November 1, 2001
Amherst College (6-0) vs.
Trinity College (3-3)
November 3, 2001 * Pratt Field
Amherst, MA * 1 p.m.
THE SERIES
Amherst holds a 53-34-9 series edge over Trinity, winning each of the last five meetings dating back to 1996. Prior to that streak, Trinity took seven straight from the Jeffs, including a 33-10 blowout at Pratt Field in 1995. The Bantams and Jeffs first locked horns in 1886, with Amherst coming away with a hard-fought 18-6 victory.
SCOUTING AMHERST
The Jeffs finally gave up a touchdown last week after going 21 straight quarters without allowing an opponent into the Amherst end zone. The defense remains impressive nonetheless. Ranked second in New England with a sparkling 6-0 record, the Jeffs have surrendered just 16 points in 2001 with three shutouts to their credit, thanks in large part to a defense that, entering last week, led the nation in opponent scoring average, ranked third in total defense and sixth in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense and turnover margin. Amherst's "D" is so prolific, it may force the NCAA to rewrite a few pages in its football record book at season's end. The Jeffs are on pace to shatter a number of Division III marks, including fewest points per game allowed (Millsaps College holds the record, surrendering 31 points in nine games for a 3.4-point average in 1980) and fewest touchdowns allowed (the current record is four, held by three different teams). The key is a slew of experienced, hard-hitting seniors who simply refuse opponents any kind of offensive foothold. Of Amherst's top eight tacklers, seven are seniors, including linebacker Dan Lalli - who leads the team with 51 tackles - and defensive tackle Pat McGee - who leads the NESCAC with 16 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Senior safety Jay Hutchins - the NESCAC's Defensive Player of the Week after a 10-tackle performance at Tufts - is second on the Jeffs with 43 takedowns, while linebacker Brian Landolfi is fourth in the nation in passes defended to go along with 39 tackles and a team-high three interceptions, and classmate Gregg Stankewicz has a whopping 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. On offense, first-year quarterback Marsh Moseley earned NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Week honors after coming off the bench to throw a pair of touchdown passes in the Jeffs' 23-0 win over visiting Wesleyan University in week five. Senior wide receiver Derrell Wright was the major benefactor, hauling in a season-high eight receptions for 109 yards. He leads the Amherst receiving corps with 21 catches for 286 yards and is just 242 yards shy of College Football Hall of Famer Fred Scott 74's career receiving record. Hampered by injuries earlier in the season, senior tailback Okey Ugwonali also had a breakout game with 144 yards against Wesleyan, before a 29-yard outing at Tufts. He currently stands as the Jeffs' second leading rusher with 405 yards on the season. Meanwhile, sophomore Fletcher Ladd has emerged as the Jeffs' top ground gainer with 407 yards and four touchdowns on 74 carries, in place of the injured, but healing, Kevin Kennard. On special teams, junior Geoff Bough Bough leads the NESCAC with 43 punts for a 37.8-yard average, with 16 boots inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
AMHERST STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Jeff Browne (43-for-90/535 yds./3 int./3 TD passes)
Marsh Moseley (10-for-23/164 yds/1 int/2 TD passes)
RUSHING
Fletcher Ladd (56 carries/407 yds/4 TD)
Okey Ugwonali (91 carries/405 yds./2 TD)
RECEIVING
Derrell Wright (21 rec./286 yds./1 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Derrell Wright (18 punt returns/8.1 avg.)
Geoff Bough (43 punts/37.8 avg.)
SCOUTING TRINITY
It seems to be all or nothing for Trinity, alternating wins with losses every week en route to a 3-3 overall record. After racking up 41 points in their season-opening win at Bates, head coach Chuck Priore's Bantams lost to Williams (31-10), beat Hamilton (21-10), fell at Tufts (9-7), crushed Bowdoin (50-34) and lost at Middlebury (14-7). The question is, which Trinity team will show up against Amherst? Junior quarterback Greg Ward leads an offense that averages 377.0 yards per game - second most in the NESCAC - on the strength of 1,394 passing yards - third best among conference signal callers. He also has six touchdown passes, four of which have been hauled in by first-year wideout Bradley Soules, the NESCAC's 10th leading receiver with 20 catches for 325 yards. Ward's favorite target, however, is sophomore Joe Wahl, the Bantams' leading receiver with 32 catches for 420 yards and one touchdown. Trinity's rushing attack is similarly impressive with sophomore Thomas Pierandri ranked among the conference leaders with 100 carries for 461 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Brian Fabrizio - the NESCAC's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 - is right behind Pierandri with 360 yards on 94 attempts. Senior captain and two-time All-American Steven Cella leads the defense with 17 career interceptions, including a NESCAC record nine picks in 1999 and a team-high four this season. Sophomore inside linebacker Greg Tanner cracked the starting lineup last year after an injury to Andrew Wertz and has responded with a team-high 52 tackles. He's followed by junior captain David Midura with 33 takedowns and senior captain Matt Dorn with 33. On special teams, junior place kicker Skip Sullivan is a three-year starter but has struggled with consistency, connecting on just two of seven field goal attempts with three missed extra points. Wahl doubles as the team's punter with 33 boots for a solid 35.7-yard average.
TRINITY STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING...
Greg Ward (113-for-234/1,394 yds./6 int./6 TD passes)
RUSHING...
Tom Pierandri (100 carries/461 yds./5 TD)
Brian Fabrizio (94 carries/360 yds./4 TD)
RECEIVING...
Joe Wahl (32 rec./420 yds./1 TD)
Bradley Soules (20 rec./325 yds./4 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS...
Steve Cella (13 punt returns/8.8 avg.)
Joe Wahl (33 punts/35.7 avg.)
Skip Sullivan (16-for-19 pat's/2-for-7 FG)
TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS
AMHERST
Rushing Yards/Per Game: 1,266 yds./211.0 avg.
Passing Yards/Per Game: 785 yds./130.8 avg.
Total Offense/Per Game: 2,015 yds./341.8 avg.
Total Points/Per Game: 117 pts./19.5 avg.
Rushing Allowed/Per Game: 537 yds./89.5 avg.
Passing Allowed/Per Game: 797 yds./132.8 avg.
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game: 1,334 yds./222.3 avg.
Total Points Allowed/Per Game: 16 pts./2.7 avg.
TRINITY
Rushing Yards/Per Game: 868 yds./144.7 avg.
Passing Yards/Per Game: 1,394 yds./232.3avg.
Total Offense/Per Game: 2,262 yds./377.0 avg.
Total Points/Per Game: 136 pts./22.7 avg.
Rushing Allowed/Per Game: 851 yds./141.8 avg.
Passing Allowed/Per Game: 883 yds./147.2 avg.
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game: 1,734 yds./289.0 avg.
Total Points Allowed/Per Game: 105 pts./17.5 avg.
LAST MEETING
Amherst running back Okey Ugwonali topped the 150-yard mark for the third time and scored a pair of touchdowns, while the Jeffs' defense held off a late Bantam surge as Amherst outlasted host Trinity, 28-20, on Saturday, November 4, 2000. The Jeffs drew first blood six minutes into the game on a one-yard plunge by sophomore tailback Kevin Kennard, his third of the season. Trinity's defense rebounded on the Jeffs' next possession with an interception by strong safety Gavin O'Reilly, setting up a two-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Greg Ward to even the score at 7-7. Amherst answered on its next drive as Honig lofted a 65-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Derrell Wright. Late in the second quarter, Amherst extended its lead to 21-7 on a three-yard touchdown run by Ugwonali. Both teams put up zeros in the third quarter before Trinity drove 80 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown at the start of the fourth. Amherst sophomore Pat Hayes blocked the extra point attempt, leaving Trinity with an eight-point deficit (21-13) with 6:43 remaining. On the next play from scrimmage, Ugwonali sliced untouched through the middle for a 53-yard touchdown run to push the lead back up to 15 points at 28-13. Down but not out, the Bantams battled back with a 64-yard touchdown drive, keyed by a sack-negating Amherst defensive holding penalty. 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, freshman Jamie Creed broke through the middle and blocked Geoff 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 tailback Tom Pierandri five yards short of the first down marker on fourth and seven.
AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore running back Fletcher Ladd rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and the vaunted Amherst defense came up with two critical turnovers deep in its own territory, as the Jeffs posted a 14-10 victory at Tufts last Saturday. The host Jumbos (4-2) ended Amherst's streak of 21 quarters without allowing a touchdown when junior running back Keven Kelley plowed into the end zone from one yard out with 11:21 left in the second quarter. Tufts junior defensive end Brian Burbank had recovered a fumble by Ladd at the Amherst 32 to give the Jumbos prime field position. After a 25-yard punt return by Amherst senior Derrell Wright midway through the second, Ladd rumbled 44 yards to the Tufts one-yard line and scored on his next carry to knot the score at 7-7. The Jumbos answered quickly, however, with sophomore Mark Tilki returning the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Amherst 37, setting up a 38-yard field goal by Howie Rock for a 10-7 halftime lead. Tufts seemed almost certain to extend the lead late in the third quarter, before Jeff senior Jay Hutchins scooped up a Kelly fumble on the Amherst one-yard line. The Jeffs turned that into seven points when Ladd found the end zone from five yards out with 12:52 remaining in regulation. Tufts threatened again late in the game, but on fourth and seven, quarterback Scott Treacy was intercepted in the end zone by Amherst junior Paul Miceli, dashing the Jumbos' hopes of a comeback.
TRINITY LAST TIME OUT
Trinity mounted a late comeback but fell just short in a 14-7 loss at Middlebury College last Saturday. The Bantams had a chance to tie the game with eight seconds remaining but, on fourth-and-eight from the Middlebury 21-yard line, quarterback Greg Ward lofted an incomplete pass into the Panther end zone as the final seconds ticked away. Middlebury opened the scoring just 1:58 into the game when Bill Lazzaro scored on a three-yard scamper, and extended the lead to 14-0 on a one-yard TD run by Matt Wolf. Trinity rebounded with midway through the second quarter Ward connected with Bradley Soules on a 38-yard scoring strike. The Bantams nearly tied the game twice in the second half, but Ward had two of his school-record 76 pass attempts picked off in the end zone, finishing the game 31-for-76 passing with 359 yards with three interceptions. Joe Wahl caught 14 passes for 180 yards on the day to lead Trinity's receiving corps.
TRINITY HEAD COACH CHUCK PRIORE
Head coach Chuck Priore comes to Amherst with an even 7-7 record in two seasons at the Trinity helm after posting a 4-4 mark and a sixth-place NESCAC finish during his rookie campaign in 2000. He previously served seven seasons as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania, helping lead the Quakers to a 52-27 overall record, including three Ivy League titles. Prior to the 1992-93 season, Priore was the offensive coordinator at Union College, where his Dutchmen set school records for single-season points and rushing yards. Before joining Union's staff, Priore was the running backs and strength coach at his alma mater, the University of Albany, from 1983 to 1986, and also served as the head lacrosse coach at both Union and Albany.
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 W 23-0
10/27 @ Tufts W 14-10
11/3 TRINITY 1:00 pm
11/10 @ Williams* Noon
*broadcast regionally on NESN
2001 TRINITY SCHEDULE/RESULTS
9/22 @ Bates W 41-7
9/29 WILLIAMS L 31-10
10/6 HAMILTON W 21-10
10/13 @ Tufts L 9-7
10/20 BOWDOIN W 50-34
10/27 @ Middlebury L 14-7
11/3 @ Amherst 1:00 pm
11/10 WESLEYAN 1:00 pm
WHEN AMHERST HAS THE BALL
LORD JEFF OFFENSE
QB Marsh Moseley 10
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
PK David Bodner 17
BANTAM DEFENSE
DE Nils Holdin 76
NT David Rooney 91
DE Brendan Bowes 75
OLB Mike Dendas 92
ILB David Midura 49
ILB Greg Tanner 50
OLB Matt Dorn 36
CB Duane Tyler 37
CB Skip Whipple 25
FS Steve Cella 20
SS Gavin O'Reilly 9
P Joe Wahl 4
BANTAM OFFENSE
QB Greg Ward 11
RB Brian Fabrizio 5
LT Jared Carillo 71
LG David Hoyle 65
C Justin Moore 67
RG Chris Arouca 64
RT Jason Lewis 74
TE David Mogan 33
WR Joe Wahl 4
WR Patrick Straub 89
WR Bradley Soules 1
PK Skip Sullivan 17
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
P Geoff Bough 98
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: 30-8 (Fifth Season)
Overall Record: 30-8
Basic Offense: Multiple I
Basic Defense: 5-2
TRINITY QUICK FACTS
Location: Hartford, CT
Founded: 1823
Enrollment: 1,900
Nickname: Bantams
Conference: NESCAC
Affiliation: NCAA III
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
Stadium: Jesse Stadium/Miller Field
President: Evan S. Dobelle
Ath. Director: Richard Hazelton
TRINITY FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Chuck Priore
Alma Mater (Yr.): Albany (1982)
Overall Record: 7-7 (2nd season)
Basic Offense: One-Back
Basic Defense: 4-3
LAST WEEK IN THE NESCAC
Colby 42 vs. Bates 0
Middlebury 14 vs. Trinity 7
Amherst 14 at Tufts 10
Wesleyan 41 at Bowdoin 31
Williams 23 vs. Hamilton 0
2001 NESCAC STANDINGS
Amherst 6-0
Williams 6-0
Tufts 4-2
Wesleyan 4-2
Colby 3-3
Middlebury 3-3
Trinity 3-3
Bowdoin 1-5
Bates 0-6
Hamilton 0-6
