October 16, 2001
Amherst College Lord Jeffs (4-0) vs.
Wesleyan University Cardinals (3-1)
October 20, 2001 * Pratt Field
Amherst, MA * 1:30 p.m.
THE SERIES
Amherst holds a 57-40-9 series edge over Wesleyan with seven consecutive wins in their last seven meetings dating back to 1994. Wesleyan's last series win came in 1993 in a 24-6 blowout at Pratt Field - the last of four consecutive Cardinal wins from 1990-93. The Jeffs played Wesleyan for the first time in 1882, with the Cardinals earning a hard-fought 6-4 win. Oddly enough, these ancient rivals have played to nine ties, including four straight from 1950-53, including a 0-0 stalemate in 1952.
LAST MEETING
Junior wide receiver Derrell Wright returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown five minutes before halftime and senior defensive back Dave Frankel blocked a punt through the back of the end zone just before the break to lift Amherst to a 9-7 victory at Little Three rival Wesleyan on Saturday, October 21, 2000. On an afternoon highlighted by offensive inefficiency and defensive stalemate, it came as little surprise that the difference came down to special teams. The Jeffs finished with a season-low 184 yards of total offense - their lowest output in five years - as they posted a win without any offensive scoring for the first time in over a decade. Junior Okey Ugwonali carried the ball 22 times for 57 yards, and classmate Jerimy Hiltner caught three passes for 47 yards. Wright, who entered the game averaging over 90 yards receiving, had only one reception for three yards, but returned five punts for 111 yards, including the touchdown. Senior quarterback Peter Honig finished six-of-17 for 65 yards for the Jeffs, while Brennan Carney, his Wesleyan counterpart, turned in a solid performance, completing 23-of-45 passes for 206 yards, 112 of which were earned by George Thompson, who pulled in a game-high six receptions.
SCOUTING AMHERST
Amherst is 4-0 for the first time since 1997 with a defense that's the talk of the NESCAC and the Northeast, allowing just six points in its first four outings with a pair of shutout wins over Hamilton and Bowdoin to its credit. Led by its top tackler, senior linebacker Dan Lalli (34 tackles, 17 unassisted), the Jeffs were tops in the nation in scoring defense entering last week, third in the country in total defense, ninth in pass efficiency defense and 10th in rushing defense. Senior free safety Jay Hutchins earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after torching Middlebury for a game-high 12 tackles, including four unassisted and a forced turnover. After leading Amherst with a staggering 76 total tackles last season, he's currently fourth on the team with 26. Behind Lalli, senior defensive tackle Pat McGee has 30 tackles, including a team-high 7.0 sacks - upping his career total to 26.5 - while senior linebacker Brian Landolfi has 29 tackles and two interceptions. Fellow senior Gregg Stankewicz has menaced opposing backfields with 5.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss, while juniors Joe Rubbone and Jeremy Carroll pace a revamped secondary with five interceptions, collectively. The offense has been somewhat bitten by the injury bug with marquee running backs Okey Ugwonali and Kevin Kennard - the sixth and seventh leading rushers in the NESCAC, respectively - battling ankle and shoulder ailments. The good news is that both played last Saturday as Kennard racked up a game-high 99 yards on 24 carries and Ugwonali rushed 10 times for 29 yards, while sophomore Fletcher Ladd is always ready, as evidenced by his 52 rushing yards last week against Colby. Senior wideout Derrell Wright has also been banged up, but productive nonetheless, leading the receiving corps with 12 catches for 154 yards. Junior quarterback Jeff Browne - making just his fifth career start - has done a commendable job spreading the wealth in the passing game, with 10 different Amherst receivers hauling in receptions, including senior Jerimy Hiltner's eight catches for 146 yards and one touchdown. Special teams continue to be a strong point, with Wright returning 12 punts for a 9.7-yard average and first-year Jason Wagstaff coming out of nowhere with three kick returns for a 36.0-yard average at Colby. The kicking game is similarly consistent, with junior punter Geoff Bough second in the NESCAC with a 37.1-yard average and first-year David Bodner a perfect 11-for-11 on extra point attempts.
AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Colby was looking for revenge but came away empty-handed as visiting Amherst intercepted five passes and dominated the White Mules, 14-3, last Saturday at Seaverns Field. Amherst held the Colby rushing attack to just 105 yards and picked off five of junior quarterback Pat Conley's 25 attempts. Meanwhile, Amherst junior running back Kevin Kennard returned from a nagging shoulder injury to rush for a game-high 99 yards on 24 attempts, all but wearing Colby out in the second half. The first half was ugly, with six possessions changing hands by way of turnover, en route to a 0-0 halftime tie. The second half started on a more positive note for Amherst. Derrell Wright gave the Jeffs decent field position at the Amherst 49 with a 17-yard punt return. From there Amherst plodded 51 yards on nine plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Kennard, to take a 7-0 lead with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Colby cut the lead to 7-3 two possessions later with a 40-yard field goal by senior place-kicker Keith Jonassen but - with the score a little too close for comfort - Amherst's defense pressed the issue. Sophomore linebacker Ed Sylvester stepped in front of an errant Conley offering and zigzagged eight yards to the Colby 37 at the end of the third quarter, setting up a four-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Fletcher Ladd.
SCOUTING WESLEYAN
After a season-opening 35-20 loss to visiting Tufts University, a resilient Wesleyan squad rebounded with a 21-0 shutout win at Hamilton and a pair of home victories over Colby (27-23) and Bates (42-16), improving its record to a respectable 3-1. The Cardinal game plan is built around its aerial attack, with sophomore signal caller Brennan Carney - the 2000 NESCAC Offensive Rookie of the Year - leading the way with a conference-high 964 passing yards, to go along with eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. His favorite target is the NESCAC's third-leading receiver, senior quad-captain George Thompson, with 24 receptions for 456 yards and a league-best five touchdowns. Wesleyan also features an experienced ground attack, with returning running backs Ronnie Jacobs, Greg Thomas and Young Douglas accounting for better than 85 percent of the Cardinals' rushing yards in 2000. They've been utilized less in 2001, however. Douglas leads the way with just 220 yards on 42 carries, while no Wesleyan ball carrier appears among the conference's Top-10 in rushing. Although opponents are outgaining Wesleyan 349.0 yards to 338.5 on a weekly basis, the defense is maturing, as witnessed by a 21-0 shutout win at Hamilton on Sept. 29. Quad-captains Dion Mueller and Derrick Brantley lead the troops from their spots at linebacker and cornerback, respectively. Mueller is by far the Cardinals' leading tackler with 61 takedowns, including a whopping 30 unassisted, with Brantley not far behind with 30 tackles and a team-high 10 pass deflections. Other returning starters include Tacuma Bradley at defensive tackle, Keilembo Ellison at linebacker and Scott Perceval in the secondary. Sophomore Vin Balsamo shared place-kicking chores with Curt Younkin and James Maund last season but has emerged as the go-to guy in 2001 with 14 extra points in 16 attempts. The Cardinals have attempted just one field goal. Sophomore Sam Fletcher won the punting job during training camp and is eighth in the conference with 21 boots for a 31.8-yard average. Meanwhile, Brantley is almost as impressive on special teams as he is on defense with four kick returns for a 30.5-yard average. Thompson also pulls double-duty, returning five punts for a 3.0 yard average and a long of five yards.
WESLEYAN LAST TIME OUT
Wesleyan sophomore quarterback Brennan Carney completed 16-of-29 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns, while senior George Thompson caught eight passes for 190 yards, and running back Young Douglas scored a trio of touchdowns on short runs in a 42-16 romp over visiting Bates College. The Cardinals rang up 256 yards of total offense in the first half and 431 in the game, as they improved to 3-1 with their 15th consecutive victory over Bates (0-4), dating back to 1982.
WESLEYAN HEAD COACH FRANK HAUSER
Frank Hauser enters his 10th campaign at the Cardinal helm and sixth as offensive coordinator with a 44-32 career mark, including a 3-1 record to start the 2001 season. He began coaching at Wesleyan as an assistant in 1986 and served as defensive coordinator for 10 seasons. Hauser was also a standout Cardinal linebacker and wrestler before graduating in 1979, and spent the next six years teaching in the Middletown school district. He then took over as the head football coach at Glastonbury (CT) High School and led the Tomahawks to a Connecticut Class LL State Championship in 1984, earning State Coach of the Year honors. Hauser has also held the rank of adjunct associate professor at Wesleyan since 1987.
AMHERST STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING...
Jeff Browne (38-for-80/496 yds./3 int./3 TD passes)
RUSHING...
Okey Ugwonali (50 carries/240 yds./1 TD)
Kevin Kennard (45 carries/261 yds./2 TD)
RECEIVING...
Derrell Wright (12 rec./154 yds./0 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS...
Derrell Wright (12 punt returns/116 yds.)
Geoff Bough (29 punts/37.1 avg.)
David Bodner (11-for-11 pat's/1-for-4 FG)
WESLEYAN STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING...
Brennan Carney (67-for-134/964 yds./8 int./8 TD passes)
RUSHING...
Young Douglas (42 carries/212 yds./7 TD)
Greg Thomas (23 carries/92 yds./0 TD)
RECEIVING...
George Thompson (24 rec./456 yds./5 TD)
Todd Themistocles (16 rec./185 yds./1 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS...
George Thompson (5 punt returns/15 yds.)
Pat Moffett (3 punt returns/21 yds.)
Sam Fletcher (21 punts/31.8 avg.)
Vin Balsamo (14-for-16 pat's/0-for-1 FG)
TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS
AMHERST
Rushing Yards/Per Game: 833 yds./208.2 avg.
Passing Yards/Per Game: 582 yds./145.5 avg.
Total Offense/Per Game: 1,415 yds./353.8 avg.
Total Points/Per Game: 80 pts./20.0 avg.
Rushing Allowed/Per Game: 306 yds./76.5 avg.
Passing Allowed/Per Game: 526 yds./131.5 avg.
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game: 832 yds./208.0 avg.
Total Points Allowed/Per Game: 6 pts./1.5 avg.
WESLEYAN
Rushing Yards/Per Game: 390 yds./97.5 avg.
Passing Yards/Per Game: 964 yds./241.0 avg.
Total Offense/Per Game: 1,354 yds./338.5 avg.
Total Points/Per Game: 110 pts./27.5 avg.
Rushing Allowed/Per Game: 951 yds./237.8 avg.
Passing Allowed/Per Game: 445 yds./111.3 avg.
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game: 1,396 yds./349.0 avg.
Total Points Allowed/Per Game: 74 pts./18.5 avg.
WHEN AMHERST HAS THE BALL
LORD JEFF OFFENSE
QB Jeff Browne 18
FB Jeff Ryan 44
TB Okey Ugwonali 27
WR Derrell Wright 81
WR Jerimy Hiltner 22
TE Matt Flavin 88
C Josh Ahearn 57
LT Rob Vernicek 71
RT Brendan Carolan 63
LG Shane Morrow 52
RG Colin Renz 55
CARDINAL DEFENSE
DE Mark Nordstrom 87
DT Tacuma Bradley 96
DT Eddie Britan 73
DE Bryan Kinneen 45
LB Scott Perceval 4
LB Dion Mueller 56
LB Keilembo Ellison 28
SS Dave Laferriere 20
FS Steve Woodruff 25
CB Derrick Brantley 1
CB Danny Ackil 14
WHEN WESLEYAN HAS THE BALL
CARDINAL OFFENSE
LT Don Badger 60
LG Kevin Doyle 52
C Greg Polin 54
RG Matt Brooks 55
RT Brendan Kelly 57
TE Dan Long 15
QB Brennan Carney 17
HB Greg Thomas 30
FB Larry Woolard 40
WR George Thompson 2
WR Sam Fletcher 19
LORD JEFF DEFENSE
OLB Gregg Stankewicz 59
OLB Gene Nogi 41
ILB Brian Landolfi 6
ILB Dan Lalli 4
NG Brad Hensley 53
DT Pat McGee 9
DT Pat Hayes 96
CB Paul Whiting 82
CB Geoff Dewire 37
FS Paul Miceli 13
SS Jay Hutchins 24
2001 AMHERST SCHEDULE/RESULTS
9/22 @ Hamilton W 24-0
9/29 BOWDOIN W 35-0
10/6 MIDDLEBURY W 7-3
10/13 @ Colby W 14-3
10/20 WESLEYAN-hc 1:30 pm
10/27 @ Tufts 1:30 pm
11/3 TRINITY 1:00 pm
11/10 @ Williams* Noon
*broadcast regionally on NESN
2001 WESLEYAN SCHEDULE/RESULTS
9/22 TUFTS L 35-20
9/29 @ Hamilton W 21-0
10/6 COLBY W 27-23
10/13 BATES W 42-16
10/20 @ Amherst 1:30 pm
10/27 @ Bowdoin 1:30 pm
11/3 WILLIAMS Noon
11/10 @ Trinity 1:00 pm
MEDIA INFORMATION
AMHERST...
Kevin Graber, SID
Office: (413) 542-2390
Fax: (413) 542-2527
WESLEYAN...
Brian Katten, SID
Office: (860) 685-2887
Fax: (860) 685-2691
NESCAC...
Tim Farrell, SID
Office: (860) 987-6217
Fax: (860) 987-6529
AMHERST QUICK FACTS
Location: Amherst, MA
Founded: 1821
Enrollment: Approximately 1,650
Nickname: Lord Jeffs
Conference: NESCAC
Affiliation: NCAA III
Colors: Purple & White
Stadium: Pratt Field (8,000)
President: Tom Gerety
Ath. Director: Peter Gooding
AMHERST FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: E.J. Mills
Alma Mater (Yr.): Dayton ('88)
Jeffs Record: 28-8 (Fifth Season)
Overall Record: 28-8
Basic Offense: Multiple I
Basic Defense: 5-2
WESLEYAN QUICK FACTS
Location: Middletown, CT
Founded: 1831
Enrollment: 2,800
Nickname: Cardinals
Conference: NESCAC
Affiliation: NCAA III
Colors: Cardinal & Black
Stadium: Andrus Field
President: Douglas Bennet
Ath. Director: John Biddiscombe
WESLEYAN FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Frank Hauser
Alma Mater (Yr.): Wesleyan (1979)
Overall Record: 44-32 (10th season)
Basic Offense: I-Formation
Basic Defense: 4-3
LAST WEEK IN THE NESCAC
* Saturday, October 13
Bowdoin 23 vs. Hamilton 14
Amherst 14 at Colby 3
Wesleyan 42 vs. Bates 16
Williams 23 at Middlebury 3
Tufts 9 vs. Trinity 7
2001 NESCAC STANDINGS
Amherst 4-0
Tufts 4-0
Williams 4-0
Wesleyan 3-1
Trinity 2-2
Bowdoin 1-3
Colby 1-3
Middlebury 1-3
Bates 0-4
Hamilton 0-4
