HARTFORD, CT – The Amherst College football team traveled south to face NESCAC rival Trinity College this afternoon in a crucial week seven match-up. The Lord Jeffs fell to the Bantams 30-13, ultimately dropping to 5-2 on the season with just next weekend's homecoming game against Williams remaining.

The Bantams took the opening kick-off in and started to drive downfield in a hurry. A near interception by junior defensive back Fred Argir (Lakeville, MN) and a snap over the head of Trinity quarterback Eric McGrath stalled the drive, and forced the Bantams to punt on fourth-and-ten.

Neither team was able to get much going offensively until late in the first quarter. Trinity took advantage of a fast defensive front from Amherst, and gained significant yards on three straight screen passes after the Lord Jeffs broke into the backfield. The Bantams needed three rushes from Ollie Starnes to punch the ball in from the 6-yard line, tacking on the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Amherst sophomore Femi Oyalowo (Bowie, MD) took the ensuing kick-off all the way to the 44-yard line, giving the offense great starting field position. The Lord Jeffs capitalized with a 57-yard drive, capped by a 32-yard touchdown from sophomore quarterback Alex Vetras (Clyde Hill, WA) to senior Jim Eckenrode (Madison, CT).

The Bantams fired right back, marching down the field and scoring on a 28-yard touchdown pass of their own from McGrath to Mike Galligan up the seam. With 9:22 remaining in the second quarter, Trinity held a 14-7 lead.

After it looked like Amherst was going to stall out on third down, Vetras found Eckenrode with a 16-yard pass for the first down. A dropped pass on 3rd-and-8 was quickly forgotten by the Amherst faithful, when a Trinity facemask provided a first down. The Lord Jeffs could not take advantage of the new set of downs, as Vetras was picked off in the end zone for a touchback.

On the ensuing possession, Trinity had a 68-yard touchdown pass called back on a holding call, as the Lord Jeffs caught an enormous break. The Amherst defense held on, and forced Trinity to punt with 3:21 remaining in the quarter, giving the Jeff offense a chance to cut into the 14-7 deficit before halftime.

With just over two minutes remaining in the half, Vetras and Eckenrode connected for another 18-yard gain. With ten seconds remaining, Amherst moved the ball to the 30-yard line, but elected to throw one more pass before attempting a field goal. Vetras connected with a Sean Legister (Ossining, NY) inside the 20-yard line, but time ran out as he never made it out of bounds.

After Amherst turned the ball over early in the third quarter on another Vetras interception, the Lord Jeff defense turned momentum back in their favor. After forcing Trinity into a field goal, a personal foul gave Trinity a new set of downs. The series ultimately ended when Amherst forced the Bantams into another field goal attempt that sailed wide-left.

After taking possession on their own 14-yard line on the miss, Amherst marched down the field riding hard running from junior Aaron Rauh (Hudson, OH) and completions to Eckenrode on slants across the middle. The 86-yard drive was capped on a five-yard touchdown pass from Vetras to Brian Murphy (Evanston, IL). Eberhart missed the extra point to the right, leaving the Bantams up 14-13.

Trinity's next drive carried into the fourth quarter, before Amherst forced a 33-yard field goal from the Bantams. Amherst took possession with 12:57 to play, trailing 17-13, with first-year Gordie Lockbaum (Worcester, MA) taking the following kickoff to the 22-yardline.

The Lord Jeffs moved the ball to midfield, before facing a 3rd-and-10. Vetras found Murphy slashing across the middle for a 25-yard pick up to the Trinity 25-yard line. After an illegal shift penalty against Amherst, The Jeffs were forced to go for it on 4th-and-5 from the 20-yard line. A tipped pass was nearly hauled in by Murphy, which gave possession back to Trinity on downs.

The turnover on downs proved costly for Amherst, as Trinity's Starnes took a handoff 69 yards to pay dirt with 5:20 remaining in the fourth-quarter. The point after was blocked by Nick Edwards (Greenwich, CT), leaving the Bantams up 23-13.

In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Vetras went down with an apparent knee injury, bringing Amherst first-year Brian McMahon (Basking Ridge, NJ) under center. With just over two minutes to play, Amherst elected to kick a field goal on fourth down. Eberhart's bid was blocked by Trinity's John Marinelli, who returned the ball all the way to Amherst's 15.

Trinity tacked on a touchdown with 34 seconds remaining to push the lead to 30-13. With the victory, Trinity improves to 7-0 and wins the 2008 NESCAC title outright, while Amherst falls to 5-2.

Vetras finished the day 28-for-42 for 283 yards with two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Eckenrode was his most productive target, grabbing six passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Amherst ran for just 48 yards on the day, while Trinity gained 147 via the run. McGrath finished 16-for-26 with one touchdown and 171 yards passing.

Senior captain Guy Matisis (Hingham, MA) joined Eric Pender (Drexik Hill, PA) as Amherst leaders with seven tackles apiece.

The Lord Jeffs will host Williams next weekend for "The Biggest Little Game in America" at 12 p.m.

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