AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College football team controlled the tempo in its game with Little Three rival Wesleyan University by rushing for 256 yards on 50 attempts, as the Lord Jeffs picked up a 28-9 victory over the Cardinals on Amherst's Homecoming. The Jeffs improve to 4-1 with the win, while the Cardinals fall to 3-2.
Amherst kicked off to Wesleyan to start the game, but junior cornerback A.J. Scola (Holden, MA) intercepted Cardinal quarterback Zach Librizzi in the opening drive to give the Jeffs possession at the 50-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Lucas Loeffler (New York, NY) used that momentum to hurl a 40-yard bomb to junior Jim Eckenrode (Madison, CT), with a Wesleyan face mask penalty adding five more yards to the play. Sophomore running back Aaron Rauh (Hudson, OH) took over from there, rushing for three yards and then finishing off the drive with a 2-yard scamper into the end zone, as Amherst jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three minutes and 19 seconds of first-quarter action.
After a Wesleyan three-and-out, the Jeffs looked as though they would once again find paydirt, but junior running back Eric NeSmith (Newark, NJ) had the ball knocked out of his hands by Cardinal defensive back Andrew Fiola, who recovered the fumble at his team's 13-yard line. The ensuing Wesleyan drive was highlighted by a 62-yard pass from Librizzi to Taso Fotinos that brought the visitors down to the Amherst 13-yard line. The Cardinals could not advance past the 6-yard line, however, as they settled for a field goal from Chris Helsel.
Amherst responded with a field goal of its own early in the second quarter, as sophomore Matt Eberhart (Plano, TX) split the uprights to give the Jeffs a 10-3 lead with 10:52 remaining in the half. After another Wesleyan three-and-out, NeSmith and Loeffler went right back to work, as the ensuing Amherst drive featured a 44-yard run from NeSmith and a 29-yard pass from Loeffler to senior Mike Myers (Foxboro, MA) that placed the ball on the 1-yard line. Loeffler picked up the final one yard with his first rushing touchdown of the season, as Amherst took a 17-3 lead.
The Cardinals opened their next drive with a 9-yard pass from Librizzi, but once again failed to get a first down, allowing Rauh to take over and put on a show for the lively homecoming crowd. Rauh ran for five yards on the first play of the drive before breaking out a 55-yard touchdown run on the second play, as it took the Jeffs only 52 seconds to pick up their third touchdown.
A bad snap on the ensuing extra point attempt resulted in first-year Alex Vetras (Clyde Hill, WA) dropping back to look for open receiver, as he was able to find a wide open Dan Savage (Bronxville, NY) to complete the 2-point conversion, putting Amherst ahead 25-3, which is where the score stood heading into halftime.
Wesleyan struck first in the third quarter with its first touchdown of the game, when a 54-yard drive was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore Shea Dwyer. The extra point kick attempt was blocked, as Amherst junior Guy Matisis (Hingham, MA) got his hand on the ball to keep the Cardinals at nine points. The third quarter whizzed by without nearly as much action as the first two, as the Jeffs headed into the final 15 minutes with a 25-9 advantage.
The lone points of the final quarter came when Eberhart nailed a 36-yard field goal to give Amherst a 28-9 lead, which is where the score remained until the final whistle. NeSmith carried the ball 22 times for 144 yards, while Rauh had 103 yards on 20 carries to go along with his pair of touchdowns.
Loeffler was 5-of-12 on the day for 64 yards, with Myers adding 64 yards worth of punt returns to his 29 receiving yards. Junior Taylor Brown (Boulder, CO) was solid on kick returns, as he totaled 81 yards on three returns. Scola added five total tackles to go along with his interception, while senior defensive back Chris Mottau (Holliston, MA) had a pick of his own. Sophomore Chris Govey (Easton, MA) and senior Nick Boehm (Shaker Heights, OH) led the Jeffs with nine tackles apiece, while sophomore Eric Pender (Drexel Hill, PA) recorded a pair of sacks.
Librizzi completed 25-of-43 passes for 259 yards, with junior Ryan Walsh catching eight passes for 77 yards, and fellow juniors Kevin Leamy and Helsel adding 36 and 34 receiving yards, respectively.
Pacing the Wesleyan defense were first-year Justin Freres and junior Vinny Colangelo, who each totaled 13 tackles, while the Cardinal defense as a whole had 12 tackles-for-loss. Freres also had an interception in the game, as he picked off Loeffler late in the third quarter.
The Lord Jeffs return to action next Saturday for a crucial game at Tufts University, who also stands at 4-1 on the season, while the Cardinals will take on Bowdoin College at 12:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY
