Coming into the contest with all the confidence of a team riding a 10-game winning streak, Amherst made quick work of their hospitable hosts, chalking up an impressive victory that was a far cry from their 13-12 squeaker over the Polar Bears a year ago at Pratt Field.
Like last week at home against Bates, Amherst got on the scoreboard early and often, starting the fireworks on their very first possession, which was capped off with a score when veteran quarterback Alex Vetras ’11 found classmate Andre Gary open for a nine-yard touchdown toss. Sure-footed junior kicker Matt Rawson — last week’s NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week — upped the score to 7-0, and Amherst never looked back.
After Bowdoin’s offense stalled again, the Lord Jeffs took up where they left off, putting together an 85-yard drive highlighted by a 55-yard pass play from Vetras to wide receiver Andrew Reed ’12. Junior Eric Bunker capped the long drive with a two-yard TD run, while the automatic Rawson added another PAT to make the score 14-0.
After a Bowdoin three-and-out possession, the Polar Bears were again forced to punt, and Amherst wasted no time in striking yet again, as Vetras connected on a 23-yard pass to junior wide receiver Brian Ketterling to set up a seven-yard TD toss to wide receiver Brian Murphy ’12. Rawson’s PAT was successful and Amherst stretched its lead to 21-0, all while still in the first quarter.
By then, as the saying goes, it was all over but the shouting, of which there was precious little from the stunned Polar Bears. Late in the half Amherst tallied yet another touchdown, when Bunker ran the ball in from the 16 for his second score of the day and Rawson’s PAT gave Amherst a commanding 28-point lead at intermission.
Amherst’s final foray into the endzone came midway through the third quarter on a 55-yard pass from Vetras to wide receiver Will Reed ’12. The busy Rawson tallied the point after to up Amherst’s margin to 35-0, before adding icing to the cake with a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Not until barely three minutes remained in the contest did Bowdoin break into the scoring column with a one-yard plunge.
Behind a dominating offensive line that has not allowed a single sack thus far this season, Vetras posted the stats for the game of his career by throwing for a total of 340 yards and three touchdowns, as his wide receivers enjoyed a field day against the Polar Bear defenders. For the second week in a row, Bunker led the ground attack with 73 yards and a career-best two touchdowns in a single game.
The Jeff defense, so solid that it sometimes seems taken for granted, held Bowdoin to the single late score and sacked Polar Bear QB R.J. Shea ’12 four times, not to mention limiting the Bowdoin offense to only five of 14 successful third down conversion attempts Outstanding individual efforts belonged to junior defensive back Kevin Heller (six solo tackles and a batted pass), junior lineman Kevin Ferber (five tackles, two sacks) and dynamic sophomore linebackers Sam Clark and Matt Pieterse, who each finished with seven tackles on the afternoon. Others taking star turns included senior linebacker Brandon Quinn, who snagged an interception, and sophomore defensive back Robbie Heflin, who recovered a Bowdoin fumble and rumbled with it for 16 yards.
With the victory, Amherst pushed its all-time series advantage over Bowdoin to a record of 69-17-2 and remained tied for the top spot in NESCAC standings with Williams, the only other undefeated team in the conference. The Lord Jeffs hope to continue their winning streak against Middlebury (1-1) this Saturday in Vermont.