SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- Senior Conor Kennelly's 39-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Amherst College football team to its first win of the season Saturday, 20-17 over Tufts University. 

It was a wild finish at the Ellis Oval as the Mammoths improved to 1-5 and the Jumbos slipped to 3-3. Amherst hosts Wesleyan Saturday, October 29 for a homecoming game on Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Junior quarterback Mike Piazza drove the Mammoths 58 yards in 11 plays over 2:25 to set up Kennelly's winning field goal attempt. The Mammoths began the drive at their own 20 with 2:27 to go and the game tied, 17-17. Four times in the drive Piazza hooked up with wide receiver Owen Gaydos, good for 31 yards total. Two of those plays kept the drive alive. On a 3rd-and-5 from his own 37, Piazza found Gaydos across the middle for 5 yards. After an official measurement, the Mammoths were awarded a first down. On a 3rd-and-12 from the Tufts 42 with only 27 seconds left. Piazza again found Gaydos, this time for 12 yards and a first down. On the following play, Piazza ran left off tackle and gained 8 yards to the Tufts' 22.

* From there, Amherst called a timeout with two seconds left and Kennelly, who had missed his first two field-goal attempts of the day but had booted a 28-yarder early in the fourth quarter to tie the game, came on to attempt the game-winner. The snap was bounced and fumbled, but before the snap a timeout to ice the kicker had stopped play. Given second life and a good snap, Kennelly matched his longest field goal of the season with a 39-yard kick that allowed the Mammoths' sideline to erupt in celebration. 

* The score was knotted 7-all after the first quarter. After Tufts' QB Mike Berluti opened the scoring with a 56-yard TD scamper up the middle, Piazza matched that on the Mammoths' ensuing possession, dashing 50 yards on a nearly identical play. Kennelly's PAT made it 7-7 with 9:58 to go in the opening stanza. The Mammoths moved the ball fairly well most of the first half, but could not score again. 

* Tufts took a 10-7 lead with 9:51 left in the second quarter after an interception set them up at the Amherst 31. The Jumbos had a golden opportunity to go up 10 at the end of the half, but on a 4th-and-goal play from the Amherst 2, Berluti fumbled at the goalline after being hit by Mammoths Phil Slaughter and Ben Taylor. Tim Swope recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback and the score remained 10-7 at the half.

* The Jumbos opened the second half with a scoring drive that Tyler Johnson capped with a 1-yard rush and a 17-7 lead. After punting on its first possession, the Mammoths got the ball back when the defense stiffened at its own 36. On a 3rd-and-4 play, Matt Monteleone broke up a pass and an incompletion on fourth down got the ball back to the offense. A big 16-yard run from Louie Eckelkamp moved the ball to the Tufts 38. Eckelkamp then gained 5 yards and on 2nd-and-5 he picked up 10 more t the Tufts' 23. On the next play, Piazza called for a play-action pass and lofted a ball down the middle of the field for wideout Austin Pieck. Pieck made an outstanding grab with two Jumbo defensive backs draped all over him and somehow wrestled the ball away -- and held onto it -- for a 23-yard TD grab. Kennelly's PAT made it 17-14 Tufts with 4:36 left in the third quarter. 

* Near the end of the quarter, after a Mike Mitchell 50-yard punt put Tufts at its own 22, Kemit Fisher forced a fumble after a seven-yard gain and Ryan Monteleone pounced on the loose ball, giving the Mammoths possession at the 31. That led to Kennelly's 28-yard field goal that tied the game, 17-17. 

* Mid-way through the fourth quarter, Mammoth linebacker Andy Skirzenski made a huge play with a diving tackle of Berluti on a 3rd-and-5 rush that stopped him one yard short and forced a punt. That punt was fumbled and recovered by the Jumbos on the Amherst 31, however, a John Schiano sack of Berluti on first down and two incompletions forced a pooch punt and Amherst avoided any damage.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* For the second straight week, the Mammoths had more first downs than their opponents (21-19) and outgained their opponents (376-374). 

* Piazza was Amherst's leading rusher with 102 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. He also completed 18 of 40 pass attempts for 193 yards and a touchdown. Jack Roberge had 51 yards on 14 carries and also caught 4 passes for 44 yards. Gaydos had 7 receptions for 74 yards and Carson Ochsenhirt made 4 receptions for 43 yards. 

* Matt Monteleone led the Mammoths with 10 tackles, 8 solo, including one sack. Ryan Monteleone had 7 tackles, all solo, and the fumble recovery. Charles McKissick had six tackles. Miles Harmon and Luke Harmon each had a pass breakup.