September 28, 2002
BRUNSWICK, ME – All-NESCAC junior running back Fletcher Ladd rushed for 193 yards on 20 carries and sophomore quarterback Marsh Moseley tossed three touchdown passes and rushed for another as the Amherst football team improved to 2-0 with a lopsided 42-20 win at Bowdoin College on Saturday. Senior wideout J.P. Zito bolstered the offense with a pair of touchdown catches, while sophomore Jason Wagstaff added touchdowns on an 18-yard reception and a 68-yard punt return.
Believe it or not, Bowdoin actually drew first blood in Saturday's massacre and kept the game relatively close for much of the first three quarters. After sophomore Rob Patchett returned the opening kickoff to the Bowdoin 17, the Polar Bears marched 83 yards on 17 plays for their first touchdown against Amherst since 1999.
Not to be outdone, Amherst scored on its next two possessions. Ladd and sophomore running back Matt Monteith crammed the ball down Bowdoin's throat before Moseley hit paydirt with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to knot the score at 7-7. Moseley then found Wagstaff in the back of the end zone with an 18-yard scoring strike for a 14-7 Amherst lead at the end of the first quarter.
Then it was Bowdoin's turn, as the game morphed into a tennis rally with each team trading touchdowns on consecutive possessions. This time the Polar Bears marched 70 yards on 12 plays, capped by a 6-yard touchdown scamper by the pesky Patchett, as the hosts clawed back to tie the score at 14-14.
Amherst responded with a pair of touchdowns on its next two possessions in what was turning out to be one of the wildest first halves in recent memory. Moseley – who missed last week's season-opener with a slight concussion – ignited the scoring barrage with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Zito. The defense then stuffed the Polar Bears at their own 26, which led to Wagstaff's career long 68-yard punt return and a 28-14 Amherst lead at the half.
But Bowdoin wasn't going anywhere. A Moseley interception and a Wagstaff fumble left the Jeffs with nothing to show for their first two drives after the break, and the Polar Bears capitalized with a 1-yard touchdown run by first-year Matt Boyd. A failed extra-point attempt left Amherst with a shaky 28-20 advantage with 7:49 left in the third quarter.
The Jeffs dominated the rest of the game, however, and put the Polar Bears on ice with a 77-yard scoring march at the end of the third quarter. Amherst ran 12 plays during the drive – all rushes. Ladd carried the ball six times for 56 yards as the Jeffs penetrated deep into Bowdoin territory, before junior quarterback Jim Devine scored on an 8-yard touchdown run.
Amherst set the final score at 42-20 in the fourth quarter. Sophomore linebacker Michael Salvatore gave the Jeffs possession with his first career interception and, three plays later, Moseley found Zito with a 27-yard touchdown heave. Bowdoin threatened twice more in the waning minutes. Amherst senior defensive tackle Pat Hayes squashed the first uprising with an 8-yard sack at the Amherst 22 on fourth-and-nine. Bowdoin's next and final drive ended when Salvatore swatted away a Justin Hardison pass on fourth-and-five at the Amherst 35 with 2:28 remaining.
The Jeffs racked up 442 yards of total offense in all, including a whopping 297 rushing yards. Ladd's 193 yards were a career best, eclipsing his 156-yard effort in last week's 19-0 win over visiting Bates. Zito led the receiving corps with five catches for 83 yards, while Moseley was 11-for-17 passing with three touchdowns in his first game of the season.
Salvatore was an animal on defense with a game-high 17 tackles, including seven solos, an interception and one of five Amherst sacks, two of which were credited to senior strong safety Paul Miceli.
On special teams, Amherst senior Geoff Bough punted three times for a 42-yard average, with a long of 52 yards and one boot inside the Bowdoin 20.
Amherst returns to action next Saturday at Middlebury College. The Panthers evened their record at 1-1 with a 17-14 win at Colby on Saturday.
stats and play-by-play
