The gritty, hard-hitting tone of the game was set on the first play from scrimmage, as the Jumbo defense recovered an Amherst fumble and were quickly in business at the Jeffs’ 32. But Tufts could do nothing against the Jeffs’ defensive 11, who not only blunted the Jumbos’ drive but blocked their subsequent 32-yard field goal attempt. After the next Amherst possession fizzled, the Jeffs’ defense once again thwarted the Jumbos, forcing them to settle for another field goal try. This time, however, Tufts kicker Adam Auerbach hit a career-long 45-yarder to put the first points on the board.
In the opening moments of the second quarter, Amherst retaliated. Following a Tufts punt to midfield, Amherst mounted its first scoring drive of the contest, with sophomore quarterback Brian McMahon running for ten yards and completing passes of 17 and 20 yards to fellow classmates Andrew Reed and Eric Bunker. But inside the Jumbos’ 10-yard line, the resilient Tufts defense stiffened, leading to a 27-yard field goal by Amherst sophomore kicker Matt Rawson to tie the game. The 3-3 score held until halftime, despite a late Tufts drive to the Jeffs’ 14 that once again stalled and gained no points, thanks to key penalties and a sack of Tufts quarterback Tom McManama by Amherst junior linebacker Jeff Katz.
The second half was largely a replay of the first, as both defenses continued to dominate. Neither team was able to score until early in the fourth quarter when a 29-yard pass play from the Jeffs’ McMahon to Reed on a key third down put Rawson in position to boot his second 27-yard field goal of the day. Moments later, the tenacious Amherst defense forced a Tufts punt from deep in their own territory, giving the Jeffs’ offense a short field to work with from the Jumbo 34. The result was the game’s only touchdown, as junior quarterback Alex Vetras found the elusive Bullock open over the middle on a fourth and goal play. With Rawson’s extra point, Amherst’s lead grew to 13-3, more than sufficient to carry the day, considering that the Jeffs allowed Tufts only a single third-down conversion all day. The defense, which is holding opponents to well under 10 points per game on the year, was led as usual by the inspired play of senior linebacker Mike Taylor. Named for the second time this season as NESCAC defensive player of the week for his effort against Tufts, Taylor had eight solo tackles, assisted on eight more, as well as contributing two sacks and forcing two fumbles.
Other outstanding performers on defense included senior Fred Argir (eight tackles) and sophomore Kevin Ferber (eight tackles and two sacks), as well as freshman linebacker Sam Clark and senior Edwin Urey. On offense, Alex Vetras completed 11 of 22 passes for 74 yards, while backup QB McMahon paced the rushing attack with 34 yards on nine carries.
With the win, the Lord Jeffs are 6-0 for the first time since 2001, while Tufts falls to 2-4. The two potentially toughest games of the season still lie ahead, however, as Amherst hosts Trinity (5-1) next Saturday followed by an away game against the Purple Cows of Williams, who have also lost only once. Yet the Amherst football squad remains confident in their ability to finish 8-0 this season. As junior Jeffrey Katz points out, “We have phenomenal senior leadership and a nucleus of underclassmen that have been completely focused and committed the entire season. With this being said, as long as we do not become complacent, I truly believe success will continue … I have complete faith that our players will continue to step up.”