On Oct. 6, the Jeffs hosted the Panthers of Middlebury, the only team to defeat Amherst last season. Amherst entered the game without running back Kevin Kennard '03 and quarterback Jim Devine '04, who were sidelined with injuries. In addition, Amherst lost wide receiver and Quad-Captain Derrell Wright '02 early in the game, after Wright landed awkwardly after a tackle. However, the Jeffs managed to pull out a 7-3 win.
Neither team generated much offense until late in the first quarter, when Amherst quarterback Jeff Browne '04 completed two consecutive passes to Jerimy Hiltner '02 and Jason Wagstaff '05 for gains of 24 and 22 yards respectively, which gave the Jeffs first and goal at the Panther 2. But the Jeffs were unable to punch the ball in the endzone, and to add insult to injury, David Bodner '05 missed a short field goal wide left.
The momentum of the game soon swung in Middlebury's favor after the Panthers pinned the Jeffs inside their own 5 after a 64 yard punt by senior Denny Smith. A short punt by Geoff Bough '03 gave the Panthers the ball at the Amherst 26. The Jeff defense held their ground, giving up only one yard on three plays, but Middlebury kicker Mike Frissora connected on a 42-yard field goal to give the the Panthers a 3-0 lead, which they took into the locker room at halftime.
While the defense played extremely well, the Jeff offense was unable to produce a sustained scoring drive through three quarters of play. But early in the fourth quarter, Amherst put together a 13 play, 89 yard drive that would produce the game-winning touchdown.
Browne was 4-6 for 74 yards on the drive, including a game-long 35-yard pass to J.P. Zito'03. Fletcher Ladd '04, filling in for Okey Ugwonali '02, who re-injured his leg late in the third quarter after running for 104 yards on 27 carries, capped the drive off with a two-yard touchdown run.
Defensive back Jay Hutchins '02 had twelve tackles and a forced fumble for the Jeffs and was recognized as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week. Browne was 12-26 for 163 yards on the day with an interception in his first game as the sole quarterback for Amherst.
Last Sunday, Amherst traveled to take on Colby. Kennard and Wright returned to the lineup for Amherst, as they looked to go 4-0 for the first time since 1997. Kennard and Ladd each scored a touchdown and combined for 151 rushing yards on 37 carries. Their solid performance allowed Head Coach E.J. Mills to use star tailback Ugwonali sparingly, allowing him to rest a sore ankle. The defense forced six turnovers to hold a normally explosive Mule offense to just three points.
Colby threatened early in the first quarter as they marched down to the Amherst 7. But Colby quarterback Pat Conley was picked off by Brian Landolfi '02 at Amherst's goal line. This would not be the only time the Amherst defense would force a turnover with their backs at the line.
The play after, a Wright fumble gave Colby the ball on the Amherst 9, and Paul Miceli '03 recovered a fumble forced by Hayes. But Colby was not the only team that squandered its opportunities in the red zone. At the end of the first half, Amherst drove 86 yards on 16 plays down to the Colby 4 before a fumble by Browne ended the scoring chance. The teams ended the first half in a scoreless tie following two quarters of sloppy play.
Amherst's offense started to pick things up early in the third quarter. Kennard put the Jeffs on the board with a five-yard touchdown run. Amherst looked like it would score on its next drive, when defensive lineman Brad Hensley '02 intercepted Conley's pass at Colby's 25 yard line. But three plays later Browne returned the favor by throwing his only interception of the game. Colby converted this turnover into the only points they scored all game, a 40-yard field goal.
Amherst came back a couple of possessions later after an Ed Sylvester '04 interception put the Jeffs on the Colby 37. Amherst would take advantage of this turnover. Several plays later Ladd ran four yards into the endzone, giving Amherst all the breathing room they would need for a 14-3 win.
"We didn't play a great game on defense, and I told the guys that. But we did force six turnovers and stopped them twice inside the redzone. The guys are playing hard, but we could still execute better," said Mills.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jeffs have been running well but have not put up as many points over the last two games as they would like. "We just haven't been consistent," said Mills. "We have run the ball well, but we have had too many penalties and we haven't converted inside the redzone. We have been shooting ourselves in the foot. But we have had a lot of injuries and people missing practice, making it hard for the offense to gel."
Amherst is tied atop the NESCAC with fellow frontrunners Tufts University and Williams College, who will square off next Saturday in Williamstown. "The team is very happy with how we have played to this point," said Quad-Captain Pat McGee '02, who had four tackles and three sacks in the game. "However, we also realize that our schedule will only become more difficult as the season progresses." Indeed, Amherst will have its first game against a winning team as they play host to Little Three rival Wesleyan University this Saturday for Homecoming.