Amherst's two-headed rushing attack of senior quad-captain Fletcher Ladd and junior running back Matt Monteith combined for 322 yards rushing and five touchdowns with just 32 carries between them. The Jeff defense, meanwhile, totally shut down the high-flying Wesleyan offense, holding Brennan Carney to just 189 yards passing, more than 100 yards below his season average entering the game.
While Amherst is arguably a more talented team than their Little III rival, intensity seemed to be the biggest difference on the field. The Jeffs, powered not only by the sizable Homecoming crowd but also by memories of last year's devastating 14-13 loss to Wesleyan, were focused from the opening whistle, while the Wesleyan team seemed utterly overwhelmed on the opposite sideline. "Everyone from the coaches down held a bitter taste from last year's loss," said Ladd. "We simply wanted to win the game more than they did and it showed on the field."
Amherst set the tone for the game on the opening drive. Marsh Moseley '05 completed passes on two consecutive third downs to keep the fledgling drive alive before Ladd broke a run down the Jeff sideline for a 45-yard score.
After a 21-yard field goal by David Bodner '05 made the score 10-0, Wesleyan seemed to wake up and drove the ball inside the Jeff red zone. But the defense held firm and Wesleyan missed the field goal. Two plays later, Monteith raced 78 yards for a career-long touchdown run. Although three quarters remained for Wesleyan to erase its 17-point deficit, Monteith's run undoubtedly put the hearts of most loyal Jeff fans at ease, and if there was any question as to the ultimate outcome of the game, Head Coach E.J. Mills and company settled the issue by scoring on their next two drives.
A 29-yard Bodner field goal and a five-yard Monteith touchdown run gave Amherst a commanding 27-0 halftime lead.
Things did not improve for the Cardinals in the second half as quad-captain cornerback Paul Whiting '04 intercepted a Carney toss on the first play from scrimmage following the intermission. On the very next play, Ladd rushed for 33 yards and yet another Jeff touchdown. At this point in the game, even some current Amherst students were starting to learn the proper words to "Lord Jeffery Amherst."
The final score of the game came early in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth-and-eight on the Cardinal 15-yard line, Mills elected to go for a first down rather than try a field goal. The ground game was working so well that offensive coordinator Don Faulstick called Monteith's number on a simple toss left. Not only did Monteith pick up the first down, but he got a touchdown as well.
"Our offensive line played with incredible intensity and that's what allowed Matty [Monteith] and I to run for the yards we did," said Ladd. The offensive line was tremendous on Saturday. With a cast on his right hand, center Sean Carroll '05 actually had to snap the ball left-handed after Emmanuel Ashamu '04 went down with an injury early in the game.
But Wesleyan never could find a way to slow either Ladd or Monteith. Ladd rushed for 165 yards on 17 carries while Monteith, who was later named NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week, rushed for 157 yards on 15 carries.
Linebacker Dave Borgonzi '05 led the Jeff defense with 11 tackles, while classmate Chris Scarpelli added eight and an interception. Amherst has now outscored its opponents 127-0 in its four wins.
With the win, Amherst moved into sole possession of second place in the NESCAC, one game behind undefeated Trinity College.
This Saturday, the Jeffs travel to Medford where they will take on the Tufts University Jumbos, who currently stand at 3-2. Last year, Amherst rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Tufts 27-24 in overtime.
"In my opinion, they will be the best team we have played to date," said Mills. "We robbed one from them last year, so this date has been circled on their calendar for a long time."