AMHERST, Mass. – Trailing 7-3 early in the first quarter, the Amherst College football team responded with 21-straight unanswered points to improve to 3-0 with a 24-7 win over rival Middlebury College Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field.
RECORDS
Amherst: 3-0 (2-0 home, 1-0 away)
Middlebury: 2-1 (1-0 home, 1-1 away)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Amherst amassed 436 yards of total offense (246 passing, 190 rushing), and held Middlebury to 270 yards, including a mere 21 on the ground.
- The Purple & White picked off quarterback and 2014 NESCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year Matt Milano twice and sacked him five times.
- Linebacker Jack Drew '16 forced a game-changing fumble in the fourth quarter during a Middlebury punt return, which was recovered by Jake Hines '18 at the Middlebury 3-yardline. Four plays later, Reece Foy '18 and Jackson McGonagle '16 connected for a two-yard touchdown to put Amherst ahead, 17-7 with 12:07 to play in regulation.
- Foy went 22-of-39 for 246 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 34 yards on nine carries. Kenny Adinkra '16 ran for a game-high 62 yards, and scored a touchdown, while Jack Hickey '19 finished with 53 yards on 10 carries, including a 30-yard score. Devin Boehm '16 led the receiving core with 72 yards on six catches.
- Defensively, Evan Boynton '17 had a huge day for Amherst and finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 21 yards and an interception. Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn '16 broke up two passes and finished with eight tackles, and Parker Chapman '16 recorded six tackles and a sack.
- For Middlebury, Milano finished 26-of-46 with 249 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Diego Meritus rushed for 35 yards (2.7 ypc), while Matthew Minno and Conrado Banky finished with 76 and 70 yards receiving, respectively.
- Gil Araugo led the defense with 11 tackles, and also broke up two passes and forced a fumble. Addison Pierce, Wesley Becton and Tim Patricia all finished with nine tackles, while Pierce recorded the team's lone sack.
- Amherst scored on its first drive of the game, in which it went 66 yards on 10 plays in 2:53. The drive included a 33-yard pass from Foy to Rob Thoma '17 and a 35-yarder from Foy to Nick Widen '17 to the visitor's 8-yardline. However, Middlebury held off the Purple & White as Charlie Wall '18 was brought in to kick the 29-yard field goal and give Amherst a 3-0 lead.
- Middlebury received the ball and responded just 1:58 later as Milano found Minno in the back of the endzone to cap off the drive. The receiver made a spectacular play despite a defensive pass interference to put the Panthers ahead, 7-3.
- Facing a 3rd-and-25 at their own 28-yardline, Foy completed a perfect pass-and-catch to Boehm for 30 yards to keep the drive going. The pass went between two Panther defenders as Boehm leaped above both to make the catch. Amherst was eventually denied on a 4th-and-1 at the Middlebury-10 resulting in a loss of downs.
- On its next possession, Adinkra capped off a 10-play, 70-yard dive with a three-yard drive up the middle as he crossed the goal line standing up. Foy began the drive with five consecutive completions.
- Amherst fumbled on its first possession of the second half as Carsen Winn picked up the loose ball at the Middlebury-34. Shortly after, Banky made a diving 45-yard catch to get in scoring range. However, following a pass interference and a 12-yard completion, Middlebury went for it on 4th-and-10 but Milano's pass to Minno was incomplete.
- Later in the third quarter, Boynton made a jolt to the quarterback and sacked Milano for a loss of 12 yards. The following play, Chapman found his way into the backfield and took down Milano again for a loss of eight to force a 4th-and-27.
- Amherst botched the ensuing punt and Middlebury recovered at the Amherst-34. On the next play, Boynton recorded the third-straight Purple & White sack. The Panthers eventually punted.
- Early in the fourth quarter, following a terrific 57-yard punt by McGonagle, Drew forced a Panthers fumble during the return and it was eventually recovered by Hines at the Middlebury 2-yardline. Faced with 4th-and-goal at the two, Amherst went back in shotgun formation with five wide and Foy lofted one to a wide open McGonagle in the back of the endzone as the senior kept one foot in for the touchdown.
- After forcing a Middlebury three-and-out, Amherst regained possession and put the game out of reach when Hickey broke free for a 30-yard score with 7:10 remaining.
- Boynton and Chris Gow '16 intercepted Milano on the Panther's next two possessions to seal the win.
- Amherst and Middlebury have met 91 times since 1908. The Purple & White now hold a 24-17 edge in the all-time series and have won three consecutive.
- Amherst extends its winning streak to 14 consecutive, matching a team record for the third time. The Purple & White won 14 straight from 11/83-to-10/85 and again in 9/09-to-10/10. Amherst's last loss was to Wesleyan on Oct. 19, 2013 (20-14).
- First-year running back Hickey has scored a touchdown in each of his first three games of his collegiate career. In those three games, he's had long runs of 33, 52 and 30, respectively.
- Amherst returns to the field next Saturday, Oct. 17 and will head to Waterville, Maine to face Colby (0-3). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
- Middlebury returns home and will host Williams Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
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