a 19-yarder earlier, missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. The Panthers were unable to convert the new set of downs into points, but they did start to see offensive movement. Two drives later, Moran stared to click into rhythm and found running back Connor McClellan on a five-yard screen for the visitors’ first points of the day, 32 seconds before halftime.

“We had opportunity to be up really early on them … and we didn’t do it,” Bowdoin coach B.J. Hammer said. “Which allowed them — you can’t let a good team like them — the ability to come back. If you got them on the ropes, you’ve got to score touchdowns, and we didn’t do that.”

Bowdoin loses a 12-point lead and falls to Middlebury, 39-15, Saturday, Sept. 21. Brian Beard / Bowdoin Athletics

Bowdoin struggled to convert opportunities into meaningful points. The Polar Bears would score just once more, on a 19-yard field goal by Jotham Casey after recovering a fumble by Middlebury’s center midway through the third quarter.

From then on, Middlebury turned to Carter Stockwell (73 rushing yards) and Cody Weitzman ( 57 yards, TD) on the ground to draw the Bowdoin defense in and then look downfield for Mike Ahonen (7 rec, 90 yards, TD) or Patrick Jamin (five receptions for 100 yards). Jamin fumbled a catch at the goal line, but it was recovered by Ethan Vashel for a Middlebury score. McClellan tacked on another score, a 7-yard rush touchdown in the fourth quarter, to stamp the game as over.

“Football is a game of ups and downs. I mean, especially at the quarterback position,” said Moran, who finished 14-of-31 for 196 yards and 3 TDs. “It’s inevitable to mess up, so we just got to stay with it. Stay, you know, cool, calm and collected. Try to stay level headed. I think establishing the run game really helped open up things in the second half.”

After only gaining 71 yards of offense in the first half, Middlebury gained 286 second-half yards. The Panthers also held the Polar Bears to 103 yards of second-half offense, while intercepting both Long (13-19, 91 yards; 17 rush, 61 yards) and Wolfendale (7-11, 80 yards; 49 rushing yards, TD) on their last two drives.

“Nothing different, to be honest with you, they didn’t really change their strides,” Hammer said of Middlebury’s second-half defense. “They were just executing better than our offense was.”

“Not a ton of adjustments, X and O adjustments, our guys just kept playing,” Mandigo added. “They kept rallying, and we started making some plays and that was what the answer was.”

Linebacker Dan Fiore led Bowdoin in tackles with eight; Price finished second on the team with six, two for a loss. Ty Connelly was the leading receiver with three catches for 56 yards.

Bowdoin returns to Whittier Field next weekend to take on Hamilton (0-2).