The Jeffs spotted their hosts a 21-0 lead in the early going-the Bantams found the end zone in each of their first two possessions-and despite a late comeback attempt, were unable to overcome the deficit.
Once again, Amherst was hurt by its ineffective and unreliable offense. Offensive Coordinator Don Faulstick's unit was held to a paltry 192 yards of total offense as the Bantams were able to hold tailback Fletcher Ladd '04, Amherst's only consistent offensive threat, to just 72 yards on 24 carries. But the difference in Saturday's game was the way Trinity was able to run all over the usually solid Amherst defense.
Trinity amassed 227 yards rushing, powered by the rushing tandem of Brian Fabrizio and Tom Pierandri. The duo led Trinity down the field on its opening drive of the game before Bantam quarterback Greg Ward threw a 12-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Joe Wahl. Following Amherst's second consecutive three-and-out series, Trinity regained possession of the ball at their own 17-yard-line and proceeded to march 83 yards for their second touchdown.
The drive was sparked by a pair of long completions by Ward and it was Ward who capped the drive off with a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Two possessions later, Fabrizio tallied the Bantams' final score of the day on a 40-yard touchdown scamper. The last time Amherst trailed by as much as 21 points was in 1998 when Williams opened up a 28-7 lead against the Jeffs en route to a 35-16 win.
"We didn't get off the bus," said Head Coach E.J. Mills of his team's dismal first half. "We did not come ready to play ... [Trinity] just kicked us around in the first half, that was our worst half of football this whole season. That being said, Trinity is an excellent football team and they deserve all the credit in the world."
But Amherst made a game of it in the second half. After sophomore placekicker David Bodner's 37-yard field goal was blocked early in the third quarter, the Jeffs finally got on the scoreboard on their second possession of the half on Ladd's 1-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive was set up by a Gavin Weeks '06 fumble recovery. The key plays in the drive were a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Trinity and a 17-yard pass play from quarterback Marsh Moseley '05 to wide receiver J.P. Zito '03.
Amherst cut Trinity's lead to 21-14 with just over five minutes to play in the game when Moseley threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jason Wagstaff. Amherst had one possession to try to tie the game, but the Amherst magic that miraculously saved the Jeffs from defeat against Tufts University last week was nowhere to be found as Trinity defensive back Gavin O'Reilly registered his second interception of the game late in the fourth quarter, bringing Amherst's hopes of a comeback to a sputtering halt. "We played well in the second half, but we can't expect to win against a good team like Trinity, spotting them 21 points in the first half," said junior linebacker Dan McNamara.
Defensively, the Jeffs were led by McNamara, who had 17 tackles and two forced fumbles. On the offensive side of the ball, Ladd's 72 yards rushing brings him within 128 yards of the school's single-season rushing record set by Josh Mason '96 and 201 yards shy of the NESCAC record. Moseley finished the game 10-16 for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Co-captain fullback Jeff Ryan '03 was the Jeffs' leading receiver with 46 yards.
Amherst will conclude their 2002 campaign this Saturday at Pratt Field against archrival Williams on Homecoming Weekend. Williams will come to Amherst on the heels of a 15-game winning streak. Amherst meanwhile has not lost at home in well over two years and has not gone winless in Little III competition since Mills took over direction of the football team in 1997.