Week 3 Preview: Amherst vs. Middlebury

Contact: Ben Badua

Amherst College (2-0) vs.
Middlebury College (2-0)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 * Pratt Field
Amherst, MA * 1:30 p.m.

MULTIMEDIA LINKS
GAMEDAY INSIDER FEATURE STORY:
The One-Timer

PHOTO GALLERY vs. BOWDOIN

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS vs. BOWDOIN

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and a webcast.

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

THE SERIES
Amherst and Middlebury have met 38 times since 1908, with the Jeffs holding a 21-17 edge. Playing five times in the rivalry's first 20 years, Amherst outscored Middlebury 108-38, walking off the field victorious on four occasions. After a 52-year hiatus, the teams renewed the rivalry in 1980 with Middlebury stringing together four consecutive wins. Amherst responded by taking the next four showdowns from 1984-87 before Middlebury won five of the next six. Claiming last year's edition by a score of 24-3, the Panthers snapped a three-game losing skid to the Jeffs dating back to 2009.

LAST MEETING
Rattling off 21 unanswered points during a big second quarter run, Middlebury snapped a three-game losing streak to Amherst with a 24-3 triumph on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium last season. With the Jeff running game held in check, Max Lippe '15 struggled to get the offense on track, completing just 6-of-15 passes for 66 yards. Wade McNamara '14 led Amherst's receiving corps, pulling down five catches for 74 yards.

Middlebury's McCallum Foote '14 completed 39 of his 60 pass attempts, finishing with 379 yards and two touchdowns. Rolling up 421 yards of total offense, the Panthers held nearly a six-minute advantage in time of possession, averaging almost five (4.9) yards per play, while going 10-of-20 on third down.

Capping off a five-play, 44-yard drive early in the second quarter, Foote put Middlebury on the board with an 11-yard touchdown strike. The Panthers once again got going midway through the period, piecing together a six-play, 64-yard drive that ended in another Foote touchdown. Closing out the half strong, Foote needed just 42 seconds to cover 50 yards, running it in from two yards out to put Middlebury up 21-0.

Regrouping, Amherst's defense would hold the high-powered Panther attack to just three second half points, but the Jeff offense could not get going, netting their only score on a 29-yard field goal at the 6:56 mark of the third quarter.

AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Junior quarterback Max Lippe threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Amherst football team to a 27-11 victory over Bowdoin. Playing their first game on a newly renovated Pratt Field, the Jeffs held a 298-194 edge in total offense, outgaining Bowdoin 102-16 on the ground. Lippe completed 19 of his 28 pass attempts, with touchdowns of 13 and 30 yards.

Gene Garay '15 finished with a game-high seven receptions for 76 yards and a score, while Jake O'Malley '14 had four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Running back Kenny Adinkra '16 averaged 4.0 yards per carry, picking up 56 yards on 14 touches. Rookie tailback Myles Gaines turned in another solid effort with 33 yards on nine carries, while Nick Kelly '17 scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

Nabbing five interceptions in the season opener, the Amherst defense once again took advantage of opponent miscues, with Max Dietz '14 and Christopher Gow '16 each coming away with a pick. Danny Chun '14 led the team with seven tackles, while Chris Tamasi '15 had six stops, including three for a loss.  

Scoring on its first possession, Amherst took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter on a 13-yard Lippe touchdown pass to O'Malley. Bowdoin cut into the deficit with a 22-yard field goal midway through the period, before a Phillip Nwosu '15 37-yarder just before halftime gave the Jeffs a 10-3 lead. Nwosu later connected on a 29-yarder in the third quarter to make it a two possession game heading into the final frame. Capping off a 13-play, 66-yard drive, Kelly scored his first collegiate touchdown midway through the fourth to make it 20-3. Taking advantage of a turnover on the Polar Bears' next possession, Lippe found Garay for a 30-yard touchdown strike that all but sealed the Jeff win.

MIDDLEBURY LAST TIME OUT
Middlebury scored on its first three possessions of the fourth quarter, pulling away from Colby on its way to a 27-10 victory. Up three thanks to a 33-yard field goal, Middlebury made it a 10-0 game on its next possession, driving 73 yards on 10 plays as McCallum Foote '14 connected with tight end William Sadik-Kahn '14 for a 21-yard scoring strike. With the game tied at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter, Middlebury linebacker Matthew Crimmins '14 picked off a pass at the Colby 15, returning it to pay dirt to give his team a 17-10 advantage.

Colby missed a 38-yard field goal attempt on its next possession, with Middlebury taking over at its own 20. Following a short rush, Foote found Matthew Minno '16 for a 77-yard touchdown. The Panther defense held Colby to three and out, before Michael Dola '15 put the game out of reach with a 27-yard field goal. Foote finished the day 30-for-46 for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Matt Rea '14 gained 39 yards on the ground. Minno caught five passes for 141 yards with a touchdown, while Sadik-Khan finished with seven receptions for 81 yards.

SCOUTING AMHERST
The Amherst defense has been the story so far in 2013, with the unit giving up a league-low 208.5 yards per game. Especially stingy against the pass, the Jeffs have allowed just 124.0 yards per game through the air, while picking off opposing quarterbacks seven times through the first two weeks of the season. Defensive backs Max Dietz '14, Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn '16 and Jaymie Spears '16 lead the conference in passes defended, with the squad ranking first in the NESCAC in passing yards allowed and interceptions.

Boasting the league's stiffest run defense a year ago, the Jeffs have once again been solid in the trenches, ranking second in the NESCAC in rushing yards allowed per game (84.5). Surrendering 101 yards on the ground in the opener against Hamilton, Amherst held Bowdoin to just 16 rushing yards last Saturday on 28 carries.

A second-year starter, quarterback Max Lippe '15 leads the Amherst offense. Completing 61.4 percent (35-for-57) of his passes with three touchdowns and an interception, he enters Week 3 averaging 169.0 passing yards per game. Taking a running back by committee approach, several Jeffs have seen time in the backfield alongside Lippe. Kenny Adinkra '16 leads the team in rushing, averaging 51.0 yards per game, while first-year tailback Myles Gaines has made an immediate impact, picking up nearly five yards per carry.

Brian Ragone '16 and Gene Garay '15 headline an experienced receiving corps with a team-high nine receptions apiece. Jake O'Malley '14 ranks third on the squad with seven catches for 74 yards, while tight ends Henry Falter '15 and Will Tenneson '14 have combined to make seven receptions. A pleasant surprise in the kicking game, Phillip Nwosu '15 has been perfect in his first season as the team's primary placekicker, connecting on all five of his attempts with a long of 37 yards.

SCOUTING MIDDLEBURY
Opening the 2013 season with wins over Bowdoin and Colby, Middlebury carries one of the league's most potent offenses into Saturday's showdown with Amherst. Led by senior quarterback McCallum Foote, the Panthers are averaging a conference-best 355.5 yards per game through the air.

The second-highest scoring team in the NESCAC (27.0), Middlebury ranks second in the league in total offense with 433.0 yards per game. Matthew Minno '16 and William Sadik-Khan '14 sit one-two in the conference in receiving yardage, averaging 106.5 and 93.5 yards per game, respectively. One of Foote's favorite targets, Sadik-Khan leads the league in receptions (18), while Minno, Joey Zelkowitz '17 and Brendan Rankowitz '15 sit tied for third with 11.

Giving up just 7.5 points per game, the Panther defense ranks second against the pass (163.5 ypg) and fifth against the run (121.0 ypg). Nate Leedy '17 leads Middlebury with 15 tackles (11 solo), including two for a loss. Jake Clapp '16 and Tim Patricia '16 have each made 13 stops through the team's first two games, while Matt Crimmins '14 has a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six against Colby last weekend.

PROBABLE STARTERS

STATISTICAL LEADERS

2013 STATISTICAL COMPARISON