AMHERST, MA – On a beautiful Fall Saturday at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium the Amherst College football team turned the Hamilton College Continentals over four times, controlled the line on both sides of the football, and came away with a 21-0 win over visiting Hamilton. After moving into the red zone twice in the first quarter but failing to score, the Mammoths broke the game open in the second 15-minutes with one offensive and one defensive touchdown. In the second half, Amherst leaned on their stout defense and finished with their first shutout of the season. With the win, the Mammoths improve to 4-2 on the season, while Hamilton drops to 2-4 overall.

After winning the coin toss, Amherst deferred to the second half and forced a three-and-out on Hamilton's first offensive possession. The Mammoths pieced together two effective offensive drives in the first quarter as QB Brad Breckenridge '24 returned from injury and marched the Mammoths into the red zone on both possessions. Interestingly, both drives ended in blocked field goal attempts and Amherst finished the first period empty-handed despite solid offensive production.

Momentum began to shift in the beginning of the second quarter. Logan Shooster '23 had already intercepted Hamilton QB Joe Cairns once in the first quarter and teammates Ryan Monteleone '24 and Ricky Goodson '22 joined the Mammoth second quarter defensive domination with interceptions of their own. Monteleone's team-leading third interception of the season set-up a Mammoth drive that ended in a third blocked field goal attempt.

Ricky Goodson '22 – named NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts vs. Hamilton – intercepted Cairns twice in the second quarter. The first INT set up the Mammoths' first scoring drive of the day, which featured Breckenridge and Kellen Field '22 in the running attack and ended in a Breckenridge QB sneak from the one-yard-line that put the Mammoths up 7-0 after the extra point by Conor Kennelly '23.

Field had another impressive day pacing the Mammoth backfield. The Gloucester, MA native had 21 carries for 80 yards and a critical reception for 22 yards on the Mammoths' fourth-quarter scoring drive.
Goodson's second INT resulted in six points for the Mammoths, as the senior stepped in front of a wide-receiver screen and took it 30 yards to the house to put the Mammoths up 14-0 just before the halftime break.

Hamilton went on a long drive just before the half but could not capitalize on the sustained offense as a field goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced out. The Mammoths came out of the locker room poised to build on their first half lead and Breckenridge connected three times with Turner Garland '22 (4 receptions, 48 yards) to push the ball into Hamilton territory. Field rushed several times to bring the ball to the Hamilton 11-yard-line, but on a critical third-and-four Breckenridge was sacked by James Ball and fumbled. The Continentals fell on the loose ball and began their first drive of the second half deep in their own territory.

A field position battle and series of punts filled the remaining minutes of the third quarter, and Amherst took possession early in the fourth quarter at their own 22-yard line. The Mammoths struck quickly. Breckenridge dumped it out to Field on the first play of the drive and Field made a would-be Continental tackler miss before picking up 22 yards on the catch-and-run. A catch by Joe Masterson '22 and a seven-yard rush by Field set the Mammoths up at the Hamilton 33-yard line.

Louie Eckelkamp '24 entered the game at running back on a critical third-and-three and took full advantage of his only carry of the day. Breaking through the left side of the line, the Washington, MO native sprinted past the Hamilton secondary and took it all the way to the endzone to put the Mammoths up 21-0 after the PAT.

Amherst kept the ball on the ground for the remainder of the fourth quarter. A last-ditch effort by Hamilton ended at the Amherst three-yard line as time expired and the Mammoths secured their fourth victory of the season.

Breckenridge was excellent in his return, going 13-of-24 for 183 yards and rushing eight times for 25 yards and one touchdown. His favorite target on the afternoon was Carson Ochsenhirt '23 who grabbed four balls for 83 yards. Masterson ended the tilt with three catches for 20 yards. Tim Swope '24 flew around the field all afternoon and led the Mammoths with nine total tackles defensively. Charles McKissic recorded seven tackles – including two for a loss – and Ricky Goodson ended his impressive performance with six tackles, three pass break-ups, two interceptions, and one sack. Manni Malone '23 was great on the defensive line as well, recording three tackles and a sack.

The Mammoths travel to Middletown, CT next weekend to take on the Wesleyan University Cardinals. Kickoff will be 1PM at Corwin Stadium next Saturday 10/30.