After unveiling a new, potent aerial attack in the season opener against Hamilton College, the Lord Jeffs football team reminded everyone of what its bread and butter has been. Amherst dominated on the ground Saturday against the Bowdoin Polar Bears, racking up 278 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 31-24 win in Brunswick, Me., pushing their record to 2-0.
“We didn’t necessarily game plan the run,” said sophomore starting quarterback Alex Vetras. “But after a few early turnovers in the air, we decided to try and take advantage of the five and six guys in the box. Even when they started to bring a seventh guy our O-line and guys like [sophomore fullback] Charlie Pratt just dominated up front. With [junior Aaron] Rauh, [senior Eric] NeSmith, and [sophomore] Femi [Oyalowo] running the ball so well, there was no need to throw except for a few third-down conversions.”
Rauh credited the offensive line, giving special mention to seniors Justin Wiley and Tim Rose as the reason for Amherst’s success in the running game.
The Lord Jeffs got on the board first with a 24-yard field goal from junior Matt Eberhart. The Polar Bears answered with a touchdown early in the second quarter, but a six-yard touchdown from Vetras to sophomore Ben Kettering gave Amherst the lead for good. Vetras finished the game with mixed statistics: 17-27 for 181 yards with one touchdown pass and two picks.
Third-quarter touchdowns from Rauh and NeSmith pushed the Jeffs’ lead to 17 points, but the Polar Bears mounted a fourth-quarter rally. Bowdoin cut the lead to only three points with two consecutive touchdowns, but Oyalowo put the game away with Amherst’s third rushing touchdown of the game with just over five minutes left.
According to Rauh, the team didn’t let up at all in the final quarter. But he admitted that the team’s late-game play needs to improve as the season progresses. “As an offensive unit, we did not let off the gas at all,” he said. “We continued with the game plan and just kept plugging away. The fourth quarter of a game is always vital to success, and we do need to improve as a team in that period if we are to continue winning.”
“There used to be games we were expected to win but it’s evident the NESCAC gets more competitive every year,” Vetras added. “Bowdoin’s comeback just emphasized what we already knew. You can’t take anyone in this league lightly.”
“We know we have to ability to persevere and win a tight ballgame,” said Rauh of the lessons Amherst can draw from the game. “We also know that we must continue to improve if we are to achieve our goal of a NESCAC Championship this year.”
Vetras agreed that there are positive things to be drawn from the Bowdoin game, but said that there is still work to be done. “Everyone needs to step up,” said the starting quarterback. “We’ve relied heavily on our defense to bail us out since I’ve been here and I think it does a lot for everyone’s confidence to know the offensive can respond when the defensive is struggling. Obviously, though, the most important lesson is that the team as a whole needs to keep getting better.”
Up next for Amherst are the defending conference champions, the Middlebury Panthers. The Jeffs suffered their first of four losses last year at the hands of the Panthers, so the team will look to avenge that loss this year.
“We have not beaten Middlebury since I’ve been here and since they won the league last year, so we are definitely gunning for them,” said Rauh. “However, we will continue to take it one step at a time and just work on improving ourselves.”