September 23, 2000

AMHERST, MA - Senior quarterback Peter Honig connected with junior wide receiver Derrell Wright for three touchdown passes while a stingy Amherst defense held Hamilton College to just 120 yards of total offense as the Jeffs pounded the Continentals 30-0 in their season-opener Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field.

Honig set the tone on the Jeffs first possession, capping a seven-play, 55-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown strike to a streaking Wright in the back left corner of the end zone.

Amherst head coach E.J. Mills saw the mismatch in the Hamilton secondary and decided to exploit it for the rest of the game. "Derrell's a special kid and you've got to get him the football," said Mills. "Peter made great decisions today and threw the ball well. We tried to make some big plays and those are the guys we're most likely to get them from."

The defense held suit on the Continentals' next possession. Jeff linebacker Brian Landolfi intercepted quarterback Mike Pellman's first pass attempt of the game at the Hamilton 26, setting the stage for a career-long 32-yard field goal by Liam Flemming.

Later in the first quarter, the Jeffs' defense caused another turnover when defensive back Steve Yung put a vicious hit on Hamilton tailback Chris McCarthy, who lost the football to Amherst defensive lineman Pat McGee. On the next play from scrimmage, Honig found Wright again in the left corner of the end zone for a 25-yard scoring strike and a 17-0 first-half lead.

The score remained 17-0 until late in the third quarter, when Honig and Wright cemented the game with a 29-yard touchdown pass, their third and final touchdown connection of the game. However, Flemming missed the extra-point attempt to keep the score at 23-0.

Amherst defensive back Dave Frankel then capped the victory on the first play of the fourth quarter, intercepting reserve quarterback Brent Lowinger's pass at the Hamilton 35 and racing untouched down the sideline for his first career touchdown.
Honig finished 16-for-29 with 240 yards passing and three touchdowns for his second career 200-yard passing day, while Wright torched Hamilton for nine catches and 151 yards receiving to go along with 48 punt return yards. Amherst running backs Kevin Kennard and Okey Ugwonali added 57 and 51 yards rushing, respectively.

Meanwhile, Amherst strong safety Jay Hutchins led the Jeffs with 10 tackles, including five unassisted, while Dan Lalli, Ted Hollo and McGee each added six takedowns. Hamilton linebacker Ryan Nolan paced the Continentals with a game-high 15 tackles in defeat.