Week 1 Preview: Amherst vs. Hamilton

Contact: Ben Badua

Amherst College (0-0) vs.
Hamilton College (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 * Steuben Field
Clinton, NY * 1 p.m.

PRESEASON PHOTO GALLERY
(Courtesy of Megan Robertson '15)

PRATT FIELD PHOTO GALLERY

PRESEASON VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

LIVE COVERAGE
Amherst's season opener will feature live stats and a webcast courtesy of Hamilton Sports Information.

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

THE SERIES
Playing for the first time since 2009, Amherst took last year's edition of the rivalry by a score of 38-14. Improving to 24-1 all-time, the Jeffs have outscored the Continentals 215-42 since 2000. Shutting out Hamilton in eight of the squads' first 10 meetings, the Jeffs held a 237-13 scoring margin from 1920-33. After a 47-year hiatus, the series resumed in 1980 with Amherst winning four in a row, before Hamilton secured it's first and only win with a 41-0 decision in 1992.

LAST MEETING
Racking up a season-high 376 yards on the ground, three different Jeffs scored a rushing touchdown to lift Amherst to a 38-14 win over Hamilton in the 2012 opener. Ryan Silva '14 led the way with 170 yards rushing (8.5 ypc), while Steven Jellison '14 and Tyler Jacobs '15 combined for 156 yards and two scores. Earning his first collegiate start, quarterback Max Lippe '15 finished 12-of-18 for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Up just 21-14 at the half, Amherst dominated in the second stanza, scoring 17 unanswered. Jellison got things started with a 29-yard touchdown run before a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter upped the lead to 16. Jacobs capped off the scoring with a 56-yard scamper down the right sideline with 4:46 remaining in regulation.

Amherst converted 10 of its 16 third-down opportunities in the game, while Hamilton was 4-of-15. Holding the Continentals to just 60 yards rushing, the Jeffs held a decisive 497-176 advantage in total offense, running 75 plays from scrimmage to Hamilton's 56 snaps. Amherst's 376 rushing yards marked the program's highest single-game total since the team rushed for 389 during a 44-7 win over the Continentals on Sept. 25, 2004.

AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
Amherst football closed out its 2012 season and 121 years on Pratt Field with a thrilling 23-20 victory over archrival Williams. Playing the last game on their natural turf, the Jeffs improved to 29-27-3 against the Ephs at home to preserve their winning record against Williams on Pratt before the historic site's major renovation during the offseason.

Lippe completed 12-of-21 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, while running for two others. Jonathan Pieterse '16 connected on 5-of-8 attempts for 77 yards, while Jake O'Malley '14 hauled in five catches for 87 yards. Brian Ragone '16 added 72 yards on three receptions,

Outgaining Williams 407-343, Sean Wilson '16 led all Amherst rushers with 127 yards on 21 carries (6.0 ypc). Jellison added 36 yards on 13 touches (2.8 ypc), as the Jeffs finished with a 177-143 edge on the ground.

Trailing 20-10 in the third quarter, Amherst put together an eight-play, 80-yard drive that ended in an eight-yard Lippe touchdown pass that made it a three-point affair. Getting the ball right back, the Jeffs marched 88 yards in nine plays, taking a 23-20 lead with 10:08 to go on a Lippe touchdown run from two yards out. With Williams getting one last chance to mount a drive at the end of regulation, Jaymie Spears '16 picked off an errant Adam Marske '14 throw to seal the victory.

HAMILTON LAST TIME OUT
Hamilton closed out its 2012 season with a 47-33 loss to Bates at Garcelon Field in Lewiston, Maine. Down 3-0 after a Bobcat field-goal five minutes into the first quarter, Hamilton took its first and only lead of the game on a James Stanell '14 six-yard touchdown run that capped off a 65-yard, seven play drive.

Rattling off 16 unanswered in the second quarter and outscoring the visitors 15-6 in the third, Bates took a 27 point lead into the final period. Trying to rally, the Continentals outscored the Bobcats 20-13 over the last 12:31, but it was too, little too late with the comeback bid ultimately falling short.

Hamilton outgained Bates 329-81 through the air, but gave up 358 yards on the ground, including four touchdowns. Jordan Eck '13 threw for three touchdowns, while completing 27-of-42 passes, while Garrett Hoy '13 led the wide receiving corps with six catches for 69 yards and a score. Joe Jensen '15 added five receptions for 71 yards, while Stanell ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

SCOUTING AMHERST
Inexperienced at the quarterback and wide receiver positions last season, Amherst's 2012 offense relied on its offensive line and a strong running game early in the year before eventually settling into a balanced attack that produced 191.0 yards on the ground and 178.2 yards per game through the air.

Two-time first-team all-conference honoree Rob Wasielewski '14 headlines an offensive line that loses two of its starters from a year ago to graduation. Scott Mergner '15 and Jack MacLennan '14 return to anchor the right side of the line, while sophomore Jim Daniels and Max Silver '14 also figure to play key roles.

The good news for the Jeff offense this season is that Lippe returns with a year of experience under his belt, along with most of the team's wide receivers, led by O'Malley, a first-team All-NESCAC pick. Piecing together a running back by committee last season, Amherst also returns a stable of talented runners who saw time in 2012 and helped the team rack up 376 yards on the ground against Hamilton.

Arguably the biggest question defensively is up front, having lost all three starters to graduation. Max Lehrman '15 will try to help fill the void this year, along with veteran Owen Davis '14. Tri-captain Danny Chun '14 leads a solid group of linebackers, alongside Ned Deane '15, Chris Tamasi '15 and Tyler Mordas '16.

Coming back for a fifth season after sitting out the tailend of 2012 with an injury, Landrus Lewis '14E will look to be a playmaker in the secondary, along with Spears, Max Dietz '14 and Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn '16. Last season, the Jeffs finished second in the NESCAC in interceptions with 13.

SCOUTING HAMILTON
Stanell and Jensen will lead the Hamilton College football program into its 121st season in 2013. Stanell received 2012 NESCAC All-Conference first team honors after he led the conference in all-purpose yards per game and ranked second with 94.5 rushing yards per game. His 1,560 all-purpose yards last year is the second-highest total in NESCAC history. Jensen finished third in the conference with 56.8 receiving yards per game.

Seven starters return on both sides of the ball in 2013. Last year, Hamilton scored 165 points, which was the highest offensive output for the Continentals since 1992. Simon Jia '16 added 27 catches for 260 yards and two scores. Behind center, Jeff Hopsicker '15 started the first three games last year. Hopsicker completed 27-of-57 passes for 297 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, but will move to the defensive side of the ball this season.

Defensive back Alex Mitko '16 is the leading returning tackler with 38 in 2012, and Andrew Austin '14 added 36 from his linebacker position. Defensive end Zach Klein '15 tied for fourth in the conference with nine tackles for a loss.

PROBABLE STARTERS

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS

2012 STATISTICAL COMPARISON