AMHERST, Mass. – A pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game lifted the Amherst College football team to a 24-14 win over Bates College in the season opener for both NESCAC squads on Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.
Both of Amherst's fourth-quarter touchdowns capitalized on turnovers as a muffed punt return gave the Mammoths the ball leading to a
Michael Dunmore rushing touchdown that gave Amherst a 17-14 lead with 1:55 to play, then a
Jordan Summers pick-six put the Mammoths up by 10 with 1:06 to play.
Amherst and Bates met on the opening day of football season for the third straight year with the home team winning each meeting. The Mammoths are back in action next week at Hamilton with a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 26.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
* The Bobcats scored on their first drive from an advantageous field position as the Mammoths fumbled their first punt of the game to give Bates the ball at the Amherst 11-yard line. All-NESCAC running back Ryan Lynskey rushed the ball on five straight plays before sophomore quarterback Jack Gilmore punched the ball in from the 1-yard line to give the Bobcats a 7-0 lead.
* The Mammoths leveled the score in the second quarter, beginning a drive at midfield after sophomore defensive back
Gabriel Taylor hauled in an interception. Sophomore
Max Alexander broke free for a 54-yard rush up the left sideline before he was tackled at the 6-yard line, setting up a touchdown pass from junior quarterback
Marek Hill to sophomore
Jadon Davis from 4 yards out.
* Taylor intercepted another pass on the very next Bates drive, but the Bobcats got the ball back four plays later when junior linebacker Carmel Crunk tallied his first career interception.
* A 47-yard field goal attempt for Amherst fell short as the first half expired, keeping the teams tied at 7-7 through halftime.
* After a third quarter in which neither team reached the red zone, Hill connected with Alexander for a 48-yard gain on the first play of the fourth and junior kicker
Hudson Fulcher-Melendy drilled a 29-yard field goal to give the Mammoths a 10-7 lead.
* As the Mammoths marched up the field with a slim lead in the final five minutes of the game, the Bobcats suddenly changed the complexion of the contest as senior defensive back Payton Francis grabbed his first career interception and ran it back to the end zone to give Bates a 14-10 lead with 3:13 to play.
* Amherst's next drive was a three-and-out, but the Mammoths got new life when their punt was muffed by the Bobcats and senior captain
Ty Kazanowsky recovered the fumble to give Amherst the ball at the Bates 43-yard line.
* A 26-yard pass to from Hill to Davis put the Mammoths on the 2-yard line and Dunmore took the snap in a wildcat formation to run the ball into the end zone on the open left side, giving the Mammoths a 17-14 lead with 1:55 on the clock.
* The ensuing kickoff from the boot of senior
Matt Kelley pinned the Bobcats at their own 9-yard line and on a fourth-down passing attempt, Summers game up with the interception at the 18-yard line and returned it for a touchdown to give the Mammoths a 24-14 lead with 1:06 to play.
* The Bobcats still had life in the final minute of the game, as a 42-yard completion from Gilmore to senior Ryan Gleason put Bates on the Amherst 20-yard line, but the Mammoths came through with their fourth interception of the game as All-NESCAC linebacker
Carson Skotak tipped the pass and junior linebacker
Matt Callahan reeled in his first career interception to seal the victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
* All five touchdowns scored in the season opener marked the first collegiate touchdown for each respective player – Davis, Dunmore and Summers for Amherst, and Gilmore and Francis for Bates. The two kickers were the only players to score with previous points on their collegiate ledgers.
* Hill finished the afternoon with 170 passing yards for Amherst, while Gilmore passed for 179 yards in his collegiate debut for the Bobcats. Bates sophomore Riley Provencher was the leading receiver in the game, catching 6 passes for 78 yards.
* Alexander tallied 108 all-purpose yards on just three plays in his collegiate debut, with 60 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards.
* Senior
Jackson Duncan led the Mammoths with nine tackles, while sophomore Colton Brisard was in on seven tackles for the Bobcats.
* Amherst outgained Bates by a 248-227 margin and first downs were even at 12-12 in a defensive battle. The 12 first downs each way were the fewest allowed by any team in the NESCAC this week. Amherst and Bates also posted the best third-down defenses in the league as the Bobcats were held to 3-of-16 on third downs and the Mammoths were held to 3-of-13.
* The Mammoths boasted the most efficient pass defense in the NESCAC on the opening week of the season. Amherst was the only team to tally four interceptions – no other NESCAC team had more than two – and the only team not to allow a passing touchdown this week.
