AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College football team (6-0) remained perfect this season behind a stellar defensive effort against Tufts University as the Jeffs cruised a to 30-3 win Saturday afternoon during Family Weekend at Pratt Field.

Amherst recorded six sacks and four interceptions en route to the decisive victory as they dropped the Jumbos to 3-3. The Purple & White have now won seven straight against their NESCAC rival and hold a 54-26-4 edge in the all-time series. During their current winning streak, Amherst has outscored Tufts, 235-86.

Spearheading the Jeffs' defense Saturday was senior outside linebacker Chris Tamasi, who recorded three sacks for 21 yards. He totaled nine tackles (7 solo), five for a loss, and forced two fumbles. Fellow classmate and defensive end Max Lehrman recorded two sacks and four tackles-for-loss. Tamasi and Lehrman now lead the NESCAC with 4.5 sacks each this season. Inside linebacker Ned Deane '15 recorded eight tackles (3 solo) and notched his second interception of the season, while inside linebacker Thomas Kleyn '16 added seven tackles (4 solo) and another pick. In the secondary, cornerback Jaymie Spears broke up four passes and free safety Christopher Gow '16 picked off the opposition twice for 65 yards including a 38-yard pick-six.

Offensively, quarterback Max Lippe '15 went 15-for-29 for 136 yards and one touchdown. He has not turned the ball over in the last 10 quarters. In the rushing game, first-year tailback Hasani Figueroa led the team with 12 carries for 46 yards and junior wide receiver Adam Wallace rushed for a four-yard touchdown. He also led the team in receiving with 45 yards including a 37-yard touchdown catch. Senior wide receiver Gene Garay had a team-high five receptions and gained 37 yards. As a unit, they rushed for 99 yards and threw for 145 (244 yards of total offense).

For Tufts, quarterback Alex Synder went 14-for-32 for 175 yards and threw three interceptions. He also rushed 11 times for 23 yards, while running back Zack Trause gained 34 yards on 12 carries. The Jeffs defense limited Tufts to just 61 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Nik Dean recorded four catches for a game-high 114 yards as the Jumbos registered 249 yards of total offense. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Matt McCormack recorded 13 tackles (8 solo) and recovered a fumble early in the first quarter.

Tufts won the coin toss and elected to receive. After a three-and-out, they punted to the Jeffs but a botched catch was picked up by McCormack. However, just six plays later, Lehrman hurried quarterback Jack Doll to force an interception as Gow returned it 27 yards. After a trio of Lippe completions and a 17-yard run by wide receiver Jackson McGonagle '16, the Jeffs made their way down to the visitor's 1-yardline. On 3rd-and-goal, Lippe pushed through the line for the first score of the game just over six minutes into play.

On the ensuing Tufts' possession, Synder threw his first interception of the game right into the hands of Deane who brought it back to the Tufts-26. Senior placekicker Phillip Nwosu '15 kicked a 37-yarder to put Amherst up by 10 as they capitalized on two early turnovers.

After consecutive punts by both teams, Tufts started their fifth drive on their own-seven with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter. On the first play of the drive, Synder found Dean running down the right sideline as he went 80 yards down to the Amherst-13. The drive ended in a 40-yard field goal by Zach Thomas as they cut the deficit to seven.

The Jumbos got the ball back after forcing a three-and-out, but a holding penalty and consecutive sacks by Tamasi brought them from the visitor-36 down to the 10-yardline. Facing a 3rd-and-26, the Jeffs pressured Synder once again and forced another interception as Kleyn made a diving catch at the 4-yardline. On the following play, Wallace rushed it in to give Amherst a 17-3 lead.

Tufts missed a 43-yard field goal on their next possession and after a series of drives that ended with punts, Synder threw his third interception of the game with 2:19 remaining in the half as Gow brought it back 38 yards for the score. The Jeffs entered the break with a 24-3 lead.

The second half was a defensive battle as neither team could get anything going offensively. The visitors had their best opportunity to score on their first drive of the quarter. Starting at their own-41, they brought it down to the Amherst-3. They went for it on 4th-and-1 but were stuffed as Amherst took over on possessions.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Jeffs scored on their third drive of the fourth. Starting at the Tufts-43 following a 27-yard punt, Amherst rushed the ball four times for 11 yards before Lippe tossed one to the endzone and found Wallace who beat his receiver. Amherst scored 30 points for the third straight game and have now scored 30 or more in four of their six contests this season as they cruised to the 30-3 win.

The Jeffs return to action next Saturday, Nov. 1 and will head to Trinity College for a 12:30 p.m. matchup. The Bantams had their 53-game home winning streak snapped today in a 27-7 loss to Middlebury.