Senior quarterback Marsh Moseley was the offensive standout for Amherst. After throwing an interception on his first pass attempt of the game, Moseley proceeded to complete 11 of his next 13 pass attempts for 172 yards and three touchdowns. The four-year starter's numbers could have been even more impressive had he not given way to backup Nick Kehoe '07 at the beginning of the second half when the outcome of the game was pretty much decided.
Amherst opened up the scoring on its second possession of the game. A deflected Wesleyan punt provided the Jeffs with excellent field position to start the drive, which would be highlighted by an athletic, 19-yard-touchdown grab by receiver Justin Macione '07, the sophomore's first collegiate touchdown reception.
Wesleyan coughed up the ball early on its next drive, once again setting the Jeffs up in an excellent field position. Matt Monteith '05 put an end to the ensuing drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to put Amherst up by 14 just before the end of the first quarter.
Wesleyan's offense was not doing its defensive unit any favors in the first half, and after another quick Wesleyan three-and-out to open the second quarter, the beleaguered Cardinal D was once again forced onto the field. The Jeffs seemed poised to put up another seven points when Moseley found senior tight end Ryan Sykes streaking downfield for a 29-yard completion down to the Cardinal's 18-yard line. To its credit, the Wesleyan defense regained its composure and averted disaster by holding Amherst to a 31-yard David Bodner '05 field goal. Trailing 17-0, Wesleyan remained in the game.
Any momentum that this defensive "stop" generated for Wesleyan was quickly dissipated when the unrelenting Amherst defense held the Cardinals to yet another three-and-out. Again, Wesleyan was obliged to punt from deep in its own territory, and, again, Moseley and company took over on a short field. This time, however, the Jeffs would not fail to deliver the knockout punch.
Senior quad-captain Fletcher Ladd ran the ball three times for 13 yards. Moseley completed three passes for 42 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown strike to senior quad-captain Jay Wagstaff in the corner of the end zone. This was part of a six-play, 55-yard scoring drive that absolutely deflated the Homecoming crowd at Andrus Field.
Amherst's final drive of the first half was capped by sophomore receiver Mark Hannon, who recorded his first collegiate touchdown reception, hauling in a 10-yard laser from Moseley in the end zone.
Up 31-0 at intermission, Head Coach E. J. Mills decided to sit Moseley, Ladd and Wagstaff for the rest of the game in order to avoid unnecessary injury and to give less experienced players playing time.
Even though the first half was played almost entirely in Wesleyan territory, Amherst lost the field position battle in the third quarter.
After a short punt, Wesleyan began its first drive of the second half at the Amherst 29-yard line. The Cardinals seemed poised finally to make an impression on the scoreboard with first-and-goal at the 1, but Phil Banks' second lost fumble of the game momentarily preserved the Amherst shutout.
The Jeffs were unable to move the ball on offense, however, and Wesleyan began its next drive at midfield. The Cardinals were then able to move the ball into the Jeffs' red zone before settling for a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 31-3.
The lone touchdown of the second half came early in the fourth quarter courtesy of a 48-yard rush by running back Will Beeson '07. Beeson's touchdown run was immediately preceded by sophomore defensive back Mike Salerno's first career interception.
Statistically, Amherst was not as dominant as it has been in previous games, but this whipping of Wesleyan was the Jeffs' most impressive performance of the season to date. Wesleyan-which entered Saturday's affair on a two-game losing streak, but showed real promise in two early wins over Tufts University and Hamilton College-was totally outplayed by Amherst on both offense and defense in the first half.
Amherst, for its part, put the rest of the NESCAC on notice that it has a potent aerial attack to complement its well-publicized ground game. Ladd may well be "The Franchise" as he was frequently referred to on NESN, but Coach Mills has plenty of other weapons at his disposal. Indeed, Ladd only needed to carry the ball 11 times for 42 yards as Moseley and his receiving corps did most of the damage in the first half.
"Saturday was a great day for our offense as a whole especially because we got other receivers [involved besides Wagstaff], which helped for us to build confidence in one another," said Moseley. "I have always had complete confidence in all of my receivers but this was the first time we got to go out and actually prove to ourselves and opposing teams that we can be pretty good."
The Jeffs return home this week to host Tufts University during Family Weekend. While Tufts enters the contest with a disappointing 1-4 record, the Jumbos have had to swallow some tough losses. Just last week, Tufts dropped a heartbreaking 10-9 decision to Williams College on account of a blocked extra point. Tufts will assuredly be looking for redemption this week.
Amherst, on the other hand, must resist the natural temptation to look past Tufts in anticipation of the season's two final games against Trinity and Williams Colleges.
"We could lose easily [to Tufts], if we do not stay fully focused and prepared," cautioned Mills.
Mills probably will not have to work too hard to keep his team focused on Tufts, given that the Jumbos handed the Jeffs a 20-14 defeat last year.