Amherst College (0-0) vs.
Bates College (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 * Pratt Field
Amherst, Mass. * 1 p.m.

PRESEASON VIDEO
(Courtesy of Megan Robertson '15)

INTRA-SQUAD SCRIMMAGE PHOTO GALLERY
(Courtesy of Niahlah Hope '16)

JEFF REPORT PODCAST 

LIVE COVERAGE
Amherst's 2014 season opener will feature live stats and a high-definition (HD) webcast broadcasted by the Northeast Sports Network (NSN).

THIS WEEK IN THE NESCAC
Wesleyan @ Middlebury (1 p.m.)
Hamilton @ Tufts (1 p.m.)
Bates @ Amherst (1 p.m.)
Colby @ Trinity (1 p.m.)
Bowdoin @ Williams (2 p.m.)

THE SERIES
Amherst and Bates have met 28 times since 1901, with the Jeffs holding a decisive 22-4-2 edge. Amherst has won the previous six meetings dating back to 2002 and have outscored the Bobcats 172-13 with four shutouts during that stretch. The last Bates victory over Amherst occurred in 1999 as they claimed a 19-7 home victory. Amherst's current six-game winning streak matches its longest streak against its NESCAC counterpart, having previously claimed six straight from 1984 to 1989. The two teams have not met since 2011, when the Jeffs won 20-7 on the road.

LAST MEETING 
In the 2011 meeting, the Jeffs went on the road to claim a 20-7 victory in the team's season-opener. Outside linebacker Mike Aldo '13 led Amherst in the win as he forced two fumbles, blocked a punt and recorded three sacks. However, the play of the day went to Kevin Ferber '12. With the score tied at 7-7 and Bates holding the ball on Amherst's 25-yard line, the Bobcats had time for one last play before halftime. Quarterback Trevor Smith rolled to his left and was sacked from the blind side by Aldo, who stripped the ball loose. Ferber recovered the fumble and ran it back 62 yards along the right sideline for the go-ahead touchdown. 

Amherst entered the break with a 14-7 lead despite a 12-4 Bates advantage in first downs, a 19:07 to 10:53 edge in time of possession and a 183-113 edge in total offense.

The Bobcats would not score in the second half, while Amherst tacked on a field goal in the third quarter and another in the fourth. The Jeffs ran the ball 33 times for 150 yards in the second half to control the clock, while Bates was forced to punt five times and turned the ball over on three other possessions in the final two quarters. Eric Bunker '12 ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for Amherst, while Ryan Silva '14 added 62 rushing yards. Blake Grauer '12 completed 14 of 25 passes for 83 yards but was picked off three times in his first collegiate start.

AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Rolling up 203 yards on the ground, the Amherst football team ended the 2013 season on a high note, defeating archrival Williams College, 20-7.

Playing in the 525th and final game on the grass at Weston Field, the Jeffs notched their third-consecutive victory over the Ephs, the team's longest streak in the historic rivalry since capturing six-straight from 1981-86. Still holding a 71-52-5 edge in the all-time series, Williams fell to 2-6 on the season. Closing out the year with a 7-1 mark, Amherst finished in a three-way tie atop the league standings, earning at least a share of the conference championship for the third time since 2009 by virtue of Wesleyan's 40-10 loss at Trinity.

Averaging 5.4 yards per carry, Kenny Adinkra '16 led the Amherst rushing attack with 92 yards. Nick Kelly '17added 50 yards on 16 touches with a touchdown, while quarterback Max Lippe '15 had 38 yards. Completing 60 percent (21-of-35) of his passes, Lippe also threw for 153 yards and a score as the Jeffs outgained the Ephs, 356-305, while holding a nearly six-minute edge in time of possession. Nine different Amherst players hauled in a reception in the win, led by Brian Ragone '16, who had 47 yards on five catches with a touchdown. 

A hallmark of one of the league's stiffest defenses, Amherst forced four more turnovers, upping their season takeaway total to 23. Jaymie Spears '16, Danny Chun '14 and Kevin Callahan '14 each had an interception to help the Purple & White finish with a conference-best 20 picks in 2013.

BATES LAST TIME OUT
Bates scored on five of its first six possessions to build a 31-7 lead en route to a 38-21 victory over Hamilton College in its 2013 season finale. The Bobcats posted season highs in points, total offense (464 yards), yards gained per rush (5.4) and yards gained per pass (11.8) in the win and finished at .500 or above (4-4) in consecutive years for the first time since 1981-82. Bates tied Colby for fifth place in the NESCAC and also took a three-way share of the CBB (Colby-Bates-Bowdoin) crown.

Senior Shawn Doherty rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, part of a game-high 215 all-purpose yards, in his final game as a Bobcat. Senior Ryan Curit ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, and sophomore Shaun Carroll gained 47 yards on just three carries. Junior quarterback Matt Cannone completed 9-of-14 passes for a career-high two touchdowns and 165 yards, including scoring passes of 63 yards to sophomore Mark Riley and 30 yards to senior Kevin Davis, who hauled in three passes on the day for 68 yards.

SCOUTING AMHERST
Amherst is coming of a 2013 season in which the Jeffs finished 7-1 en route to their third NESCAC Championship. The Purple & White shared the title a year ago with Middlebury and Wesleyan as they look for their fourth crown in six years entering the 2014 campaign.

Last season's team relied on its stingy defense, which allowed a league-best 11.8 points per game. The Jeffs pressured opposing quarterbacks often and led the NESCAC with 22 sacks while forcing 20 interceptions. One of the league's top defenses a year ago, Amherst also ranked second in total yards per game as well as rushing yards per game, allowing 297.9 and 99.1 on the ground, respectively. The unit was led by First Team All-NESCAC selection Chris Tamasi '15. The senior co-captain ranked 10th in the league with a team-high 62 tackles (53 solo), averaging 7.8 per game. His 18 tackles for loss were a league-best. He will be joined in the linebacker core by classmate and co-captain Ned Deane '15, who registered 61 tackles as a junior. 

Senior quarterback Max Lippe spent the past two seasons at the helm of the offense and led a squad that scored 21.1 points per game a year ago as he averaged 182.4 yards per game through the air, second most in the conference. The senior also connected on 10 touchdown passes to tie for third most in the league. His favorite returning target from 2013 is Gene Garay '15, a dynamic senior wide receiver that averaged 50.0 yards per game (11th in the NESCAC) with three touchdowns (tied for eighth in the league). The Jeffs' rushing attack is deep and returns junior Kenny Adinkra who had a team-high 448 yards last year, while averaging 56.0 per game and 4.1 yards per carry. The Jeffs also return the NESCAC's top kicker from 2013 in Phillip Nwosu '15, whose 10 field goals last year were a league-best.

SCOUTING BATES
Bates football has progressed in recent years and went from 3-5 in 2011 to 5-3 in 2012, followed by last year's 4-4 mark. The latter two seasons comprise Bates' best two-year record in 30 years. An experienced squad returns in 2014 with 20 senior class players, the most in head coach Mark Harriman's 17 years at the helm

The Bobcats boasted the top rushing offense in the NESCAC in 2013, with 231.5 yards per game, the second straight year it resided in the conference's top two. Bates averaged 3.8 yards-per-carry as a team and scored 13 rushing touchdowns, tying Trinity for second in that category. The Bobcats' de-emphasized passing game had them 10th overall, with 114.6 yards per game.

After recording a team-record 32 defensive takeaways in 2012, Bates dropped to the middle of the pack last year, with 17 (11 interceptions, six fumble recoveries). The squad finished seventh in the league in points allowed (21.1 per game) and eighth in total defense (370.6 yards per game). Defensive coordinator Chris Kempton has plenty of depth at the defensive line, linebacker and cornerback positions this season.   

PROBABLE STARTERS

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS

2013 STATISTICAL COMPARISON