MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- The Wesleyan Cardinals scored 27 unanswered points Saturday afternoon to pull away from the Amherst College football team, 34-7, at their own Corwin Stadium at Andrus Field.

The Mammoths fell to 2-5 on the season while Wesleyan improved to 5-2. The Mammoths travel to take on Bowdoin College on Saturday, Nov. 4. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Big plays on the defensive side of the ball and clutch third-down conversions had Amherst even with Wesleyan, 7-7, mid-way through the second quarter. 

* Niles Riding had an interception on a 3rd-and-8 play that he returned 15 yards to the Wesleyan 46-yard line. On a subsequent 3rd-and-6, Jack Cox hit Owen Gaydos with a 9-yard pass for a first down. On a 3rd-and-4, Cox found Jack Roberge in the flat for 5 yards and another first down. A missed 34-yard field goal ended that scoring opportunity. 

* Wesleyan drove down the field and attempted a 35-yard field goal, but Mammoth Kevin Agnew blocked it to keep the game scoreless. 

* The Cardinals took over after another Amherst punt and got on the board with a 22-yard Niko Candido 22-yard TD pass to Matt Luttenberger with 13:10 left in the second quarter. 

* After another punt, the Amherst defense made a big play when linebacker Trey Doyle intercepted a pass at his own 48-yard line. 

* Facing a 3rd-and-4 at the Wesleyan 46, Roberge ran for a five-yard gain and a first down. Quarterback Mike Piazza then found tight end Michael Quartermain on back-to-back plays, the second a 19-yard hook-up that gave the Mammoths a first down at the Wesleyan 20. 

* On a 3rd-and-8 play, Piazza made a mad dash for 11 yards and first down. On 1st-and-goal from the Wesleyan 7, the Mammoth QB kept the ball again and found paydirt from seven yards out. Matthew Kelley's PAT tied the game, 7-7, with 7:45 remaining before halftime. 

* A second Candido TD pass gave Wesleyan a 13-7 lead, but Agnew blocked the extra point to keep it a 13-7 game. 

* Amherst drove to the Wesleyan 29 in the closing second of the second stanza, but Cox's pass was intercepted by the Cardinals' Dylan Connors at the 18 and returned 82 yards for a touchdown with only 24 seconds left, and Wesleyan went into the locker room up 20-7. 

* On Wesleyan's first possession of the second half, Candido tossed a 50-yard score. When Amherst got the ball back, another pick six gave the home team a 34-7 advantage. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Wesleyan had 21 first down to 15 for the Mammoths. The Cardinals outgained Amherst, 354 to 234 in total offense. 

* Cox was 10 of 19 for 73 yards and the two interceptions. Piazza was 8 of 18 for 59 yards and rushed 12 times for 55 yards and the Mammoths' lone score. 

* Roberge carried the ball 7 times for 32 yards while catching 5 passes for 35 yards. Sam Gerber had 5 receptions for 33 yards. 

* Defensively, Andy Skirzenski had a big day with 13 tackles, 4 solo, and 1 1/2 for loss. Doyle finished with 6 tackles, 3 solo, and a pick. Luke Harmon had 5 tackles, 3 solo. Anthony Kelly had 5 tackles, 2 solo. Kemit Fish had 5 tackles as well, and 1 1/2 sacks on the day.