The Jeffs' record fell to 4-2 this past weekend after dropping their meeting with Tufts University by a score of 29-10. The Jumbos were led by a staunch defense and the excellent play of quarterback Matt Russo, who threw three touchdown passes. The loss moved Amherst into a four-way tie for third place in the NESCAC, while Tufts remained in first place in a tie with Middlebury College.
The contest was hosted at Tufts' Zimman Field in Medford, Mass. It looked early on as though Amherst might be able to spoil the fun for the home crowd. Russo's first pass of the day was intercepted by Amherst linebacker Nick Boehm '08. Despite taking over on the Jumbos' 21-yard line, the Jeffs were forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal attempt. Nevertheless, sophomore placekicker Matt Eberhart had no trouble converting to put Amherst on the board.
Despite their early 3-0 lead, things pretty much only went downhill as the game progressed. Russo was able to regain his composure and conduct an efficient drive on the very next possession. Four Russo completions punctuated a five-play, 65-yard drive that concluded with a four-yard touchdown pass. After a missed extra point, the Jumbos held a 6-3 lead with 7:34 remaining in the first quarter.
Amherst seemed positioned to strike back when the offense found itself on the Jumbos' 28-yard line, thanks in part to a 20-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Lucas Loeffler to wide receiver Taylor Brown '09. However, Loeffler was sacked on the next play and fumbled the football, leading to the first of several turnovers on the afternoon. The Jumbos, in turn, picked up right where they left off, and 15 plays later, a diving Russo converted on fourth-and-goal to expand Tufts' lead to 13-3 a few minutes into the second quarter.
The next Amherst drive ended rapidly with a three-and-out, but it appeared as though the defense was finally gaining some traction after forcing out the Tufts' punt team after just three plays. However, an illegal participation penalty gave the Jumbos a first down, and they capitalized. After converting a fourth down, Tufts was able to get in range for a 37-yard field goal that first-year Greg Stewart made with ease. Neither Tufts nor Amherst scored again before the half, leaving the Jumbos up 16-3 going into the locker room.
The second half began with the Amherst defense displaying the talent it has made use of all season, having held opponents to under 10 points a game going into Saturday's contest. The Jumbos were forced to punt on their first two possessions of the half, but the Jeff offense did not fare any better. On Amherst's third possession, Loeffler threw an interception to Nathan Scott to set the Jumbos up with excellent field position. Five plays later, Russo completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to widen the gap to 29-3.
In the fourth quarter, Scott hindered the Jeffs once again, making a great play to stop sophomore tailback Aaron Rauh for no gain on fourth down, giving the Jumbos the ball. After Tufts was forced to punt, Scott put a great hit on tight end Dan Savage '10 to cause a fumble that was recovered by the Jumbos in Amherst territory. Only a few plays later, Russo had his team in the end zone again after completing his third touchdown pass of the day.
The Jeffs then turned the offense over to first-year quarterback Dan Pozner. The coaching staff has been very excited about Pozner's potential, citing his extraordinary arm strength. Pozner's talent was certainly evident, as he threw one ball 50 yards through the air, but that play also highlighted his weaknesses, as he overthrew his intended receiver by a solid 10 yards.
Nevertheless, the offense did seem to respond to Pozner's presence. Although he threw an interception on his first drive, his next effort was the only sustained drive by the Jeffs all afternoon. Pozner found first-year wide receiver Ben Kettering over the middle of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to the final of 29-10.
Overall, the story on the day was Tufts' ability to halt the vaulted Amherst rushing attack and Amherst's inability to find an answer to Russo. The Jeffs entered the contest averaging 185.2 yards per game, but were held to just 72 yards on 28 carries. Part of the problem was the failure of Amherst's passing game to keep Tufts honest, as Loeffler was just 7-19 for 86 yards and Pozner was 7-13 for 58 yards. On the other hand, Russo was a neat 20-26 for 205 yards. "The Tufts game was a building experience for our team," said Rauh. "We have to put it behind us and focus on winning our next two games."
Amherst will have a difficult road to hoe in the final two weeks of the season, taking on traditional powerhouses Trinity and Williams Colleges, both of which are tied with Amherst with records of 4-2. Next Saturday will double as Senior Day and Family Weekend, so there will be the added pressures of a winning for the soon-to-graduate as well as on-looking relatives. "Our focus against Trinity will be getting back on track as a team and sending the graduating seniors off with a big victory," said Rauh. Two weeks away, of course, is the annual "Biggest Little Game in America," against the abhorred Ephs.
As things stand in the league, the Jeffs are still very much in contention. They will need a little help from both Middlebury and Tufts, who would both have to lose this weekend in order to give the Jeffs a chance at winning the conference outright. Tufts will play at Colby College, while Middlebury will host Hamilton College. The Jeffs, however, will approach the weekend's contest as they always do-focused on taking care of their own business by shutting down the team across the line of scrimmage-in this week's case, Trinity.