Amherst’s football home opener and second win in as many games came by the narrowest of margins in a true nail-biter that was not decided until the waning moments of the fourth quarter, Saturday, on a wet Pratt Field. In fact, if such a thing is possible, the Jeffs’ 13-12 victory over the Bowdoin College Polar Bears was even closer than the score indicated, as both teams gave maximum effort despite the rain and muddy condition of the turf.

The real story of the game was that Bowdoin played well enough to win between the twenty-yard lines but failed to convert any of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Although Bowdoin kicker Bill Donahue went 4-4 in the field goal department, from 29, 22, 23, and 19 yards out—in the process tying a 38 year-old school record — the Bears’ inability to punch the ball across the Amherst goal line ultimately cost them the game.

The statistical war was no contest, however, with Bowdoin’s talented quarterback Oliver Kell engineering an impressive 23 first downs, 317 passing yards and almost 400 yards of total offense against a seemingly porous purple-and-white defense that was nonetheless good enough to keep the game within reach by denying the visitors a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the opportunistic Jeffs managed to notch two touchdowns of their own: one on a six-yard scamper by senior Aaron Rauh in the second quarter and the come-from-behind game-winning toss from Amherst quarterback quad-captain Alex Vetras ’11 to Brandon Bullock ’10 with less than three minutes remaining in the contest.

A missed Amherst P.A.T. following Rauh’s touchdown and Donahue’s first two field goals left the the game knotted, 6-6, at halftime, while two more three-pointers off Donahue’s foot — the last following a terrific goal line stand by the Amherst defense at their own two yard line — put the visitors up 12-6 at the end of the third quarter. Fortunately, Amherst owned the fourth-quarter scoring, with Vetras finding Bullock for the deciding TD at the 2:47 mark. This time the extra point kick by Matt Rawson ’12 sailed through the uprights, giving Amherst the 13-12 lead and the game.

Still, the game ball and the lion’s share of credit for the victory belongs to the stingy Amherst defense, led by senior Mike Taylor, who caused a fair amount of havoc with 16 total tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage and a quarterback sack for an 8-yard loss. Teammates Fred Argir ’10 and Brandon Quinn ’11 were also stand-outs, creating fumbles and interceptions in addition to making tackles. Senior Fran Florio also had an interception.

With the loss, Bowdoin falls to 1-1 for the season, while Amherst goes to 2-0 with a chance to extend its perfect start against Middlebury this Saturday at Pratt Field. The stakes are high for the upcoming match as Bullock pointed out.

“No one on the team has ever beaten Middlebury, so it would be a great accomplishment to get a victory,” said the wide receiver.

“This week’s practices will be extremely intense because everyone understands the importance of the Saturday game. 3-0 is the goal.”