October 30, 2004
AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College football team managed just 221 yards of total offense and coughed up a trio of turnovers en route to its first loss of the season on Saturday, a 10-3 setback against visiting NESCAC foe Tufts University (2-4) on a rain-soaked Pratt Field.
Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Amherst (5-1) had several chances to knot the score in the waning minutes but saw its final two possessions stall inside the Tufts 15-yard line, failing on a pair of crucial fourth-down conversion attempts, both on passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Each team did all of its scoring in the second quarter, and Tufts drew first blood as Amherst's second turnover led to a 31-yard field goal by junior Phil Scialdoni (Salem, MA). The Jumbos struck again late in the first half when junior quarterback Casey D'Annolfo (West Hartford, CT) found sophomore wideout Steve Menty (Wilbraham, MA) in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard scoring strike.
Trailing 10-0, Amherst would finally crack the scoring column on the last play before halftime, courtesy of a 31-yard field goal by senior David Bodner (Atlantic Beach, NY), his fourth of the season.
The Jeffs would make several key defensive stops after the break but weren't able to capitalize. Among them were an interception by senior Chris Scarpelli (Wyckoff, NJ) that gave the Jeffs the ball at the Tufts 41, a sack by senior B.J. Gaddour (Milwaukee, WI) on third-and-seven to force a Tufts punt, a blocked field goal by senior Rob Walsh (Fair Lawn, NJ) that kept Amherst within seven points of the lead late in the game, and a fumble recovery by Gaddour that gave Amherst a legitimate shot at the end zone on its second to last possession.
Amherst senior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) had a busy afternoon with 23 carries for 90 yards, while senior quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA) finished 12-for-29 passing for 90 yards and an interception. Senior tight end Ryan Sykes (Charleston, SC) paced the Amherst receiving corps with four catches for 48 yards.
Defensively, Amherst junior linebacker Justin Roemer (Jupiter, FL) had a career day with 13 tackles and a pair of pass deflections. Scarpelli and senior linebacker Mike Salvatore (Greenwich, CT) chipped in with 12 and 10 stops, respectively. Senior defensive back Bob Sargent (Chantilly, VA) added his second interception of the season in the loss.
For Tufts, senor tailback Steve Cincotta (Newton, MA) carried the bulk of the workload with 20 carries for 79 yards, while D'Annolfo completed five passes in 16 attempts for 109 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore defensive end Chris Decembrele (Walpole, MA) paced the Jumbo defense with a game-high 15 stops, including nine unassisted.
Amherst returns to action next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at defending NESCAC Champion Trinity College (6-0), which has outscored its opponents 239-39 thus far this season.
BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY
