The Jeffs amassed 411 yards of total offense despite the absence of preseason All-American Okey Ugwonali '02 and an early injury to fellow tailback Kevin Kennard '03, who was coming off a career game the previous week against Hamilton. Quarterbacks Jeff Browne '03 and Jim Devine '04 improved greatly following their initiation to the college game last week; Browne showed remarkable composure in the pocket, going 10-17 for 175 yards with two touchdown tosses, while Devine (4-4 for 51 yards and a rushing touchdown) displayed good mobility.
The Bowdoin Polar Bears managed a paltry 127 yards of total offense and just 27 total passing yards. Amherst's young secondary came away with one interception and did not allow any completions longer than eight yards. Bowdoin's only serious drive came early in the fourth quarter, when the Polar Bears, led by senior tailback Tony Small, drove 46 yards down to the Amherst 19. Facing a fourth down and nine, the Polar Bears, down by 35 points, elected to go for the first down. But Jeff Quad-captain Pat McGee '02 (10 tackles and two sacks) got a great jump on the fourth down play and was able to sack Bowdoin quarterback John Clifford to end the drive and preserve the shutout for the Jeffs.
The game started off slowly, with both teams doing relatively little with each of their first two drives. But the momentum of the game turned after a fantastic punt by Geoff Bough '03 pinned Bowdoin inside their own five-yard line. The Jeff defense prevented the Polar Bears from improving their terrible field position and forced them to punt from their own goal line. Quad-captain Derrell Wright '02 further improved Amherst's field position by returning a short punt 18 yards down the sideline to the Bowdoin 9. Amherst capitalized on their fantastic field position on the next play when Devine ran a nine-yard quarterback sweep to pay dirt. The run marked the first of four consecutive touchdowns for the Jeffs. "The biggest play of the game was Bough's punt," said Head Coach E.J. Mills. "When we pinned Bowdoin down there, we were able to get great field position, and field position is everything."
The Jeffs scored three touchdowns in a six-minute span to take a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Defensive back Jeremy Carroll '03 picked off a deflected pass by Bowdoin's Justin Hardison on the second play of the second quarter to give Amherst the ball on the Bowdoin 42. Nine plays later, Matt Monteith '05 ran four yards for his first career touchdown. The final touchdown came early in the fourth quarter when Browne connected with Jerimy Hiltner '02 over the middle, 25 yards downfield. Hiltner then ran down the sideline following a convoy of blockers to complete the 52-yard touchdown play.
"If you're looking for someone to give credit to, you should give it first and foremost to the offensive line," said McGee. "They've blocked well for everybody who has been behind them this year." More than 40 percent of Amherst's 185 total rushing yards came from freshman running backs Monteith and Christopher Scarpelli, who were able to see extended action because of injuries to Amherst's Ugwonali, Kennard and Fletcher Ladd '04. The two played well, combining for 75 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.
Notwithstanding his team's stellar start, Mills still has some concerns going into next week's game. "Our team has yet to be challenged in the fourth quarter, and that is not going to continue for the rest of the season. So, we haven't faced that kind of adversity yet and that makes me a little nervous," he said.
The Jeffs will get their first real test of the season next week when they host the Middlebury College Panthers at Pratt Field. Middlebury is coming off of a tough 28-21 loss to Colby. Ugwonali and Ladd are expected to play, though Kennard is listed as questionable. McGee was named NESCAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Bowdoin.