On the heels of a disastrous 1-7 season in 2001, Bates was considered the underdog coming into the game against an Amherst team that went 7-1 last year and traditionally plays very well at home. But Bates played Amherst tough in the early going, moving the ball on offense and holding their ground on defense, only trailing by a six point margin heading into the half.
Amherst's first score came from a David Bodner '05 21-yard field goal with 4:38 left in the first quarter. The scoring drive was instigated by a Jeremy Carroll '03 fumble recovery at the Bates 49-yard line. The Jeffs subsequently marched all the way inside the Bobcat 5 when a dropped ball by J.P. Zito '03 in the endzone on third down stalled the drive.
On their ensuing drive, the Bobcats employed a short passing attack to move the ball just inside the Jeff 20, but Mills' defense tightened in the red zone and a missed 36-yard field goal kept Bates from equalizing the score. Towards the end of the second quarter the Jeffs mounted their final scoring drive of the half. Browne and Zito hooked up twice on the drive for a combined 52 yards as once again Amherst pierced the Bates redzone before settling for a field goal.
Bates received the ball to begin the second half and quickly proceeded to drive 58 yards down to the Amherst 19. On third-and-nine, Bates attempted a halfback option, but the play was well covered by the Jeffs, allowing Carroll to snag the poorly thrown ball in the endzone and put an end to the Bobcat threat. This was the last time Bates seriously challenged Amherst's control of the game.
Two possessions later, Amherst recorded the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard rumble by senior co-captain fullback Jeff Ryan. The drive began at the Amherst 46-yard line following a poor Bobcat punt. The Jeffs managed only nine yards on their first three plays of the drive, but on fourth-and-short Mills displayed his confidence in his team and in Offensive Coordinator Don Faulstick as he instantly decided to go for the first down conversion. Mills' decision paid off handsomely as Browne's quarterback sneak easily picked up the yardage needed to keep this scoring drive alive.
Two plays later, Amherst faced third-and-eight when receiver Jason Wagstaff '05 made the play of the game, tipping what seemed to be an incomplete pass to himself and scampering for 23 yards to the Bobcat's 17 yard line. Four plays later, Ryan was celebrating in the endzone with 3:12 left to play in the third quarter. Leading 12-0, Amherst attempted a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. With a 12 point lead, the Jeffs now had the game firmly in hand.
Ladd's 16-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes before the final whistle would round out the scoring in the game. All told, the Jeffs racked up nearly 400 yards in total offense, thanks mostly to their punishing ground attack. "The offensive line, for the first game of the year, looked the best I've seen it in the years I've been here," said Ladd.
The defensive performance was highlighted by the five forced turnovers and four sacks, but Bates did manage to gain a respectable 263 yards in total offense due to their success completing short passes. "Defensively, we made too many mistakes," said Mills. "The effort was there, but we just need to execute at a higher level if we are going to be a good football team."
Next week, the Jeffs will travel to Whittier Field in Brunswick, Maine to take on the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College.