AMHERST, Mass. – Locked in a 7-7 deadlock after 45 minutes of action, a 38-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter by Colby College stood as the difference maker as the Amherst College football team suffered its first setback of the fall, 10-7, Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Deferring to the second half and forcing an Amherst three-and-out, the Mules' strong start extended to their opening drive as the visitors used 13 plays to march 71 yards down field to take an early 7-0 lead. Under center, Matt Hersch went 6-for-6 for 50 yards on the drive before Devin Marrocco used a five-yard run and a two-yard run to find the end zone with 6:02 on the clock.
• Four consecutive punts put the ball back in the Mammoths' hands at their own 25-yard line with 12:35 remaining in the second quarter. An eight-yard rush by junior Manni Malone got the Amherst offense rolling before a 19-yard connection between Brad Breckenridge '24 and Michael Immerman '22 got the home team into Colby territory. Going for it three plays later on a fourth-and-six at the Colby 26, Brett Holmes put a stop to the Amherst drive as he intercepted Breckenridge at the 18-yard line.
• Getting the ball back 1:29 later, Amherst needed just six plays to deadlock the game at 7-7. Facing a third-and-long, a 19-yard scramble by Chad Peterson '23 gave the home team a new set of downs, before Kellen Field '22 and Peterson logged six and 13-yard runs, respectively, to set up a first-and-goal. Field capped off the scoring drive, barreling into the end zone on an eight-yard rush for the TD.
• Reaching the red zone once again on their next possession, the Mammoths' looked prime to take their first lead of the game as they lined up for a second-and-goal play with just over a minute remaining before the break, but the Mules' Will Nipon kept the home team off the board as he intercepted Peterson in the end zone for a touchback.

SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS

• Looking to continue their drive after a scoreless third quarter, the Mammoths took a chance on a fourth-and-12 at the Colby 28, but a completion from Peterson to Turner Garland '22 came up a yard shy as the Mules took over on downs.
• Capitalizing on their next possession, Colby strung together a 10 play, 62-yard drive to set up a 38-yard field goal attempt. Looking to ice the kicker on his first attempt, Amherst called a timeout just before the kick, but Moises Celaya also powered his second attempt through the uprights to set what stood as the final score, 10-7.
• Amherst had one final chance to retake the lead as they headed downfield with 3:35 remaining in regulation, but a Holmes's second interception of the day at the Colby one-yard line on a third-and-eight play by the Mammoths sealed the victory for the visitors.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Splitting time behind center for the Mammoths, Peterson led the action on the Mammoths' opening drive and finished the day 11-for-19 for 75 yards and an interception, while Breckenridge went 7-for-11 for 87 yards through the air and was intercepted twice.
• Finding the end zone for the second straight game, Field carried the ball 11 times to record a contest-leading 34 yards on the ground. Peterson was the Mammoths' next leading rusher with 31 yards, while Jack Roberge '25 rounded out the home team's top-three with 17 yards on seven carries.
• Hauling in three receptions, Ochsenhirt led all players with 38 yards receiving. Joe Masterson '22 (32 yards), Field (26 yards), and Immerman (26 yards) also impressed for Amherst, with each player eclipsing the 25-yard mark through the air.
• Sophomore Tim Swope highlighted Amherst on defense, registering a game-high 12 tackles (5 solo, 7 assisted), including 2.5 sacks that resulted in a loss of 19 yards. Matt Durborow '22 added eight solo tackles and one pass breakup, while Joe Kelly '22 totaled 1.5 tackles for loss and posted seven tackles total.
• Playing every snap for the Mules, Hersch went 14-for-25 for 146 yards. Marrocco logged a TD and 27 yards on the ground on 14 carries to lead Colby in rushing, while Keon Smart (37 yards), Jack Sawyer (35 yards), and Marrocco (26 yards) each hauled in three-or-more passes to exceed 25 yards on the day. Holmes finished the outing with two interceptions and three tackles as a defensive sparkplug for the visitors, while Nipon added a team-leading nine tackles, one interception, and one pass breakup.
• Amherst owned the advantage in first downs (17-12) and total offense (162-146), but went only 1-for-4 on red zone chances and finished 0-for-2 on fourth down conversions. The Mules finished a perfect 1-for-1 in the red zone and moved the sticks on their sole fourth down attempt of the day.

The Mammoths return to action on Saturday, October 2 when they host Tufts University (0-2) at historic Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:00PM.