October 26, 2002
AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College football team overcame six turnovers and a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to upend visiting Tufts University 27-24 in overtime on Saturday. Sophomore place-kicker David Bodner's (Atlantic Beach, NY) 29-yard field goal won the game for the Jeffs, who improved to 5-1 on the season, rebounding from last week's heartbreaking 14-13 loss at Little Three rival Wesleyan University. Tufts fell to 3-3 with the loss.
Junior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) ran for 196 yards on 48 carries for the Jeffs, upping his season rushing total to a conference-best 1,020 yards, and is on pace to shatter Josh Mason's single-season school record of 1,220 rushing yards, set in 1994.
With just eight seconds left in regulation, Amherst cut its deficit to two points, 24-22, with a three-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA) to junior wideout Jim Devine (Centreville, VA). An ensuing two-point conversion, which Ladd punched in from a yard out after a Tufts pass interference penalty, knotted the score at 24-24, forcing the extra session.
The Jeffs won the overtime coin toss but elected to give Tufts the first crack on offense. Amherst's defense responded right off the bat. Junior cornerback Paul Whiting (Mission Viejo, CA) drilled Tufts quarterback Scott Treacy (Wakefield, MA) for a three-yard loss on the opening play. Treacy then threw an incomplete pass, broken up nicely by Amherst sophomore inside linebacker David Borgonzi (Everett, MA), followed by a two-yard completion to junior wide receiver Tim Mack (St. Louis, MO), setting up a difficult 43-yard field goal attempt. Tufts junior Marcellus Rolle (Smyrna, GA) missed the kick wide right, turning the ball over to Amherst.
With four runs by Ladd and yet another costly penalty against the Jumbos, the Jeffs then advanced the ball to the Tufts 12-yard line. From there, Bodner – who had missed an extra point earlier in the game – split the uprights with his sixth field goal of the season and was swarmed by teammates and an overflow of fans from a jubilant Family Weekend crowd.
While the outcome was uplifting, things didn't look so good for Amherst early on. The Jeffs turned the ball over three times in the opening quarter, including a fumble on a running play that Tufts junior cornerback Mark Tilki (Derby, CT) recovered in the end zone for a 7-0 Jumbo lead.
Amherst responded in the second quarter with a 27-yard field goal by Bodner, after securing favorable field position with a 19-yard punt return by sophomore Jason Wagstaff (Tewksbury, MA). Tufts added a 33-yard field goal of its own its next possession, stretching the lead back to seven points.
The first half ended in bizarre fashion. With 37 seconds left, Amherst elected to kneel the ball with the intention of running out the clock. Dissatisfied with its 10-3 lead, Tufts called a pair of timeouts and forced the Jeffs to punt. On the next play from scrimmage, Treacy lofted an errant pass into the arms of Amherst sophomore defensive back Bob Sargent (Centreville, VA), who bolted 23 yards to the Tufts 37-yard line with six seconds on the clock.
No longer content to run out the clock, Moseley lobbed a 37-yard scud into the end zone to senior wideout Brian Hart (Rutland, VT) and, just like that, the score was tied 10-10 heading into halftime.
The opening quarter was ugly, but the third quarter proved even more disastrous for the Jeffs. An interception by junior Mike Leist (New Hartford, NY) set up a 16-yard touchdown pass and a 17-10 lead for the Jumbos. Tufts then took advantage of a 42-yard punt return by Tilki and scored again on a four-yard scoring strike from Treacy to junior tight end Ryan Papi (Dover, MA), extending its lead to 14 points with 4:24 left in the third quarter.
Undaunted, Amherst head coach E.J. Mills managed to calm his troops and mount a dramatic fourth quarter comeback. Wagstaff again answered the call with a 40-yard punt return to the Tufts 15. Ladd pierced the end zone on the next play, cutting the lead to 24-16 after a missed extra point.
The Jeffs coughed up yet another fumble at the Tufts 5-yard line on their next possession, but forced the Jumbos to punt with just over three minutes remaining after a pair of clutch sacks on consecutive plays by senior defensive tackle Ryan Moriarty (Springfield, MA).
With the momentum clearly on its side and 3:17 on the clock, Amherst proceeded to march 66 yards on 14 plays, capped by Devine's three-yard touchdown catch and Ladd's two-point conversion run. Tufts killed the remaining two seconds off the clock, opting to test its luck in overtime.
The 27-24 win was just the third overtime game in Amherst history, the most recent being the gut-wrenching 23-20 overtime loss suffered in the 2001 season-finale at arch-rival Williams College. Bodner also kicked an overtime field goal in that game, before Williams responded with a game-clinching touchdown run.
Moseley didn't have his best game, but battled the elements and a scrappy Tufts defense nonetheless with 11 completions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore tight end Ryan Sykes (Charleston, SC) caught a career-high three passes for 33 yards, while senior wideout J.P. Zito (Coral Gables, FL) hauled in three catches for 27 yards. Wagstaff was a major factor on special teams with a combined 170 yards on eight returns.
On defense, senior co-captain defensive tackle Pat Hayes (E. Bridgewater, MA) paced the Jeffs with nine tackles and a sack. First-year L.J. Spinnato (Madison, CT) was similarly impressive with a career-high eight tackles, while Moriarty added two ultra-important sacks and a trio of tackles in the backfield.
For Tufts, Treacy finished just 8-for-18 passing for 57 yards on the afternoon, but tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Papi and fellow tight end Chris Roy (Littleton, MA). Sophomore running back Steve Cincotta (Newton, MA) came off the bench to rush for 116 yards on 20 carries. Senior linebacker Sean Kennedy (Hanover, MA) paced the defense with a game-high 13 tackles, followed by Leist with 12 and junior defensive lineman Caleb Hudak (White River Jct., VT) with 11.
With the win, Amherst remains in a three-way tie with Trinity College and Wesleyan for second place in the NESCAC behind undefeated Williams. The Jeffs travel to Trinity next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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