AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College football team used 134 rushing yards from Eric Bunker '12 (Topsfield, Mass.) and three interceptions by its defense to improve to 2-0 with a 20-3 win over Bowdoin College Saturday afternoon at a rainy Pratt Field. 

Jimmy Garvey '14 gave the Polar Bears (0-2) a 3-0 lead on a 20-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining in the first half, but the Lord Jeffs (2-0) would carry a 7-3 lead into the break and account for the only 13 points of the second half. 

Amherst earned the 600th win in program history, as the Lord Jeffs are now 600-400-53 dating back to the inaugural 1877 season. Amherst is 17-2 against Bowdoin in the past 19 meetings and leads the all-time series, 70-17-2. 

Rainy conditions resulted in each team passing for fewer than 100 yards, but Amherst held a commanding 199-74 advantage in the running game. Time of possession was virtually identical during a sloppy game that featured 13 penalties for a total loss of 145 yards, as the difference makers proved to be a pivotal fourth-down conversion from Mike Samela '12 (Westport, Conn.) late in the second quarter and a timely interception by Kevin Heller '12 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) early in the fourth. 

The Polar Bears marched down to the Amherst 36-yard line on their opening possession, but their momentum would be killed by a bad snap that set up 2nd-and-21 from the 47 and resulted in a punt. Amherst's first scoring opportunity came four minutes into the second period when the Jeffs reached the visitors' 25-yard line, but a field goal attempt by Matt Rawson '12 (Bethesda, Md.) from 42 yards out—which would have tied his career long—missed wide left and kept the game scoreless. 

Bowdoin took advantage of the missed field goal and scored on its ensuing drive after taking over from its own 25-yard line. Grant White '14 connected with Dave Westhaver '12 for an eight-yard pickup along the right sideline for a key first down, as the senior wide receiver did a nice job of staying in bounds after making a leaping catch at the Amherst 25. Westhaver's catch was followed by a 13-yard run by Zach Donnarumma '14, and the drive would end with a 20-yard field goal from Garvey, giving Bowdoin a 3-0 lead with 4:21 to play in the first half. 

A pair of personal foul calls against Bowdoin helped Amherst score a go-ahead touchdown on its final possession of the first half. The biggest play of the game came on 4th-and-1 from the Bowdoin 28, as Samela was stopped at the line of scrimmage but was able to muscle his way ahead for a pivotal first down. Bunker followed with a 19-yard run and would cap off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown burst, with Rawson providing the extra point for a 7-3 lead with only 59 seconds left on the clock. 

Amherst's first drive of the second half came to a halt when Bowdoin lineman Denzel McLarty '14 recovered a fumble that was forced by linebacker Griffin Cardew '14, but White's first pass on the ensuing drive was intercepted by Amherst linebacker Matt Pieterse '13 (Springfield, Mass.). The quick turn of events resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Rawson, as Amherst took a 10-3 lead with 11:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Samela came up with another big play late in the third quarter when he hauled in a 13-yard reception on third down, which was followed by a 12-yard run by Bunker. The Jeffs would again settle for a Rawson field goal, this time from 37 yards out to give the hosts a 13-3 lead with 4:56 to play in the period. 

The biggest play of the second half came on the second play of the final quarter, as White was intercepted by Heller at the Bowdoin 32. Heller was able to take the ball all the way down to the 4-yard line, and Samela followed with a 4-yard touchdown run on Amherst's first play of the drive. Rawson tacked on another extra point to bring the score to 20-3. 

White would be picked off by Greg Kutzin '12 (Eastchester, N.Y.) on the next drive and the game would end with the Polar Bears losing a fumble, as the visitors picked up six first downs and accumulated only 68 yards of total offense in the second half. 

White finished 13-of-23 for 73 yards, while Amherst's Blake Grauer '12 (Claremore, Okla.) completed 13 of his 26 passes for 81 yards. Donnarumma picked up 75 yards on 22 carries (3.4 ypc). Bunker averaged 5.2 yards per carry for the Jeffs, with Ryan Silva '14 (Bristol, R.I.) and Steven Jellison '14 (Amherst, N.H.) combining for 51 yards on the ground. 

Bowdoin's Pat Noone '12 was the game's leading receiver with 26 yards on five catches, while Sean O'Malley '13 also caught five passes for 25 yards. Amherst's Ben Kettering '12 (Fairmont, W.V.) caught three balls for 13 yards, with Bunker adding 25 receiving yards on a pair of catches. 

Amherst's Sam Clark '13 (Andover, Mass.) led all players with 11 tackles, but Kevin Ferber '12 (Mahwah, N.J.) stood out for the Jeffs with seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. David Nurse '13 and Cardew each had 10 stops for Bowdoin, with 17 of their 20 tackles coming in solo fashion.

Both teams will return to action next Saturday, with Amherst hosting Middlebury (1-1) and Bowdoin traveling to take on Tufts (0-2). The Lord Jeffs are tied with Trinity (2-0) and Hamilton (2-0) atop the NESCAC standings after two weeks of competition.

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