Week 3 Preview: Amherst vs. Middlebury

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Contact: Ben Badua

Amherst College (2-0) vs.
Middlebury College (2-0)

Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012
Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium

Middlebury, Vt. * 1:30 p.m.

Jeff Report - Week 3


  

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live statistics and a webcast courtesy of Middlebury Sports Information.  

THIS WEEK IN THE NESCAC
Tufts @ Bowdoin (1 p.m.)
Wesleyan @ Colby (1 p.m.)
Williams @ Bates (1 p.m.)
Trinity @ Hamilton (1 p.m.)
Amherst @ Middlebury (1:30 p.m.)

THE SERIES
Meeting just five times from 1908-28, Amherst and Middlebury have been regulars on each other's schedules since 1980. Since 1997 the Jeffs and Panthers have enjoyed one of the most competitive football rivalries in the NESCAC, with Amherst holding a slim 21-16 advantage in the all-time series, having won nine of the last 14 meetings. Middlebury rattled off a three-game win streak from 2006-08, but Amherst has gotten back on track, taking the last three meetings dating back to 2009.

LAST MEETING
Amherst forced five turnovers and rushed for four touchdowns in a 48-28 win over Middlebury on Pratt Field. The Jeffs intercepted three passes and recovered a pair of fumbles, with two of those turnovers leading directly to touchdowns. Up 34-21 at the end of a first half that featured five lead changes, Amherst outscored Middlebury 14-7 over the final two quarters.

Eric Bunker '12 picked up 130 of the squad's 185 yards on the ground, while Blake Grauer '12 went 16-of-25 for 193 yards and a pair of scores. The Panthers' McCallum Foote '14  finished 46-of-73 for 400 yards and three touchdowns, as four different Middlebury receivers racked up at least 94 yards, led by Nick Resor '12, who nabbed 13 balls for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Amherst's Matt Pieterse '13 led all players with 14 tackles (11 solo), while Sam Clark '13 had 12 stops. Linebacker John Wiet '13 led Middlebury with 10 tackles (nine solo), while Jared Onouye '14 and Daniel Kenerson '13 had eight apiece.
 

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AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Max Lippe '15 accounted for all three Jeff touchdowns to lead Amherst to a 22-10 win at Bowdoin. Helping the Jeffs to their seventh-consecutive victory over the Polar Bears, Lippe completed 18-of-22 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for two others.

Once again relying on its run game, Amherst rolled up 241 yards on the ground, led by Ryan Silva's 143. Averaging nearly five yards per carry, the junior rushed for 91 of his yards in the second half, while teammate Tyler Jacobs '14 picked up 52 yards on 17 touches (3.1 ypc).

Trailing 10-6 at the break, the Jeffs forced the Polar Bears into a three-and-out to start the second before piecing together a 12-play, 61-yard drive. Starting at their own 39, Amherst handed it to Silva on eight of the game's next nine snaps, moving it 45 yards to the Bowdoin 16. Lippe later ran it in from four yards out, but Bowdoin blocked the extra point to keep it at 12-10.

Capping off a 15-play, 55-yard drive with a 37-yard Jake Schmidt '14 field goal early in the fourth, the Jeffs looked to put the game out of reach after a big Sam Clark '13 interception. Marching the ball 64 yards in 12 plays over a 4:43 span, Amherst scored its third touchdown of the afternoon as Lippe found Wade McNamara '14 on a slant to cap off the scoring.

Travis Dickenson '13 led the Jeffs with nine tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage, while Lou Jacoubs '13 made seven stops, recording one of two Amherst sacks.

Converting 10-of-19 third downs, the Jeff offense outgained Bowdoin 382-222, which included a 241-124 edge on the ground.

MIDDLEBURY LAST TIME OUT
McCallum Foote '14 threw for five touchdowns for the second-consecutive week as Middlebury scored 28 unanswered second half points en route to a 42-13 win at Colby. Zach Driscoll '13 caught a career-high four touchdown passes for 128 yards, while Brendan Rankowitz '15 pulled down seven balls for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Throwing it nine straight times to start the second half, Middlebury went up 21-13 on Foote's eight-yard strike to Driscoll. Two Colby three-and-outs later, Foote again linked up with Driscoll, this time on a 23-yard touchdown to extend the Panther margin.

Middlebury's next drive featured 10 Foote pass attempts as Driscoll caught his third touchdown of the quarter to make it 35-13. After forcing the Mules to turn it over on downs, the Panthers closed out the scoring, going 39 yards in 10 plays before Foote found Rankowitz for a three-yard score.

Linebacker Tim Patricia '16 led Middlebury's defense with 11 tackles, while John Wiet '13 added eight stops. The Panthers outgained Colby 435-231, despite the Mules holding a seven minute edge in time of possession.
 

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SCOUTING AMHERST
A strong running game coupled with a solid defense has been Amherst's recipe for success thus far in 2012, with the Jeffs ranking first in the NESCAC in points allowed (12.0) and rushing yards per game (308.5).

Led by senior co-captain Landrus Lewis '13 the Amherst secondary has been especially stingy, giving up a league-low 107.0 yards through the air. Surrendering 121 yards to Hamilton's passing game in week one, the Jeffs clamped down against Bowdoin, giving up just 98 yards, while picking off a pair of passes.

Defensive lineman Travis Dickenson '13 has headlined an equally stout unit up front, recording a team-high 16 tackles, including six behind the line of scrimmage. Allowing just 92.0 yards per game on the ground, Amherst's defense has held its opponents to 2.75 yards per carry.

On the other side of the ball, the Jeffs have leaned on an experienced offensive line to pave the way for the league's most formidable rushing attack. Through the first two games, Amherst has averaged a conference-best 308.5 rushing yards, including a 5.1 clip per carry.

Ryan Silva '14 has gotten off to an especially fast start, ranking second in the league in yards per game (156.5). Picking up 175 yards against the Continentals, he rushed for 91 of his team-high 143 against Bowdoin in the second half.

The Jeffs' sturdy run game has helped Max Lippe '15 ease into the starting quarterback role. In two games an efficient Lippe has completed 75.0 percent (30-of-40) of his passes, throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions.

SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY
Sporting the league's most explosive offense, Middlebury has lit up the scoreboard through the first two games, putting up 42 points in both its wins over Bowdoin and Colby. Led by McCallum Foote, a potent Panther passing attack has averaged a conference-high 336.5 yards per game, with the junior quarterback tossing five touchdowns in each of his first two outings.

Reigning Co-Offensive Player of the Week Zach Driscoll '13 enjoyed a career day against the Polar Bears, pulling down four touchdowns as Middlebury scored 28 unanswered during a strong second half run. Driscoll and teammate Brendan Rankowitz '15 currently rank one-two in the NESCAC in receiving, averaging 101.0 and 93.5 yards, respectively.

Despite the Panthers' ability to move the ball through the air, Middlebury has struggled to gain traction on the ground, averaging just 89.0 yards per game. Against Colby, the Panthers managed just 2.1 yards per rush on 22 carries.

Giving up 15.5 points per game, the Middlebury defense ranks in the middle of the conference pack in both passing (139.0) and rushing (130.0) yards per game. However, an opportunistic secondary has already logged a league-best five interceptions, while linebacker John Wiet '13 and defensive lineman Andrew Ackerman '13 have done a good job getting into opposing backfields, combining for four sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.

 

PROBABLE STARTERS

AMHERST OFF.
QB - M. Lippe
RB - R. Silva
WR - W. McNamara
WR- J. O'Malley
WR - J. Durham
TE - T. Holahan
LT - R. Wasielewski
LG - J. Reynolds
C - J. Ceccio
RG - S. Mergner
RT - J. MacLennan
K - J. Schmidt

AMHERST DEF.
N - M. Sponheimer
DT - L. Jacoubs
DT - T. Dickenson
ILB - N. Deane
ILB - S. Clark
OLB - J. Phillips
OLB - D. Chun
SS - M. Aldo
FS - M. Dietz
CB - R. Heflin
CB - L. Lewis
P - J. McGonagle

MIDDLEBURY OFF.
QB - M. Foote
RB - R. Ashkar
TE - B. Chapman
WR - Z. Driscoll
WR - J. Amster
WR - B. Rankowitz
LT - J. Allard
LG - H. Huguenard
C - B. Green
RG - L. Zhou
RT - R. Moores
K - J. Feury
MIDDLEBURY DEF.
DE - J. Crowell
DT - K. Ashley
DT - B. Adams
DE - J. Tilson
LB - M. Crimmins
LB - T. Patricia
LB - J. Wiet
SS - J. Onouye
FS - M. Benedict
CB - D. Kenerson
CB - Joel Blockowicz
P - Z. Driscoll











STATISTICAL LEADERS

AMHERST

Passing
Max Lippe (30-of-40/257 yds/3 TD/0 INT)

Rushing
Ryan Silva (50 att/323 yds/1 TD)
Tyler Jacobs (29 att/153 yds/1 TD)

Receiving
Wade McNamara (12 rec/136 yds/2 TD)
James Durham (8 rec/45 yds/0 TD)

Defense
Travis Dickenson (16 tackles/11 solo/6.0 TFL)
Sam Clark (13 tackles/10 solo/1 INT)
Robbie Heflin (9 tackles/8 solo)


MIDDLEBURY

Passing
McCallum Foote (60-of-100/673 yds/10 TD/2 INT)

Rushing
Remi Ashkar (29 att/109 yds/1 TD)
Matt Rea (17 att/50 yds/0 TD)

Receiving
Zach Driscoll (16 rec/202 yds/6 TD)
Brendan Rankowitz (14 rec/187 yds/2 TD)

Defense
Tim Patricia (20 tackles/15 solo)
John Wiet (18 tackles/12 solo/2.0 TFL)
Jared Onouye (12 tackles/9 solo/1 INT)

 





 

 

 

 






STATISTICAL COMPARISON

RUSHING OFF.
A: 308.5 avg.
M: 89.0 avg.
TOTAL OFF.
A: 439.5 avg.
M: 425.5 avg.
RUSHING DEF.
A: 92.0 avg.
M: 130.0 avg.
TOTAL DEF.
A: 199.0 avg.
M: 269.0 avg.
PASSING OFF.
A: 131.0 avg.
M: 336.5 avg.
SCORING OFF.
A: 30.0 avg.
M: 42.0 avg.
PASSING DEF.
A: 107.0 avg.
M: 139.0 avg.
SCORING DEF.
A: 12.0 avg.
M: 15.5 avg.