November 4, 2000
HARTFORD, CT - Junior Amherst College running back Okey Ugwonali (Dallas, TX) topped the 150-yard mark for the third time this season and scored a pair of touchdowns, while the Jeffs' defense held off a late Bantam surge as Amherst outlasted host Trinity, 28-20, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday.
With the win, Amherst improved to 6-1 and remained in a three-way tie for first place in the NESCAC heading into next Saturday's season-finale against visiting archrival Williams College.
The Jeffs drew first blood six minutes into the game on a one-yard plunge by sophomore tailback Kevin Kennard (Canton, OH), his third of the season. Amherst took advantage of excellent field position, starting the drive on the Bantam 35-yard line after sophomore punter Geoff Bough (Los Altos, CA) pinned Trinity on its own four-yard line with a 51-yard punt on the previous possession.
Trinity's defense rebounded on the Jeffs' next possession as Amherst quarterback Peter Honig (Bronxville, NY) overthrew junior wide receiver Jerimy Hiltner (Coral Gables, FL), right into the hands of senior strong safety Gavin OÕReilly (Cheshire, CT), who returned the ball 39-yards to the Amherst nine-yard line. The Bantams then scored on three plays, capped by a two-yard bootleg touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Greg Ward (Avon, CT) to even the score at 7-7.
On the next drive, Amherst answered with its second touchdown of the first quarter as Honig lofted a 65-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Derrell Wright (Hudson, OH), who wrestled the pigskin from a pair of Trinity defenders at the Bantam 30 and weaved through a host of pursuers for his seventh touchdown of the season.
Late in the second quarter, Amherst extended its lead to 21-7 on a three-yard touchdown run by Ugwonali. On the 61-yard drive, Ugwonali carried the ball on eight of the 10 plays for 32 yards.
The Jeffs began the second half just as it ended the first - with a flourish - forcing Trinity to punt after three plays, and marched effortlessly into Bantam territory on its ensuing possession, until freshman defensive end Jamie Creed (Valley Forge, PA) pounced on a Kennard fumble at the Bantam 11.
Both teams put up zeros in the third quarter and Amherst missed a 33-yard field goal attempt to start the fourth, when the momentum suddenly shifted towards Trinity. Starting with the ball in its own 20-yard line, the Bantams drove the ball 80 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown. Ward completed four passes on the drive, including a 15-yarder to sophomore wideout Kevin Waters (Garden City, NY) on third-and-eight and a touchdown pass to freshman tailback Tom Pierandri (Ridgefield, CT) on third and goal from the nine-yard line.
Amherst sophomore Pat Hayes (East Bridgewater, MA) blocked the point after attempt, leaving Trinity with an eight-point deficit (21-13) with 6:43 left in regulation.
On the next play from scrimmage, Ugwonali took advantage of tenacious blocking up front by the Amherst offensive front of Brendan Carolan (Koloa, HI), Josh Ahearn (North Brookfield, MA), Rob Vernicek (Mountville, NJ), Colin Renz (Cincinnati, OH) and Mike Somerville (Hinsdale, IL), slicing untouched through the middle for a 53-yard touchdown run to push the lead back up to 15 points at 28-13.
"I was just thinking first down, but the hole opened wide and I was off to the races," said Ugwonali, who finished with a game-high 158-yards rushing. "We wanted to spread the defense and it worked out perfectly."
"We came in with no tight ends, split their safeties out wide with our formation and went right up the gut," added Carolan, who blasted holes in the Trinity defensive front all afternoon long. "I looked up and saw that number 27 (Ugwonali) headed downfield and I knew we executed the play perfectly."
Despite Ugwonali's backbreaking touchdown run, a resilient Trinity attack wasn't finished. The Bantams battled back with a 64-yard touchdown drive, keyed by sack-negating Amherst defensive holding penalty. Freshman tailback Matt Glasz (North Haven, CT) capped the scoring drive with one-yard touchdown drive as Trinity cut the lead once again to 28-20.
After an unsuccessful on-side kick attempt, Amherst attempted to run out the clock but was forced to punt with 1:45 remaining. On fourth down, Creed broke through the middle and blocked Bough's sixth punt attempt, which Trinity recovered at the Amherst 49-yard line.
With under 1:30 to fashion a game-tying drive, the Bantams coughed the ball up on downs as Hayes stopped Pierandri five yards short of the first down marker on fourth and seven.
Amherst outgained Trinity, now 4-3 on the season, by 191 yards (455 to 264), including a 237 to 114-yard advantage on the ground. The 455 yards was a season high, as Kennard complemented Ugwonali with 69 yards rushing on 16 carries, while Honig completed 11 passes in 18 attempts for 218 yards and a touchdown.
Junior strong safety Jay Hutchins (Columbus, OH) paced the Jeffs with nine tackles on defense, while senior defensive backs Dave Frankel (New York, NY) and Steve Yung (Oak Brook, IL), junior linebacker Dan Lalli (Watertown, MA) and Hayes each added seven takedowns.
Amherst remains tied with Colby College and Middlebury for first place in the NESCAC, while Williams (5-2) won its third consecutive game with a 28-7 win over Wesleyan this afternoon.
Amherst and Williams will lock horns for the 115th time on Saturday in what many hail as the "Biggest Little Game in America," with the 2000 Little III title at stake. Game-time is set for noon and the action will be televised regionally on NESN.
