The football team pared the Tufts University Jumbos down to size on Saturday at Ellis Oval Field. It was Amherst's fourth straight win and built on the momentum and intensity gathered from the Jeffs' memorable victory over Wesleyan University during Homecoming. Many questioned Amherst's ability to win against Tufts; the Jeffs were winless against the Jumbos in their last two contests. But even the snow, an early morning bus ride and Amherst's drought of luck against the Jumbos could not prevent the Jeffs from winning in their usual style-convincingly and emphatically. A great game against Tufts gives Amherst confidence to take on the team, that juggernaut from Hartford, Conn., that is arguably the toughest opponent of the season: Trinity College. Head Coach E.J. Mills was satisfied with the Tufts game. "We played well; it was a good team win," he said.

The Amherst offense drew first blood with a touchdown 12:16 into the first quarter. On Amherst's second play from scrimmage, senior running back Ngai Otieno broke away from the pack for a 59-yard touchdown run; the play set the tone for the offensive onslaught that ensued.

The Amherst offense rushed for a total of 233 yards, bringing in some fresh faces at running back to provide the Jeffs with depth and flexibility. Running back Eric NeSmith '09 and Otieno combined for nearly 200 yards of rushing while Dom Cama '06 contributed 50 yards to the effort as well. As usual, the Amherst ground game was consistent and punishing. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, allowing running backs the option to run between the tackles or to stretch the defense with options and sweeps. This versatility of the offense to run inside or out will be a necessity in the coming weeks when defenses get larger, faster and more aggressive.

Amherst quarterback Nick Kehoe '07 played an outstanding game, throwing 11 complete passes on 17 attempts. Kehoe orchestrated an aerial attack that netted the Jeffs over 200 yards in passing. The balanced attack of the Amherst offense, rotating easily between run and pass, was on display prominently in the first quarter when receiver Justin Macione '07 caught a 29-yard pass from Kehoe to put Amherst up 16 to Tufts' six. Macione had a standout performance, hauling in three passes for 73 yards. Joining him was a corps of receivers that has come to be one of the best and most productive in the NESCAC. It includes Mark Hannon '07, who tallied 97 yards receiving, as well as Mike Myers '08 and Rob Brown '06.

Kehoe's ability to find a multitude of receivers forced the Tufts secondary to take no receiver lightly, including running backs who made some important catches out of the backfield. Kicker Justin Roemer '06 provided the offense with a boost when he made a career-long 40-yard field goal in the first quarter to put Amherst up by nine.

Unfortunately for the Jumbo offense, on their first drive of the game they came face-to-face with the reason why the Amherst offensive line is so good: Every week they must practice against the Amherst defensive line. On the first three plays from scrimmage, Tufts rushed for a total of three yards courtesy of the relentless efforts of defensive lineman Brendan McKee '07, defensive back Nick Zeiler '06 and offensive linebacker Joe Bickerstaffe '06. These three players forced Tufts to a quick and painless (for the Jeffs) three-and-out on their first drive.

Tufts' only success against the Amherst defense came with 3:10 remaining on the clock in the first stanza when the Jumbos quarterback lobbed a long ball down to the Amherst one-yard line. From there, it was a short romp into the end zone which placed Tufts in the uncomfortably-close position of within three points of Amherst's lead. But the Tufts offense would not reach the end zone for the duration of the game, thanks to the excellent play of seniors Spinnato, Zeiler and Roemer-who also plays offensive linebacker-who combined for a total of 19 tackles. The Jumbos also had terrible difficulty in developing any kind of continuity or rhythm in the running game, which was proved by their measly 88 yards gained on the ground. Contributing negative yardage to the Tufts rushing effort with tackles-for-a-loss were linebacker Dakota Jones '07 and defensive lineman Dan Kovolisky '06, who set Tufts back 11 yards.

At halftime, Amherst led Tufts 16-6, but the game was in no way decided, and Mills stressed this to his players. "We need to come out and make a statement in the second half," he told his team. Bad memories of botched opportunities coursed through the heads of Amherst players, and the pungent taste of two straight years of losing was still in their mouths. Accordingly, Amherst began the second half on fire.

On the first play to begin the third quarter, Kehoe fired a pass to Hannon, who sprinted for 65 yards and pay dirt, putting Amherst up 23-6. But on the next drive, which came to be a pivotal moment in the game, the Tufts offense rumbled down to the Amherst 15-yard line only to be rebuffed. The Tufts quarterback threw three incomplete passes in the red zone, which put the prospect of winning out of reach for Tufts. On their last drive of the game, the Jumbos' offense progressed once more to the Amherst 15-yard line, only to come up short yet again.

One of the reasons for Tufts' inability to put together and sustain drives was the elevated play of the Amherst secondary. Defensive backs Mike Salerno '07 and Rob Grammer '08 and inside linebacker Jake Spadafora '08 all had pass breakups during the game which made the airways untenable for a Jumbo assault. Tufts was only 4-17 in third-down conversions against the Amherst defense, which made it impossible for them to sustain any long drives. When the Jumbos looked to start a march downfield, the indomitable Amherst 'D' was quick to disrupt with a tackle for loss or pass breakup.

All season long the specter of undefeated Trinity College has loomed ominously over the Jeffs. Trinity has averaged 33.9 points per game on offense while opponents have only managed 1.8. The Bantams also have the longest winning streak in Div. III football with 27 wins and counting. Their offense has rushed and passed for nearly 2,000 yards this season, and their defense has only allowed an average of 158 yards to their opponents per game. But nevertheless, Trinity is beatable, and to run the table in the last three games of the season would be an amazing accomplishment for Amherst.

Mills believes this prospect is not so far out of reach. "Our goals are staring in front of us," he said. "This is a huge task, but we are playing for a couple of championships [Little Three and NESCAC]." The Jeffs face Trinity at home on Saturday.