(Photo by Kevin Bennett)

WATERVILLE, Maine – After a scoreless first quarter, Amherst scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, and picked off Colby twice in the final 2:15 of regulation including an interception returned for a touchdown as the Purple & White closed out a 31-13 victory over the Mules at Seaverns Field at Harold Alfond Stadium in Waterville, Maine.  

RECORDS
Amherst: 4-0 (2-0 home, 2-0 away)
Colby: 0-4 (0-2 home, 0-2 away)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Amherst defense picked off Colby quarterbacks twice in the final 2:15 of regulation and three times overall.
• With Amherst leading, 24-13, Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn '16 intercepted Gabe Harrington and returned the ball 20 yards for a touchdown with just 1:59 to play in the game. Nate Tyrell '19 then picked off Christian Sparacio with just 52 seconds remaining to seal the win.
• Quarterback Reece Foy '18 went 15-for-23 with 186 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while Kenny Adinkra '16 rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
• Jackson McGonagle '16 led the Purple & White receiving corps with 77 yards on three catches and a touchdown, while Devin Boehm '16 made a team-high four receptions for 33 yards and a score.
• Defensively, junior linebackers Evan Boynton and Parker Chapman made seven tackles each (5 solo, 2 assisted), while Tom Kleyn '16 also made seven tackles, including three solo and four assisted. Fairfield-Sonn, Tyrell and Jaymie Spears '16 each registered an interception.
• Colby's rushing attack was led by Jabari Hurdle-Price who gained 102 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown, while Carl Lipani picked up 33 yards and a score on 10 carries.
• Harrington was 23-of-38 for 221 yards and two interceptions through the air, while Sparacio was 2-for-5 for 44 yards with an interception. Mark Snyder pulled in eight receptions for 73 yards, while Hurdle-Price caught seven passes for 72 yards.
• The Mules' defense was led by Stephen O'Grady who notched nine tackles (8 solo, 1 assisted), while Ian Dickey recorded eight tackles (6 solo, 2 assisted) and forced a fumble.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• After a scoreless first quarter, Amherst marched 45 yards in 11 plays on its first drive of the second quarter, and Charlie Wall '18 converted a 26-yard field goal to give the Purple & White a 3-0 lead.
• Following a punt by Colby, Foy connected with McGonagle on a 46 yard pass to the Mules' eight yard line. On fourth-and-goal from the Colby three, Foy found Boehm in the back of the endzone to give Amherst a 10-0 lead with 9:52 to play in the first half.   
• With 2:47 on the clock, the Purple & White extended its advantage to 17-0 when Adinkra ran it in from two yards out capping a four-play, 39-yard drive.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Colby received the ball to begin the third quarter and compiled a 12-play, 85-yard drive in 5:15 that featured a 35-yard catch and run by Hurdle-Price. He then finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown rush to set the score at 17-7.
• Amherst responded with a seven-play, 60-yard drive of its own resulting in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Foy to McGonagle as the Purple & White pushed its lead back to 17 at 24-7 with 6:28 to play in the third quarter.
• Late in the fourth quarter, Colby pulled to within two scores as Lipani notched a two-yard touchdown run to complete an 11-play, 66-yard drive that narrowed the Mules' deficit to 24-13 with 3:45 to play in regulation.  
• After forcing a fumble on Amherst's ensuing possession, Colby had the ball deep in its own territory, and Fairfield-Sonn picked off Harrington and raced back 20 yards for a touchdown to give the visitors a 31-13 cushion with just 1:59 on the clock. Tyrell then intercepted Sparacio to halt Colby's next possession and seal the victory.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Amherst set a team record with its 15th consecutive win. The Purple & White's last loss occurred Oct. 19, 2013 in a 20-14 defeat at home versus Wesleyan. With 15 straight wins, they surpass the previous record of 14 which happened twice: 11/12/83 to 10/19/85 and again from 9/26/09 to 10/30/10.
• McGonagle's 78-yard punt to the Colby-1 yardline in the third quarter broke an Amherst program record that held strong for 73 years. The previous long was 74 yards by Roland Smith in 1942 against Williams.
• The Purple & White improve to 34-4-1 all-time against Colby and have won 20-straight dating back to the 1996 season.

UP NEXT

• Amherst returns to Pratt Field next Saturday, Oct. 24 for a Homecoming game against Little Three rival Wesleyan University. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
• Colby takes to the road next weekend when it travels to Clinton, N.Y. for a 12 p.m. game against Hamilton College.