October 19, 2002
MIDDLETOWN, CT - The previously undefeated Amherst College football team forced Little Three rival Wesleyan University into five turnovers, including a trio of interceptions by senior free safety Jeremy Carroll (Winchester, MA), but had a last-second field goal attempt blocked as the host Cardinals hung on for a dramatic 14-13 Homecoming win on Saturday. The victory was Wesleyan's first over Amherst since 1993, breaking a string of eight consecutive losses in the series, leaving the two teams tied in the NESCAC with matching 4-1 records.
Trailing by just a point, Amherst had two chances to win the game inside the waning minutes. The first came on fourth-and-one from the Wesleyan 21-yard line. With less than two minutes on the clock, the Jeffs opted to go for it rather than chance a field goal try, but sophomore quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA) was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Wesleyan seniors Tom Moran and Brendan Kelly, turning the ball over to the Cardinals with just 1:07 remaining.
Down but not out, Amherst responded with a clutch defensive stand and, thanks to a trio of timeouts, forced Wesleyan to punt after burning just 27 seconds off the clock. Moseley came out in a hurry-up offense and promptly zipped a 13-yard bullet to senior wideout J.P. Zito (Coral Cables, FL), followed by a seven-yard laser to senior fullback Jeff Ryan (Belmont, MA). With the clock ticking, Moseley scrambled to the Wesleyan 32-yard line, setting up a 49-yard field goal attempt by junior place-kicker David Bodner (Atlantic Beach, NY) with just over eight seconds left.
Bodner, who was successful on 27 and 36-yard attempts earlier in the game and routinely boots 50-yarders in practice, drilled a low line drive toward the uprights that was blocked by Wesleyan sophomore Jeremy George, ending the game and dashing Amherst's hopes for an undefeated season.
The loss overshadowed an outstanding game by Carroll, who gave the Jeffs an early 7-0 lead with an interception and 33-yard touchdown return early in the opening quarter. After Wesleyan answered with a three-yard touchdown run by junior Young Douglas, Carroll, who now has a league-leading seven interceptions, victimized Wesleyan quarterback Brennan Carney twice more in the first half, the first of which led to a 36-yard field goal and a 13-7 Amherst lead.
A blocked punt in the third quarter by Wesleyan senior Greg Thomas set up what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown – a four-yard scoring scamper by Douglas, who finished with 14 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon.
Junior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) paced Amherst with 174 rushing yards, while Moseley completed 10 passes for 82 yards and was sacked twice. Carney completed 12 passes for 135 yards, none of which went to Moffett, who entered the game as the leading receiver in the nation. Amherst returns to action next Saturday at 1 p.m. against visiting Tufts University.
stats and play-by-play
