In the first half, the Amherst defense held Colby to only a field goal late in the second quarter. All day long, the Mules experienced a flogging at the hands of the Jeff linebackers. Mike Flanagan '09, Dakota Jones '07 and Preston Puryear '09 led the stalwart defense and accumulated a combined 23 tackles. The excellent play of the linebacking corps accounted for Colby's anemic 69 yards of rushing. Once again, through their persistent and hard-nosed play, the defense showed why they rank among the NESCAC's best in points and total offensive yards allowed per game.
Signal caller and quad-captain Nick Kehoe '07 orchestrated Amherst's brilliant passing attack, racking up a career high 330 yards. Kehoe's strong second half performance earned him NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Late in the second quarter, with the game still tied 3-3, Kehoe threw a 12-yard strike to receiver Jim Eckenrode '09 for a touchdown that gave the team momentum going into halftime. The ball was so deftly thrown that it looked surgically inserted, and it was representative of the passes Kehoe threw throughout the game. His favorite targets were Justin Macione '07, who led the team with 82 yards receiving, Mark Hannon '07, Eckenrode and Mike Myers '08.
Amherst came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. The offense displayed a diverse attack, dominating the Mules through the air, on the ground and on special teams. First-year running back phenomenon Aaron Rauh led Amherst's ground attack, rushing for 57 yards on 14 carries. The sophomore running back combination of Eric NeSmith and Anthony "A-Train" Fuller also added valuable yards for the team. Late in the game, Fuller had a touchdown with 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter that effectively broke the Mules' back.
The stellar play of the offense was made possible by the great field position that the defense provided. "We were able to hold Colby to short drives and were able to win the 'turnover battle,'" said senior quad-captain and defensive back Mike Salerno '07. "Perhaps most importantly, and one of the things we had yet to accomplish as a defense, we were able to give our offense better field position."
The best offense is a good defense, and as Salerno suggested the Jeff defense set up most of the offensive drives. Fuller's nine touchdown, in particular was set up by the defense, as linebacker Mike Taylor '10 intercepted a Mule pass and ran it back for a 26-yard return. In the second half, the Amherst secondary dominated the airways. The Colby passing attack sputtered and lurched as Chris Mottau '07, Puryear, Salerno and Rob Grammar '08 combined for a total of six pass breakups. Grammar also forced a fumble late in the game, which Amherst recovered. The defensive effort in the second half was so dominating, that one stat embodies their effort: Colby crossed the 50-yard line only once.
The Jeffs showed great resilience against Colby, and the problems that occurred in the Middlebury game were solved quickly. Head Coach E.J. Mills always has his squad ready to play, and a convincing victory is often the best antidote for a disappointing loss. Next week, the football team plays Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. Wesleyan has a solid 2-2 record this year, and as Amherst enters the latter half of its season, NESCAC foes will not roll over without a fight.
NESCAC Notes
Williams College leads the conference and remains undefeated at 4-0; while Amherst, Middlebury, Trinity College, and Tufts University all have a 3-1 record. Wesleyan is 2-2, Colby and Hamilton Colleges are 1-3, and Bates and Bowdoin Colleges have yet to win a game.