There were a lot of questions surrounding Amherst football in the week before their season opener: What shape was career rushing leader Josh Mason '97 in? How healthy was a squad plagued by injury in preseason? How would the loss of a strong Class affect the prospects of Lord Jeff football in the upper echelons of NESCAC football this season?

All fears were allayed with the first possession of the game. Quarterback Rich Willard '98 threw to wide receiver Chris Miller '97 for a 6 yard touchdown to put the Jeffs up 7-0 after a successful conversion kick by place kicker David Bobruff '97. A field goal by Bobruff in the last second of the first half rallied the crowd behind the Jeffs as Amherst gathered on the sideline for a whooping cheer.

However, Hamilton put up a good fight toward the Amherst endzone, requiring interceptions by Alex Tracy '99 and Peter McConville '99 to spoil their attempts. The Continentals broke through the Amherst defense in the fourth quarter on a quarterback run by Pre-Season All-American Dan DeBlois. But Willard retailiated with a QB sneak of his own, a one-yard run for the final goal of the game.

GAME SUMMARY: 

Saturday, September 21, 1998 at Pratt Field, Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst (1-0)          7       3       0       7 -- 17

Hamilton (0-1) 0       0       0       7 -- 7




First Quarter
Amh: Miller 6 yard pass from Willard (Bobruff kick), 9:21

Second Quarter 
Amh: Bobruff 19 yard field goal, 0:01

Third Quarter
No scoring by either team

Fourth Quarter
Ham: DeBlois 4 yard run (A. Kelly kick blocked), 9:07
Amh: Willard 1 yard run (Bobruff kick), 4:38
Attendance: 2,447



 
                Hamilton        Amherst
First Downs            15              23

Rushes-yards   28-57           51-184

Passing yards  133             207

Comp/Att               18/30           14/20

Sacked-Yards lost1-4           0-0

Punts-yards    6-189           5-147

Fumbles-yards  0-0             0-0

Penalties-yards        3-25            8-65

Time of Possession     26:37           33:23




Individual Statistics:
Rushing: Hamilton: Millisen 19-37, Hodges 5-9, DeBlois 2-7, McClellan 2-4


Amherst: Byrne 32-124, DiSabato 11-59, Willard 7-7, Miller 1- -6

Passing: Hamilton: DeBlois 30-18-2 133 yards; Amherst: Willard 20-14-1 207 yards

Receiving: Hamilton: Hodges 7-58, Milleisen 4-16, Lyons 3-30, Johnson 2-20, Bopp 1-9


 Amherst: Brendler 4-54, Miller 4-33, Quigley 3-59, Haggerty 2-47, Murray 1-14