While Hamilton is not one of the best teams in the NESCAC, a season-opening win is still important. "It is always nice to get a win under your belt," said Head Coach E.J. Mills, "But the games are just going to get tougher from here."
The Jeffs dominated the Continentals in all aspects of the game. On offense, the Continentals were only able to gain 185 yards, including a meager 26 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, the Continental defense was unable to stop the Jeffs' offense, which racked up 429 total yards, including 330 on the ground.
The defense set the tone early for the Jeffs, forcing a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, but after Amherst fumbled away the ensuing punt, Hamilton had another chance. On the first play of their second possession, the Continentals coughed up the ball, and Amherst Quad-captain Pat McGee '02 recovered it.
After the offense was unable to move the ball in their first series of the season, the defense forced another fumble, this time recovered by Quad-captain Dan Lalli '02. Given another chance, the Jeffs were able to put some points on the board. Okey Ugwonali '02 had a 26-yard run inside the Continental 10-yard line, and he finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. From here the Jeffs would never look back.
Midway through the second quarter the Jeffs reached the endzone again. Quarterback Jeff Browne '03 found fullback Jeff Ryan '03 for a 12-yard touchdown pass to finish off a nine-play, 40-yard drive.
Late in the first half, the Jeffs regained the ball deep in their defensive end and seemed content to run out the clock, but Ugwonali broke loose for a 71-yard run down to the Continental seven-yard line, setting up a field goal by David Bodner '05. Ugwonali landed awkwardly on the play, injuring his ankle, and did not return in the game. He is currently listed as day-to-day and will likely play in this weekend's home opener against Bowdoin College. Ugwonali, a preseason All-American, finished the game with 107 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Hamilton had their best offensive drive early in the fourth quarter, threatening to break up the shutout. After Hamilton quarterback Dave Pellman started the drive three-for-three for 47 yards, the Continentals reached the Jeff 27-yard line, but this was as far as they would get. Defensive back Joe Rubbone '03 snared his second interception of the game to stop the threat, and the Jeffs then marched down the field to add another score. Kevin Kennard '03, who rushed for a career-high 152 yards in the game, had six carries for 57 yards and a touchdown on the 80-yard drive.
While the Jeffs dominated the Continentals, they do have areas where they could improve. Quad-captain wide receiver Derrell Wright '02, an offensive star the last three years, only caught two passes in the game, and the Continentals were able to convert on many third-down opportunities. The Jeffs also turned the ball over twice, and they were penalized 12 times for 81 total yards. Overall, though, the Jeffs were happy with Saturday's results.
"We were able to stop Hamilton from doing what they wanted to do: run the ball up the middle and control the clock," said Lalli. "Our game plan was to stuff the run early on and force them to pass because we felt we matched up well against their receivers."
"The coaches and players work hard each week and are always happy with a win, but when we looked at the tape on Sunday we saw that we made plenty of mistakes," said Mills. "But we will get better."
For this weekend's game, the Jeffs will face a Polar Bear team that lost its season opener 21-7 to Middlebury College. Last year the Jeffs beat the Polar Bears 35-0.