MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Senior kicker Phillip Nwosu went 4-for-4 including game-tying and game-winning field goals as the Amherst College football team edged Little Three rival Wesleyan on the road Saturday in overtime, 33-30.

The Jeffs avenged last year's loss to the Cardinals, and handed Wesleyan (4-1) its first of the season as they improved to 5-0.  Amherst sits atop the NESCAC standings alongside Trinity (5-0) as they increased their lead in the all-time series to 69-42-9. 

Nwosu sent a 41-yard field goal through the posts to knot the game at 30-30 with :23 remaining in regulation. After a huge fourth-down stop by Amherst in the overtime period, the Jeff placekicker once again sent the ball through the uprights with a 35-yarder to give Amherst the thrilling win. His four field goals are a new Amherst record, surpassing the mark set by David Bobruff '97 in 1995 (3).

Sophomore tailback Nick Kelly continues to shine for the Purple & White and found the endzone three times while rushing for a third-consecutive 100-yard rushing game. He carried the ball 22 times for 122 yards and also recorded five receptions for 20 yards. Max Lippe '15 had another efficient game behind center and went 20-for-32 with 158 yards and zero turnovers. His favorite target on the day was senior wide receiver Gene Garay, who caught nine balls for 99 yards.

Leading the Cardinals offensively was quarterback Jesse Warren. The senior went 19-of-26 for 305 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter. Lou Stevens rushed 24 times for 81 yards and found the endzone once, while Jay Fabien and Josh Hurwitz recorded 120 and 109 yards receiving, respectively. Fabien also scored twice.

Defensively, three Jeffs recorded double-digit tackles led by inside linebacker Ned Deane '15 with 11 (6 solo), while Chris Tamasi '15 and Thomas Kleyn '16 tallied 10 each. Tamasi also recorded 3.5 tackles-for-loss for a total of 11 yards. Donnie Cimino and Jake Siciliano both registered 10 tackles for the Cardinals. 

In an incredibly even contest, the home team held the edge in several offensive categories including a 433-322 advantage in total offense. They threw for 305 yards, while pilling 128 on the ground. The Jeffs tallied 158 yards through the air and 164 on the ground. The Cardinals also held a 34:30-25:30 edge in time of possession, but the Jeffs recorded 119 kickoff return yards compared to 22 by Wesleyan. 

The Cardinals wasted no time getting on the board. After forcing a Jeff punt on the first drive of the game, they went 80 yards on nine plays before Gibson punched it in from the two-yard line. After consecutive three-and-outs, Amherst regained possession at the Wesleyan-24 after a punt from the one-yard line went 23 yards. On the first play of the drive, Kelly broke open a 24-yard rush to the endzone to tie the game at 7-7.

The Cardinals added another touchdown with 4:11 remaining in the half but Jaymie Spears '16 blocked the extra-point attempt to keep the deficit to six. The block proved to be a pivotal play in the game as Nwosu cut the margin to three with a 32-yarder. His first field goal occurred with :23 remaining before the break, a reoccurring theme in Saturday's game. 

With the Cardinals ahead 13-10 at halftime, they increased the lead to six on the first drive of the third quarter. However, Amherst retaliated on their next possession as Kelly capped off an 11-play, 85-yard drive in 4:03 with a five–yard TD. It was the Jeffs' first lead of the game as they went ahead, 17-16. 

The lead was short-lived though as both teams went back-and-forth throughout the third, with scores on all four drives of the quarter. Following a touchback which placed the ball on the Wesleyan-25, the Cardinals went 75 yards on 10 plays to regain the lead. Warren found Fabien for a 20-yard score as they went ahead, 23-17.

Amherst followed up with a 5-play, 38-yard drive in 2:37 that finished with a 30-yard Nwoso field goal to end the quarter. On the ensuing possession, Warren threw his first interception of the season as Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn '16 picked it off before it could hit the ground. Starting their drive at the Wesleyan-39, Lippe threw a 15-yard completion to Garay on first-down. Five plays later, Kelly punched it in from a yard out to put the visitors ahead again, 27-23. 

Both teams punted on their following drives as the Cardinals took over at their 32-yard line with 4:04 remaining in regulation. On the first play of the drive, Warren completed a 68-yard touchdown score to Fabien as Wesleyan took a three-point lead.

After consecutive three-and-outs and a 12-yard punt by the Cardinals, Amherst took over at the Wesleyan-49 with 1:34 to go. Facing a crucial 4th-and-3, Lippe found Garay who broke open a 13-yard gain to keep the Jeffs alive. A five-yard completion to Jackson McGonagle '16 on the next play put Amherst in better field goal position. Two incompletions later, the Purple & White brought in the field goal unit as Nwosu drilled a 41-yarder in the rain to force overtime. The Cardinals regained possession with :23 left in the contest, but decided to kneel it. 

Wesleyan had the ball to start overtime from the Amherst-25. An illegal procedure put the Cardinals in a 1st-and-15 situation, but they connected on an 11-yard pass down to the Amherst-19 and converted on the following play. After an eight-yard rush on third down brought the home team to the 3-yard line, Wesleyan went for it on 4th-and-1 and were stuffed by the Jeffs for no gain.

Taking over at the Wesleyan-25, Lippe rushed for eight yards on third down but it wasn't enough for the first. For the fourth time in the game, Nwosu attempted a field goal and connected from 35-yards out to seal the thrilling win for Amherst.

The Jeffs return to Pratt Field next Saturday, Oct. 25 for Family Weekend and will host Tufts. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.