In the first quarter, the quick-strike capability of the Amherst offense was on display with a touchdown coming just over six minutes into the game. Running back Ngai Otieno '06 capped a nine-play, 52-yard drive with a short romp into the end zone that set the tenor for the game. Otieno averaged 6.4 yards on 16 carries and was the workhorse in a Jeff ground attack that tallied up 320 yards. No less impressive were the numbers posted by Amherst quarterback Nick Kehoe '07, who threw for 146 yards, connecting on 11-17 attempts.
Late in the first quarter, wideout Mark Hannon '07 added another six to the Jeffs' effort with a 90-yard touchdown run that continued to spark this already combustive offense. Hannon had a total of 175 yards on the day, and the rushing attack was complemented ably in the air as Justin Macione '07, Mike Myers '08 and Parnell Adam '07 all boasted impressive numbers receiving.
On the other side of the scrimmage, the Jeff defense allowed no points in the first quarter and pitched a shutout for most of the day as they limited Hamilton to 179 yards of total offense. On the Continentals' opening drive, the Jeff defensive front held strong. Junior Brendan Mckee had a tackle for a loss, and on the next play senior noseguard L.J. Spinnato registered his first sack of the season for a Hamilton loss of five.
Adding to the lead in the second quarter, the Amherst offense completed a six-play drive with a 30-yard pass from Kehoe to Myers that resulted in a touchdown. Junior Mike Quirk was perfect on the day, making every extra point in an impressive college football debut after converting from his first love, soccer. Will Beeson '07 started off the second quarter for Amherst at running back and tallied 16 carries on the day for 65 yards. Beeson ran mostly between the tackles as Amherst effectively neutralized Hamilton's 4-3 front with a varied rushing attack of inside zone and outside sweeps.
On the Continentals' only scoring drive of the day, quarterback Brandon Holtslag orchestrated an 11-play series that brought the Continentals down to the Jeff eight-yard line. Luckily, Hamilton was unable to come away with a touchdown. This was due in part to the superior effort of McKee, who registered two more tackles for a loss. Sophomore Rob Grammer, who had six tackles on the day along with one interception, broke up a Holtslag pass to further stall Hamilton's drive.
Mills was careful to keep his team from becoming complacent at the half. The veteran coach knows better than most that a comfortable lead and a probable victory in the NESCAC can quickly turn to certain ruin. "We were letting them hang around because of mistakes, and our penalties sustained their drives," he said.
The third quarter mainly consisted of a field position battle-the Jeffs would gain 20 or 30 yards, punt, and then Hamilton would repeat the process. Hannon and Keith Erzinger '08 combined for the punting duties and averaged a long ball of 32.7 yards. With each team jockeying for the best real estate at Steuben Field, the Amherst defense could not afford a lapse in intensity or play.
Inside linebackers Greg Muecke '07 and Jake Spadafora '08 were productive all game with two tackles for a loss and a total of nine tackles between them. Seniors Dan Kovolisky and Kelvin Coker both had tackles for a loss at key moments in the game, stymying any Continental momentum. Starting late in the third quarter, Hamilton mounted a scoring campaign which brought the offense to the Amherst 20-yard line. Just when Hamilton seemed poised to put some points on the board, Justin Roemer '06 broke up a pass on fourth-and-eight.
With 11:49 remaining in the game, a tandem of Beeson and Kehoe led the Jeffs to pay dirt one final time. On the drive, Kehoe was 4-4 in passing, making completions to Hannon, Macione and Adam. The Amherst offensive line provided ample time for Kehoe to find his receivers, and the line opened up holes big enough for Beeson to squeeze through all afternoon long. One such hole was created for Beeson as he sluiced through defenders on a five-yard run and added six more for the Jeffs which, after the extra point was made good by Quirk, would bring the totals on the day for the offense to 465 yards and 28 points. Not a bad job as the defense piled up a total of 10 tackles for a loss, setting Hamilton back a total of 33 yards.
The Jeffs' home opener comes Saturday against the visiting Polar Bears of Bowdoin College. Last year's tumult resulted in an overtime Amherst win, so Mills is taking nothing for granted. "Bowdoin is an outstanding team. [We were] fortunate to escape with a victory last year," he said.