October 17, 2005
Amherst College vs. Wesleyan University
October 22, 2005 * Pratt Field
Amherst, MA * 1:00 p.m.
THE SERIES
Amherst holds a 60-41-9 all-time advantage over Wesleyan, including 10 of the last 11 meetings and a 38-3 thrashing on the Cardinals' home field last season. Wesleyan's only win in the last decade came in 2002, when the Cardinals posted a heartbreaking 14-13 victory. Before that, Wesleyan's last series victory was a 24-6 win at Pratt Field in 1993, the last of four straight Cardinal wins from 1990 to 1993. The Jeffs faced Wesleyan for the first time in 1882, with the Cardinals earning a narrow 6-4 win.
LAST MEETING
Senior quarterback Marsh Moseley threw a trio of first-half touchdown passes to three different receivers - sophomores Justin Macione and Mark Hannon and senior Jay Wagstaff - and sophomore tailback Will Beeson 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 on Saturday, October 23, 2004. Juniors Nick Zieler and Justin Roemer paced the Jeff defense, registering 10 and nine tackles, respectively, while Roemer tallied a trio of tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks.
2005 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS
AMHERST
Rushing Yards/Per Game (1,035 yds/258.8 avg)
Passing Yards/ Per Game (498 yds/124.5 avg)
Total Offense/Per Game (1,533 yds/383.2 avg)
Total Points/Per Game (84 pts/21.0 avg)
Rushing Allowed/Per Game (321 yds/80.2 avg)
Passing Allowed/Per Game (330 yds/82.5 avg)
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game (651 yds/162.8 avg)
Total Points Allowed/Per Game (28 pts/7.0 avg)
WESLEYAN
Rushing Yards/Per Game (342 yds/85.5 avg)
Passing Yards/ Per Game (878 yds/219.5 avg)
Total Offense/Per Game (1,220 yds/305.0 avg)
Total Points/Per Game (68 pts/17.0 avg)
Rushing Allowed/Per Game (536 yds/134.0 avg)
Passing Allowed/Per Game (551 yds/137.8 avg)
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game (1,087 yds/271.8 avg)
Total Points Allowed/Per Game (98 pts/24.5 avg)
SCOUTING AMHERST
Amherst enters today's contest tied for third in the NESCAC standings with Colby at 3-1, while conference surprise Bowdoin and Trinity remain undefeated at 4-0. The Jeffs have been outstanding defensively, holding opponents to 162.8 yards per game, just 0.6 ypg behind conference-leading Trinity. They have registered 28 tackles in the backfield, resulting in 96 negative yards, and forced seven turnovers, including a trio of fumble recoveries by junior linebacker Greg Muecke. Senior linebacker Justin Roemer leads the defense with a team-high 37 tackles, good for seventh-best in the NESCAC, four tackles-for-loss, a trio of pass breakups and an interception. Muecke boasts 32 takedowns, while senior tri-captain L.J. Spinnato has 22 tackles, including 4.5 in the backfield, a sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick, and junior defensive lineman Brendan McKee leads the conference in tackles-for-loss with seven. The Amherst offense is led by its bruising rushing attack that averages 262.2 yards per game. Senior Ngai Otieno leads the NESCAC with 119.2 yards per game and a gaudy 6.2 yards per carry average. Senior Dom Cama has added 66.8 yards per game, good for fourth in the conference, and converted rookie tailback Eric NeSmith has come on strong as of late, combining for just over 100 yards in the last two contests. Junior wideout Mark Hannon has continued his triple-threat presence on the field, racking up 241 receiving yards, 184 rushing yards and 164 return yards, good for a NESCAC-best 147.2 all-purpose yards per game. Classmate Nick Kehoe has been solid under center, racking up 465 yards and four touchdowns on 37-for-74 passing.
AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
The Amherst football team dealt NESCAC host Colby College its first loss of the season on Saturday, 28-9. Junior triple-threat Mark Hannon led the way with 232 all-purpose yards, including a 78-yard touchdown catch and a 46-yard scoring scamper as the Jeffs improved to 3-1. Junior quarterback Nick Kehoe completed nine-of-20 passing attempts for 196 yards and a pair of scores, and rookie tailback Erik NeSmith tallied a career-high 76 rushing yards and his first collegiate touchdown. Sophomore cornerback Chris Mottau led the defense with eight tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.
AMHERST STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Nick Kehoe (38-for-75/479 yds/4 TD/4 int)
Greg Hagar (2-for-2/19 yds/0 TD/0 int)
RUSHING
Ngai Otieno (74 att/463 yds/3 TD)
Dom Cama (65 att/267 yds/0 TD)
Mark Hannon (14 att/184 yds/2 TD)
RECEIVING
Mark Hannon (14 rec/241 yds/2 TD)
Justin Macione (6 rec/64 yds/1 TD)
Parnell Adam (5 rec/57 yds/0 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Mark Hannon (7 punt returns/8.7 avg)
Mike Quirk (10-for-10 PAT)
AMHERST PROBABLE STARTERS
LORD JEFF OFFENSE
QB - #11 Nick Kehoe
FB - #34 Chris Gillyard
TB - #4 Ngai Otieno
WR - #1 Mark Hannon
WR - #5 Justin Macione
TE - #88 Parnell Adam
C - #75 Ryan Smith
LT - #66 Dan Guariglia
RT - #53 Gavin Weeks
LG - #76 Matt Mascioli
RG - #59 Nate Riccardi
LORD JEFF DEFENSE
OLB - #45 Justin Roemer
OLB - #14 Joe Bickerstaffe
DT - #98 Dan Kovolisky
DT - #55 Brendan McKee
NG - #56 L.J. Spinnato
ILB - #42 Jake Spadafora
ILB - # 31 Greg Muecke
DB - #20 Nick Zieler
DB - #7 Chris Mottau
DB - #2 Mike Salerno
DB - #8 Rob Grammer
2005 AMHERST SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sept. 24 @ Hamilton W 28-3
Oct. 1 BOWDOIN L 16-13
Oct. 8 MIDDLEBURY W 15-0
Oct. 15 @ Colby W 28-9
Oct. 22 WESLEYAN 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 @ Tufts 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 TRINITY 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 12 @ Williams Noon
SCOUTING WESLEYAN
Wesleyan Football has gotten off to a slow start in 2005, suffering losses in all four contests so far this year. The Cardinals opened with a 16-6 loss to visiting Tufts, in which they mustered only 138 yards of total offense, and followed with a tough 24-19 loss at Hamilton despite 344 yards passing from sophomore signal caller Zach Librizzi. After a 28-14 loss to visiting Colby, the Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking 30-29 overtime loss to Bates College . Wesleyan rallied from behind to score with nine seconds left and force the extra session, and after surrendering a touchdown to the Bobcats, junior Phil Banks scored on a two-yard plunge to pull back within one and seemingly force a second overtime. However, the Cardinals' extra-point attempt didn't go as planned and a two-point passing attempt fell incomplete, leaving Wesleyan with the narrow loss.
The Cardinals lead the NESCAC in passing offense as Librizzi averages a conference-best 204.2 passing yards per game. He also paces the conference in total offense with 243.0 yards per game. Sophomore Mark Noonan and seniors Andrew Brooker and Blake Curry have seen the most action in the passing game, hauling in 23, 16 and 15 catches, respectively. Noonan ranks second in the NESCAC with 62.2 receiving yards per game, while Brooker is ninth with 55.8 receiving yards per game, and Curry boasts a team-best three touchdown catches. Librizzi and Banks have combined for 301 yards and a trio of touchdowns on the ground.
The Cardinal defense is led by sophomore linebacker Tim O'Callaghan, who boasts a team-best 38 tackles, good for fifth in the NESCAC. He also has four tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery on the year. Seniors Adam Maxwell and Quincy Francis rank second and third on the team with 28 and 26 tackles, respectively. Sophomore Ross Coates leads the team with a pair of sacks, while junior Steve Secundo has two interceptions.
WESLEYAN LAST TIME OUT
The Wesleyan football team dropped its fourth straight on Saturday, suffering a heartbreaking 30-29 overtime loss to previously winless Bates College in a game played at Trinity College due to poor field conditions at Wesleyan. The Cardinals failed to convert their point-after-try in overtime after coming from behind to force overtime on a Blake Curry touchdown catch with nine seconds left in regulation. Phil Banks rushed for 83 yards and a pair of scores to lead Wesleyan.
WESLEYAN HEAD COACH FRANK HAUSER
Head coach Frank Hauser enters his 14th season as the Cardinals' head coach with a career record of 57-51, after graduating from Wesleyan in 1979 and serving as an assistant coach for the Cardinals from 1986 to 1992, when he took over the head coaching duties. Hauser was a standout linebacker for the Cardinals and also wrestled before teaching in the Middletown School District for six years. He also coached at Glastonbury (CT) High School, leading the Tomahawks to a Connecticut Class LL State Championship in 1984, earning State Coach of the Year honors. Hauser has held the rank of adjunct associate professor at Wesleyan since 1987.
WESLEYAN STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Zach Librizzi (73-for-140/817 yds/7 TD/9 int)
RUSHING
Zach Librizzi (82 att/155 yds/1 TD)
Phil Banks (46 att/146 yds/2 TD)
RECEIVING
Mark Noonan (23 rec/249 yds/1 TD)
Andrew Brooker (16 rec/223 yds/1 TD)
Blake Curry (15 rec/119 yds/3 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kevin Leamy (9 kick returns/17.6 avg)
Chris Helsel (1-for-1 fg/2-for-2 PAT)
WESLEYAN PROBABLE STARTERS
CARDINAL OFFENSE
QB - #12 Zach Librizzi
RB - #20 Phil Banks
FB - #40 Teray Tucker
LT - #75 Dan Glyck
LG - #52 Chris Conetta
C - #63 Rob Weinstock
RG - #70 Corey Baker
RT -#78 Adam Bunce
WR - #84 Blake Curry
WR - #9 Mark Noonan
WR - #7 Andrew Brooker
CARDINAL DEFENSE
DL - #58 Brian Smithson
DL - #99 Shem Johnston-Bloom
DL - #73 Tom Addonizio
DL - #35 Ross Coates
LB - #5 Quincy Francis
LB - #45 Tim O'Callaghan
LB - #25 Ethan Pickett
DB - #1 Adam Maxwell
DB - #4 Steve Secundo
DB - #2 Jeff McLaren
DB - #21 Kwasi Ansu
2005 WESLEYAN SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sept. 24 TUFTS L 16-6
Oct. 1 @ Hamilton L 24-19
Oct 8 COLBY L 28-14
Oct. 15 vs. Bates (@ Trinity) L 30-29 (ot)
Oct. 22 @ Amherst 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 @ Bowdoin 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 5 WILLIAMS 1 p.m.
Nov. 12 @ Trinity Noon
2005 NESCAC STANDINGS
Bowdoin (4-0)
Trinity (4-0)
Amherst (3-1)
Colby (3-1)
Tufts (2-2)
Williams (2-2)
Bates (1-3)
Hamilton (1-3)
Middlebury (0-4)
Wesleyan (0-4)
AMHERST VS. WESLEYAN ALL-TIME RESULTS
Amherst leads 60-41-9 (110 meetings)
1882 Wesleyan 6 Amherst 4
1886 Wesleyan 47 Amherst 0
1888 Wesleyan 54 Amherst 0
1889 Wesleyan 39 Amherst 0
1890 Wesleyan 8 Amherst 6
1894 Amherst 28 Wesleyan 0
1894 Amherst 10 Wesleyan 4
1895 Amherst 12 Wesleyan 10
1895 Amherst 16 Wesleyan 14
1896 Wesleyan 6 Amherst 0
1896 Amherst 6 Wesleyan 4
1897 Wesleyan 24 Amherst 0
1897 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 0
1898 Wesleyan 33 Amherst 0
1898 Wesleyan 28 Amherst 0
1899 Wesleyan 40 Amherst 0
1899 Wesleyan 11 Amherst 5
1900 Wesleyan 17 Amherst 0
1901 Wesleyan 15 Amherst 11
1910 Amherst 3 Wesleyan 0
1911 tie 0-0
1913 Wesleyan 9 Amherst 0
1914 Amherst 16 Wesleyan 0
1915 Amherst 10 Wesleyan 6
1916 Wesleyan 10 Amherst 7
1917 Amherst 14 Wesleyan 9
1918 Wesleyan 5 Amherst 0
1919 Amherst 9 Wesleyan 7
1920 Wesleyan 7 Amherst 0
1921 tie 3-3
1922 Wesleyan 21 Amherst 6
1923 Amherst 12 Wesleyan 10
1924 Amherst 33 Wesleyan 13
1925 Amherst 73 Wesleyan 6
1926 Amherst 20 Wesleyan 0
1927 Wesleyan 20 Amherst 12
1928 tie 20-20
1929 Amherst 7 Wesleyan 0
1930 tie 19-19
1931 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 6
1932 Amherst 6 Wesleyan 0
1933 tie 0-0
1934 Amherst 37 Wesleyan 7
1935 Amherst 26 Wesleyan 0
1936 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 7
1937 Amherst 12 Wesleyan 2
1938 Amherst 13 Wesleyan 0
1939 Wesleyan 19 Amherst 14
1940 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 6
1941 Amherst 16 Wesleyan 7
1942 Amherst 27 Wesleyan 0
1946 Wesleyan 46 Amherst 13
1947 Wesleyan 20 Amherst 0
1948 Wesleyan 27 Amherst 0
1949 Amherst 14 Wesleyan 7
1950 tie 14-14
1951 tie 21-21
1952 tie 0-0
1953 tie 20-20
1954 Amherst 14 Wesleyan 0
1955 Wesleyan 25 Amherst 6
1956 Amherst 32 Wesleyan 0
1957 Amherst 21 Wesleyan 0
1958 Amherst 19 Wesleyan 0
1959 Amherst 6 Wesleyan 0
1961 Amherst 48 Wesleyan 8
1960 Amherst 13 Wesleyan 0
1962 Amherst 18 Wesleyan 6
1963 Amherst 20 Wesleyan 14
1964 Amherst 24 Wesleyan 8
1965 Amherst 37 Wesleyan 12
1966 Wesleyan 21 Amherst 20
1967 Amherst 34 Wesleyan 0
1968 Amherst 58 Wesleyan 13
1969 Wesleyan 28 Amherst 13
1970 Wesleyan 34 Amherst 19
1971 Amherst 35 Wesleyan 10
1972 Amherst 35 Wesleyan 12
1973 Amherst 41 Wesleyan 26
1974 Amherst 17 Wesleyan 7
1975 Wesleyan 19 Amherst 7
1976 Wesleyan 30 Amherst 17
1977 Amherst 16 Wesleyan 14
1978 Amherst 30 Wesleyan 15
1979 Wesleyan 20 Amherst 7
1980 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 10
1981 Amherst 6 Wesleyan 3
1982 Amherst 14 Wesleyan 0
1983 Amherst 35 Wesleyan 7
1984 Amherst 6 Wesleyan 0
1985 Amherst 26 Wesleyan 0
1986 Amherst 50 Wesleyan 21
1987 Amherst 21 Wesleyan 12
1988 Wesleyan 27 Amherst 0
1989 Amherst 27 Wesleyan 7
1990 Wesleyan 21 Amherst 14
1991 Wesleyan 32 Amherst 15
1992 Wesleyan 46 Amherst 14
1993 Wesleyan 24 Amherst 6
1994 Amherst 28 Wesleyan 14
1995 Amherst 13 Wesleyan 0
1996 Amherst 18 Wesleyan 13
1997 Amherst 36 Wesleyan 14
1998 Amherst 34 Wesleyan 28 (OT)
1999 Amherst 28 Wesleyan 14
2000 Amherst 9 Wesleyan 7
2001 Amherst 23 Wesleyan 0
2002 Wesleyan 14 Amherst 13
2003 Amherst 41 Wesleyan 0
2004 Amherst 38 Wesleyan 3
