HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior wide receiver Jackson McGonagle caught a 20-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Max Lippe between two defenders with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Amherst College football team edged Trinity College on the road Saturday, 7-6.

The Jeffs (7-0) remain unbeaten and sit alone atop the NESCAC standings, while handing the Bantams (5-2) their second consecutive loss, and second straight at Jessee/Miller Field. Trinity previously held a 53-game home winning streak that was snapped a week ago to Middlebury. Saturday's win also marked the first road victory for Amherst against the Bantams since 2000. They hold a one-game lead in the conference standings over Wesleyan (6-1) with just one game remaining.

The Purple & White held Trinity to a mere 10 yards passing in a defensive battle, but only accumulated 156 yards of offense. Lippe's streak of 13 straight quarters without an interception came to an end as he tossed for 102 yards (9-for-25) with one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Gene Garay led all players with seven receptions and 74 yards, while running back Nick Kelly '17 totaled 51 yards on 21 carries.

Defensively, the Jeffs added two more interceptions to their league-high 15. Junior corner back Jaymie Spears picked off his fifth of the year, while junior free safety Christopher Gow added his fourth. Junior inside linebacker Thomas Kleyn led the team with 11 tackles (6 solo), while senior outside linebacker Chris Tamasi and junior strong safety Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn both recovered fumbles.

Despite throwing for just 10 yards, the Bantams top rushing attack did rack up 223 yards on the ground. Leading the way was Darrien Myers with 87 yards on 11 carries, while Chudi Iregbulem was held to just 64 yards on 29 carries for an average of 2.2 ypc. Iregbulem entered the game averaging a league-high 110 ypg with 10 touchdowns. On the defensive side, Rob Gau recorded 11 tackles (7 solo) to lead all Bantams while Nathaniel Hitchcock forced a fumble and picked it up, and Tom Szymanski registered the Bantam's interception.

After consecutive three-and-outs to start the game, Trinity punted to the Jeffs-6 yard line but Hitchcock forced an Amherst fumble on the return. He recovered the ball at the 11-yard line and a nine-yard rush by Hayden Jardine two plays later put the Bantams at the Amherst-1. The Jeffs stuffed Iregbulem three straight times for no gain, but the home team went for it on fourth down and converted as first-year quarterback Spencer Aukamp punched it in. However, a crucial missed extra-point had the Bantams up 6-0.

Neither team could get anything going offensively the remainder of the half as the Bantams maintained a six-point lead at the break. In the second half, the Jeffs put together their longest drive of the game on their first possession of the third quarter. The drive went 46 yards on 13 plays but ended in a missed 36-yard field goal. On the following play, Iregbulem fumbled at the Trinity-20 and was picked up by Fairfield-Sonn. The Jeffs could not capitalize on the turnover and punted after a three-and-out.

After consecutive punts by both teams, Gow picked off Hayden Jardine in the closing minutes of the third quarter and brought it back 35 yards to the Trinity-40. On the second play of Amherst's drive, Lippe and Garay connected for a 20-yard reception. After a defensive holding penalty and several rushing plays for four yards, the Jeffs faced a 2nd-and-goal at the six-yard line, but Lippe was intercepted by Szymanski at the Trinity-3. 

On Trinity's ensuing possession, the Bantams drove 37 yards on nine plays before Tamasi forced a fumble at the home-40 yard line and recovered. This time, Amherst capitalized on Trinity's mistake as Lippe completed a 17-yard pass to Garay down to the 20-yard line. Two plays later, he found McGonagle in the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown reception. Senior placekicker Phillip Nwosu made the extra-point attempt as Amherst took a 7-6 lead with 6:43 remaining.

After consecutive drives that ended in punts, the Bantams took over at their own-45 with 3:25 to play. The home team marched down the field, while killing the clock to set up a 3rd-and-2 at the Amherst-6. After a loss of one-yard on a rush, the Jeffs called a timeout with :37 left in regulation. On 4th-and-3, Trinity had a chance to take a lead but missed a 24-yard field goal as Amherst ran out the clock to defeat Trinity by one-point for the second straight year. They now lead the all-time series, 58-43-9.

Amherst returns to action Saturday, Nov. 8 for the season-finale against Williams. The Jeffs will host the "Biggest Little Game in America" at 4 p.m. on NESN during Homecoming weekend.