AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore quarterback
Colin Livatino threw a pair of touchdown passes in his collegiate debut as the Amherst College football team rallied from an early deficit to remain undefeated with a 22-13 win over Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.
The win improves the Mammoths to 3-0, the best start for Amherst since 2019, while the Polar Bears fall to 0-3.
The Mammoths are at home again next Saturday (Oct. 10), hosting Middlebury at 2 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
* Bowdoin capitalized on a pair of turnovers to jump to an early 10-0 lead. Amherst's first pass attempt of the game was intercepted at the 44-yard line by junior linebacker Ferris Collins, who raced up the sideline unimpeded to the end zone to give the Polar Bears a 7-0 lead. It was the second career pick-six for Collins, both of which have come against the Mammoths on Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.
* Amherst's next drive also resulted in a costly turnover as Bowdoin junior Angus Leary broke through for a sack fumble that was recovered by classmate Zach Taylor. The Polar Bears started their drive at the Amherst 23-yard line but failed to gain a first down and senior Caden Perry kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Bowdoin a 10-0 lead with 8:51 to go in the first quarter.
* The Mammoths got a defensive score of their own after an
Efe Ilgar punt pinned the Polar Bears at their own 5-yard line. On Bowdoin's first snap of the drive, the Polar Bears fumbled the ball in the end zone. Bowdoin senior running back Sean Ramos picked up the ball but was tackled by Amherst junior
Josh Kuczynski before leaving the end zone for an Amherst safety, cutting Bowdoin's lead to 10-2.
* Getting the ball right back after the safety, Amherst's ensuing drive was a 9-play, 56-yard march down the field, culminating in Livatino floating an 8-yard pass to sophomore tight end
Jack Berger, who hauled in his second touchdown reception in as many games in the final minute of the first quarter to cut the Bowdoin lead to 10-9.
* Livatino put Amherst ahead late in the second quarter on a 19-yard touchdown strike to sophomore
Jadon Davis with 2:56 left before halftime. Livatino found Davis around the 15-yard line and the sophomore eluded a defender and reached the end zone for his second touchdown of the season to give the Mammoths a 15-10 lead after a two-point conversion attempt failed.
* It looked like the Mammoths would have another chance late in the second quarter when the Polar Bears were forced to punt with 1:41 to go in the quarter, but a muffed catch was recovered by Bowdoin first-year Brandon Errico at the Amherst 10-yard line, giving the Polar Bears a golden opportunity before halftime. On a third-and-goal play from the 6-yard line, the Mammoths broke through to pressure the quarterback and senior
Jackson Duncan came up with the sack for a 15-yard loss. Perry kicked a 38-yard field goal for Bowdoin, the longest made field goal in the NESCAC so far this season, to send the teams into halftime with Amherst leading 15-13.
* The Mammoths capped off the scoring in the third quarter. After an 18-yard rush from junior
Zachary Curtin got the Mammoths to midfield, a pair of costly Bowdoin penalties, each for 15 yards, powered a drive that put the Mammoths on the doorstep, where senior
Demitrius Smith ran around the left side from 2 yards out for his first touchdown of the season, giving the Mammoths a 22-13 lead.
* Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as Bowdoin's best comeback opportunity was snuffed out in the red zone. The Polar Bears reached the Amherst 9-yard line but faced a fourth-and-1 with 1:21 to go and Nelson Dorsey's rush was halted at the line of scrimmage by senior
Ty Kazanowsky and sophomore
Davis Crandall.
BY THE NUMBERS
* Livatino went 11-of-17 passing for 105 yards in his collegiate debut for Amherst. Sophomore
Max Alexander caught four passes for 38 yards. Davis' 19-yard touchdown reception was Amherst's longest play of the day from scrimmage.
* Sophomore quarterback Soren Hummel went 23-of-39 passing for 171 yards for the Polar Bears with classmate Conrad Babka racking up 61 yards on six catches.
* Dorsey was the game's leading rusher with 49 yards on 11 carries for Bowdoin, just one yard better than Smith, who tallied 48 rushing yards on 16 rushes for the Mammoths.
* Sophomore
Jordan Summers led the Mammoths defense with a career-high nine tackles, seven of which were solo efforts, and junior
Noah Onkst added seven tackles.
* Amherst held a slight edge in total offensive yards, racking up 209 total yards compared to Bowdoin's 195 yards, but each team reached those numbers in different ways. Amherst held a significant advantage on the ground with 104 rushing yards compared to just 24 for Bowdoin, while the Polar Bears racked up a 171-105 lead in passing yards.
