October 23, 2004 

MIDDLETOWN, CT - Senior quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA) threw a trio of first-half touchdown passes to three different receivers - sophomores Justin Macione (Mansfield, MA) and Mark Hannon (Glen Rock, NJ) and senior Jay Wagstaff (Tewksbury, MA) - and sophomore tailback Will Beeson (Kansas City, MO) rushed for a career-high 95 yards on just eight carries, including a career-long 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as the undefeated Amherst football team rode a 31-3 halftime lead to a lopsided 38-3 victory at NESCAC and Little Three rival Wesleyan University (2-3) on Saturday. 

Moseley finished 11-for-14 passing for 172 yards before exiting the game at halftime. Meanwhile, the Amherst defense held Wesleyan to just 212 yards of total offense, tallying six sacks and forcing a trio of turnovers in improving to 5-0. 

The Jeffs asserted themselves right off the bat on Saturday, as juniors Justin Roemer (Jupiter, FL) and Dan Kovolisky (Clark, NJ) combined to sack Wesleyan quarterback Zach Canter (Chestnut Hill, MA) on third and 13 to force a Cardinal punt on their second possession. The ensuing boot was deflected and wobbled just 25 yards to the Amherst 48, and the Jeffs' excellent field position would be a recurring theme all afternoon long. 

Amherst capitalized right away as Mosley handed off to senior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) six times and completed a pair of passes, capping the drive with a 19-yard scoring strike to Macione, who hauled in his first career touchdown catch with a whirling grab in the front of the end zone. 

The Lord Jeff defense came through again less than a minute later as junior L.J. Spinnato (Madison, CT) separated running back Phil Banks (West Haven, CT) from the ball, and Amherst senior B.J. Gaddour (Milwaukee, WI) secured the fumble at the Wesleyan 37. Moseley then completed a six-yard pass to senior wideout T. Patterson (Harlem, NY), and senior tailback Matt Monteith (Madison, CT) took over from there with an eight yard reception and four carries for 18 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown rumble to give the Jeffs a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Moseley was by no means finished. After Kovolisky and junior Joe Bickerstaffe (Norfolk, MA) clobbered Canter in the backfield, forcing yet another Wesleyan punt, Moseley completed a 29-yard dart to senior tight end Ryan Sykes (Charleston, SC) on third and four, and senior David Bodner (Atlantic Beach, NY) punctuated Amherst's third consecutive scoring drive with a 31-yard field goal, his third of the season. 

Another Wesleyan four-and-out - forced yet again by the Amherst pass rush - led to a fourth straight scoring drive for the Jeffs as Moseley lofted a 17-yard pass to senior fullback Chris Conroy (Scituate, MA) and completed a pair of long gainers to Wagstaff, including an 11-yard scoring strike on a fade route in the back left corner of the end zone for Wagstaff's team-high third touchdown grab of the season. 

Already leading 24-0, Amherst sophomore Brendan McKee (Hull, MA) harassed Canter into an incompletion on third and 10, and the Jeffs scored for a fifth consecutive time with an eight-play, 81-yard drive. Beeson announced his entrance into the game with a 14-yard rush, and Hannon caught a 28-yard pass from Moseley and hauled in a 10-yard touchdown catch - the first of his career - pushing the lead to 31-0. 

Wesleyan had one more possession before halftime, but Spinnato kept the Cardinals off the board with his third sack of the season and the Jeffs' third of the half. 

With sophomore Nick Kehoe (Washington Depot, CT) in at quarterback, Amherst was content to grind the clock in the second half. And with a new quarterback of its own at the helm - rookie Zach Librizzi (Essex Junction, VT) - Wesleyan threatened on its opening possession. But on first-and-goal from the Amherst one-yard line, Banks coughed up the pigskin yet again, and Amherst senior Bob Sargent (Chantilly, VA) corralled the loose ball and sprinted 17 yards down the left sideline, protecting the shutout for the time being. 

The shutout wasn't meant to be, however, as Wesleyan finally got on the board with a 37-yard field goal by rookie place-kicker A.J. Taucher (Long Beach, CA) late in the third quarter. Not to be outdone, Amherst sealed the rout when sophomore Mike Salerno (Shrewsbury, MA) opened the fourth quarter with his first career interception, and Beeson sprinted 48 yards for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage, setting the final score at 38-3. 

Amherst junior defensive back Nick Zieler (Chicago, IL) was all over the field on special teams and in the secondary, leading the Jeffs with a game-high 10 tackles. Roemer added nine tackles, including 3.0 for negative yardage, while Bickerstaffe, Spinnato and senior defensive back Rob Walsh (Fair Lawn, NJ) added six tackles apiece. 

Amherst returns to action next Saturday with a Family Weekend matchup against visiting NESCAC rival Tufts University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. 

BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY