LEWISTON, Maine – Registering 14 points on both sides of intermission, the Amherst College football team overcame a three-point halftime deficit to battle their way past Bates College, 28-20, in their season opener Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Capitalizing on their first possession, the Mammoths drove 69 yards in nine plays to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Starting the drive at their own 31-yard line, Amherst fought their way down to the Bates 38 behind three completions and 17 yards rushing before junior QB Chad Peterson connected with Joe Masterson '22 for a 12 yard gain and Michael Immerman '22 for 18 yards to set up a first-and-goal. Making quick work of the red zone opportunity, Kellen Field '22 found the endzone on the Mammoths' next play from scrimmage, rushing for eight yards to register Amherst's first TD of the season before Conor Kennelly '23 made good on the PAT.
• Forcing a Bates' three-and-out and punt attempt on the Bobcats' next possession after the score, the Mammoths' special team's then added to the board as first-year Trey Doyle blocked a punt and Jack Roberge '25 recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown with 8:23 remaining in the first quarter.
• With Amherst owning a 14-0 lead and threatening once again with under two minutes to play in the opening frame, Bobcats' safety Anthony Costa made a big play to swing momentum, picking off sophomore Brad Breckenridge in the end zone to give Bates the ball back at their own 20. Moving 71 yards in 4:24, the Bobcats settled for a 26-yard field goal.
• The field goal sparked a 17-0 run by Bates in the second quarter to set the score at 17-14 in favor of the home team at the half as Brendan Costa connected with Sean Bryant for a three-yard touchdown at the 5:13 mark before finding Mohamed Diawara for a 49-yard TD pass with 2:11 on the clock.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Retaking the lead on the opening drive of the second half, Amherst moved 75 yards in 13 plays to get back on top, 21-17. Field was stellar for the Mammoths on the drive, totaling 40 yards, including a big 24-yard rush to move the ball down to the Bates 10. Peterson finished off the drive himself, and found the end zone on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal. The drive also took 5:21 off the clock.
• Responding with a 34-yard field goal on their next possession after a 58-yard drive, the Bobcats pushed the score to 21-20.
• Amherst then missed a field goal and Bates got the ball back at their own 21-yard line, but a three-and-out by the Mammoths' defense gave Amherst solid field position entering the final quarter.  
• Facing a fourth-and-two at the Bobcat 34 to open the fourth, Field came through in the clutch for Amherst as he rushed for two yards to give the Mammoths a new set of downs. Taking advantage on their next play, Peterson found Masterson in the end zone for a 32-yard TD strike to record what stood as the final score and give Amherst an eight-point lead, 28-20.
• Holding the ball for the next 7:59 and converting multiple third and fourth downs on the next drive, Bates looked poised to make things interesting late, but the Amherst defense held strong in the red zone and forced a Bobcats' turnover on downs. Anthony Leneghan '25 had the big play for the Mammoths, getting the tackle on a rush attempt by Costa for a six-yard loss.
• The Mammoths missed another field goal opportunity on their next drive to give Bates one last chance with 1:12 remaining in regulation. A sack by senior Matt Albino pushed the Bobcats back into their own territory with 42 seconds on the clock, before a pair of passes fell incomplete and a fourth down pass came up two yards short of the sticks thanks to strong tackling by Tim Swope '24 and Ricky Goodson '22 to seal the 28-20 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Totaling 23 first downs, Amherst outgained the Bobcats 422 yards to 331 and averaged 5.9 yards per play.
• The Mammoths finished the day having gone 2-for-4 on red zone chances and a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down conversions, while the home team capitalized on three of their four trips to the red zone.
• Tabbed with the start at QB, Peterson completed 23-of-32 passes for 264 yards, throwing one touchdown and one pick, and added 21 yards on the ground. Breckenridge played for one series behind center, going 2-3 for 13 yards and throwing an interception.
• Field led all players in the rush game, carrying the ball 22 times for a contest-high 103 yards and a touchdown. The Mammoths' receiving corps were led by Turner Garland '22 (83 yards), Carson Ochsenhirt '23 (73 yards) and Masterson (63 yards), with the trio each eclipsing 60 yards and Masterson adding a touchdown.
• Senior Matt Durborow led the way for the Mammoths defensively, registering 12 total tackles, including a game-high eight solo stops. Swope and Michael Jeffery '22 also impressed on the defensive side of the ball, with Swope recording nine tackles and Jeffery posting seven tackles in the contest.
• Costa finished 25-for-48 for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception behind center for the Bobcats, while Olivieri (35 yards) and Diawara (93 yards) led the home team in rushing and receiving yards, respectively. Tony Hooks's 12 tackles (5 solo, 7 assisted) led the Bates' defense.

Amherst returns to the gridiron on Saturday, September 25 when they welcome Colby College (0-1) to historic Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium for their 2021 home opener. Kickoff is slated for 1:00pm.



 

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