Six seconds remained in the first half and the Jeffs were deep in Trinity territory, trying to extend their 7-6 lead over the undefeated Bantams before halftime. On first-and-goal at the two-yard line, junior quarterback Marsh Moseley stepped back to pass and threw a spiral into the corner of the end zone, over the shoulders of a Trinity defender and straight into the hands of senior wide receiver Jim Devine. It was Moseley's second touchdown pass of the game, and gave Amherst a 14-6 lead at the break.

Though it would be his last touchdown pass of the season-Moseley broke his ankle in the second half of the Trinity game, and will miss the final game against Williams this Saturday-it was an impressive play by Moseley. This is hardly surprising: Moseley has been impressing teammates and coaches alike since he arrived at Amherst.

Moseley wasn't always a quarterback. He played defensive back as a freshman in high school, his first year on the varsity squad. Though he became the quarterback his sophomore year, he returned to his defensive back position as a junior.

But his days as a quarterback weren't over. When the quarterback of his high school team graduated, the spot was Moseley's for the taking. "My coach wanted me to go back out there," he said, "and I wanted to go as well."

Moseley excelled as a quarterback, so much so that he drew the attention of college coaches, primarily those in the NESCAC-including Amherst's.

"He's an exciting player," said Head Coach E.J. Mills, who saw something in the game footage Moseley sent Mills his senior year. "He's someone who made a lot of plays [in high school] when he was out on the field. More than anything, he made plays-both with his feet and his arms-and had a presence about him."

Moseley had to wait to demonstrate his talents in a college game. He arrived at Amherst fifth on the quarterback depth chart, and spent the beginning of his freshman season on the practice squad. Yet he didn't stay there long.

"He was just killing our defense," Mills said of Moseley's practice performance. "So we decided to throw him up with the offense, and he continued to impress." As a result of Moseley's play, Mills decided "to give him a shot."

When Mills offered Moseley his chance against Wesleyan on Homecoming weekend, he was ready. "I felt like I had nothing to lose," Moseley recalls. "I was completely relaxed; I just wanted to go out there and have fun." Have fun he did: Moseley came off the bench and threw two touchdown passes, leading the Jeffs to a 23-0 victory. He was later named NESCAC Rookie of the Week-an honor he would receive again that season-for his stellar play.

"The rest is history," said Mills. "Ever since that day he's been our quarterback." His play led the Jeffs to a 3-1 record in the second half of the season, the loss coming to Williams in the final game-a loss that ruined Amherst's bid for an undefeated 2001 campaign.

"It was devastating," Moseley said of that loss. "I had never been in an environment like that. There were thousands of people there, it was a huge game, both teams were 7-0, undefeated. There was a lot at stake, and I definitely did not have a good game-I had a horrible game, actually."

Though the season was enormously successful for both Moseley and the team-Moseley finished with 32 completions, 460 yards, and three touchdowns in four games, and the Jeffs ended the season 7-1-the loss in the finale left a bad taste in Moseley's mouth. He returned his sophomore year ready to raise his game. "It was really good to have [that freshman year experience] under my belt," he said. "It was a crucial experience. But I didn't get a chance to grasp the offense, so my sophomore year was really my first knowing the system."

Despite having a year behind him, Moseley struggled throughout that second season. In fact, having experience as a quarterback may have worked to his disadvantage. "I think I felt more pressure going in as a sophomore," Moseley said. "And I didn't necessarily have an outstanding year."

Yet he turned that all around in the final game of the season against Williams. Playing at home and before a regionally televised audience, Moseley threw three touchdowns and passed for 237 yards, leading the Jeffs to a 45-35 upset over the Ephs.

"He just played unbelievably well," said Mills. "That's the mark of a big-time player-to play your best on the biggest stage. He'll be talking about that for the rest of his life, and so will I."

"That was just a great win for us," said Moseley. "It put everything together and let us know that we had the potential to do it all along, and that we have the potential to do it this year too. [The win also] made me relax and enjoy everything, put things in perspective, and get ready for this year."

And this year? "He's been doing really well," said Offensive Coordinator Don Faulstick. "For us to be a real good football team, he's got to step up and be a guy we can depend on every week, and he's done that." He's been asked to throw more this year, and going into this weekend's final game at Williams, Moseley has passed for 1101 yards-including 219 against Trinity on Saturday-and six touchdowns.

Teammates and coaches alike respect Moseley. "He has battled injuries and played through pain many times in the interest of helping the team," said senior quad-captain defensive back Paul Whiting. "Marsh is a tough competitor, and a great guy to have on the team."

As for his football future? "I don't think he's at his best yet," said Coach Faulstick. "I think there's a lot of room for improvement in his game, and I think he'd say the same. He's certainly capable of being one of the better players to play the position here. Time will tell."