Meanwhile, the Amherst offense was carried by tailback Okey Ugwonali '02, who tallied 151 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries.
Neither offense got much done on a day when the strong winds hampered each team's passing game. Both teams kept the ball on the ground for much of the game, but Amherst's defense was up to the challenge. Brian Holmes, Tufts' strong tailback, was held to 93 yards on 36 carries, and Tufts completed only 10 passes for 68 yards.
The defense made its first stand early in the first quarter. When the Jeffs were stopped on their opening possession, Geoff Bough '03 came on to punt. With the wind at his back, Bough got off a 42-yard punt that rolled down to Tufts' two yard line. Forced to hand off in their own endzone, the Jumbos gained nothing on their first rush.
On their second try, Holmes was smothered by a host of Jeff defenders in the endzone, with Ken Barrington '01 leading the charge. The safety put the Jeffs up 2-0 with eight minutes left in the first quarter.
"We had some guys step up on defense. Pat Hayes ['03] came in for Pat McGee ['02] and played well. Right now we're playing good team defense with a bunch of guys running to the ball," said Head Coach E.J. Mills.
With the wind limiting the passing game, the Jeffs turned the ball over to Ugwonali and fellow tailback Kevin Kennard '03. After being shutdown the previous week by Wesleyan University, the Jeff runners returned to form against Tufts, as Amherst gained over 200 yards on the ground. Both backs, however, lost fumbles that killed successful Amherst drives.
The first fumble came in the second quarter when Kennard failed to handle a pitch and the Jumbos recovered on their own 28. The cold weather made it difficult for the runners to tuck away the ball after pitches-Ugwonali's fumble in the third quarter also came on a pitch. For the day, the Jeffs had six fumbles and lost three of them.
While the offense struggled, the defense held firm throughout the game. Their biggest stop came after a fake punt by the Jumbos. Facing fourth and five, Tufts came out in punt formation, but a Tufts defensive end took a direct snap from center and went 30 yards before being stopped. This was Tufts' longest play from scrimmage all day, but Amherst would not give Tufts any more yards on the drive. Mills and his team were expecting the fake. "We knew it was coming and we read it well, but we missed a tackle at the line," Mills said.
After losing two yards on their next three plays, Tufts was forced to attempt a 41-yard field goal. The kick, however, was into the wind and it hooked well left of the goalpost,which ended the Tufts threat.
The game see-sawed back and forth until the first drive of the fourth quarter. Starting from their own 21-yard line, the Jeffs finally capitalized on their running ability. Handing off directly to Ugwonali, Amherst pounded the ball down the field. Ugwonali rushed for 58 yards on the drive, and capped it with a one-yard touchdown run.
The drive came at an opportune time for the Jeffs. "When we had to come up with a big drive, we did," said Mills. "We ran the ball very well against a good defense."
The final Tufts threat was extinguished when Ted Hollow '01 stopped Holmes for a four-yard loss on a fourth and one play. The Jumbos had driven to the Amherst five yard line with 42 seconds left, but the Jeffs tightened up and preserved the win. In doing so, the Jeffs registered their third shutout of the season, the first time that has been done since 1997.
Overall, Mills was happy to get the win. "I'm glad we were able to hang on. But, we're going to have to play better in order to win our last two games. You can only give somebody so many shots to win."
The first of those games will be against Trinity College this Saturday. The Jeffs spanked Trinity last year in a 27-0 win. This year, however, the Bantams have a completely new coaching staff and a new quarterback.
"We will be going in to their homecoming and it will be a tough game. Their quarterback keeps getting better and their tailback was NESCAC rookie of the year last year," said Mills. "They can run and throw the ball well."