September 22, 2001
CLINTON, NY - Junior running back Kevin Kennard (Canton, OH) rumbled for a career-high 152 yards on 19 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown run to cap an 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter, as the Amherst College football team blanked host Hamilton College 24-0 in a NESCAC matchup Saturday afternoon at Steuben Field. Senior tailback Okey Ugwonali (Dallas, TX) also topped the century mark with 107 rushing yards on 13 carries, while the defense held the Continentals to just 185 yards of total offense, as Amherst blanked Hamilton in its season-opener for the second straight season.
While its rushing attack was dominating, Amherst's defense stifled the Continentals, forcing them into five costly turnovers, including a pair of fumbles in the first quarter - one the result of a vicious hit by senior defensive lineman Brad Hensley (Cincinatti, OH) and the other recovered by senior linebacker Dan Lalli (Watertown, MA). The second miscue led to a 7-0 Amherst advantage, as Ugwonali punctuated a four-play, 34-yard drive with his 11th career rushing touchdown toward the end of the first quarter.
Hamilton managed just one first down on its next two possessions, and a 16-yard punt return by Amherst senior Derrell Wright (Hudson, OH) gave the Jeffs excellent field position on the Continental 40-yard line with 9:32 left in the first half. Junior Amherst quarterback Jeff Browne (Victor, NY) keyed the ensuing drive, completing a 14-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jerimy Hiltner (Limon, CO) on fourth-and-nine and connecting with junior fullback Jeff Ryan (Belmont, MA) for a 12-yard scoring strike to give the Jeffs a 14-0 lead.
Amherst wasn't finished yet. After a rare Hamilton first down, seniors Pat McGee (Marshfield, MA) and Gregg Stankewicz (Portland, CT) smothered Hamilton running back Chris Weeden (Ilion, NY) for a 3-yard loss, setting up another punt and giving the Jeffs one last possession before the break. This time, Browne drove the offense from the Amherst 11 all the way to the Hamilton 7-yard line, setting up Bodner's first career field goal - a 24-yarder that split the uprights with one tick remaining on the clock.
Content with its 17-0 lead, Amherst used Kennard and Ugwonali to grind the clock and the Hamilton defense in the second half. Meanwhile, the Continental offense crossed into Amherst territory just twice. Both scoring threats were killed by Amherst interceptions, as junior defensive back Joe Rubbone (Towaco, NJ) notched the second of his two picks at the at the Amherst 27-yard line, and senior linebacker Brian Landolfi (Hanover, MA) snuffed out another Hamilton drive with an interception at the Amherst 26.
Rubbone's second interception set the stage for Amherst's final touchdown of the day, a 3-yard sprint by Kennard with 4:54 remaining in the game. It was Kennard's sixth career touchdown run, capping an 80-yard drive in which he carried the ball six times for 57 yards, cementing the final score at 24-0.
Browne was solid at quarterback, completing 9-of-16 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, with just one interception marring what was otherwise a successful launch to his career as a starter. Sophomore signal caller Jim Devine (Centerville, VA) also led four offensive series for Amherst - the first of which resulted in the game's opening touchdown - and finished 3-for-6 with 35 yards passing. Hiltner paced the receiving corps with two catches for 26 yards, while Ryan caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown and Wright tallied two catches for 17 yards, despite being double-teamed most of the afternoon. Sophomore running back Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) chipped in with 55 rushing yards on nine carries as part of a 330-yard rushing effort for the offense.
On the other side of the ball, Landolfi and Lalli each posted nine tackles, while McGee added seven takedowns, including a game-high four for loss. Stankewicz and sophomore linebacker Ed Sylvester (Scituate, MA) posted key sacks for the Jeffs, who hounded Hamilton quarterback Mike Pellman all afternoon long.
The blowout win marked the 12th time Amherst has shut out the Continentals, including a 30-0 shellacking in Amherst to open last season. The Jeffs have now blanked Hamilton 12 times in 20 all-time meetings and increased their series edge to 19-1 with the win.
Amherst returns to action next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against visiting NESCAC rival Bowdoin College - which dropped its season-opener, 21-7, to visiting Middlebury.
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