19^th Meeting

Williams College Ephs

vs.

Colby College Mules

1:00 PM

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Weston Field

Williamstown, Mass.

SERIES:  Began in 1956. Colby and Bowdoin are the Ephs' rotating partners in NESCAC. Williams hosts Colby this season and then travels to Waterville, Maine in 2012, before switching over to play Bowdoin in 2014 and 2015; re-connecting with Colby for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The Ephs lead the all-time series vs. Colby 15-3 and are 9-1 vs. the Mules on Weston Field. Colby's lone win in Williamstown came in 2000 when they prevailed by a score of 27-24.

Williams has won the last two meetings in the series and the Ephs are 4-2 vs. Colby since 2000.

Last year the Ephs finished with a record of 5-3, while Colby was 3-5.

Today's game is Colby head coach Jonathan Michaeles's debut as a head coach and marks the first time the Ephs' Aaron Kelton has faced Colby.

LAST MEETING:  In 2009 the Ephs came home from Waterville, Maine with a 23-19 win, but they needed some late-game heroics. Trailing by two points with 3:08 to play, Eph QB Matt Coyne capped a 68-yard TD drive with a 16-yard scamper with exactly one minute remaining to lift the Ephs over the Mules 23-19.

That contest was the first played on Colby's new Seavers Field and it was the 1,000^th game in the history of Williams football.

In 126 seasons Williams owns an overall record of 628-348-47 (.636).

COACHES:  Jonathan Michaeles is making his debut as a head coach after serving as an assistant at Colby the past eight seasons.

Prior to coaching at Colby Michaeles served as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Saint Anselm College (1999 -2004). He was also the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Fordham University (1998-99) and was tight ends coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1997-98).

He started his collegiate coaching career at Allegheny College as the wide receiver, tight end, and kickers coach (1994-97).

His first coaching experience was as an assistant varsity coach at Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge, Mass., (1992). 

Aaron Kelton (13-3) is in his third year at the helm of the Ephs. Kelton was the first Eph head football coach to debut with a perfect season (8-0-0) in 2010, when he led the Ephs to the Little Three and NESCAC titles, while earning NESCAC Coach of the Year honors.

Kelton is the first African American head football coach at Williams and in NESCAC.

Kelton came to Williams from Columbia University, where he served as the Lions' defensive coordinator for two seasons after having served the two previous seasons as secondary coach.

Under Kelton the Columbia Lions fielded one of the Ivy League's top defensive backfields. Kelton developed DB Tad Crawford '07, who was a high draft choice in the Canadian Football League. In addition to his on field duties at Columbia, Kelton was the Lions' recruiting coordinator in the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Kelton has coached on both the high school and the collegiate levels, starting his coaching journey in the fall of 1992 at Wellesley (MA) HS.

TV - INTERNET:  Time Warner Cable – Albany, NY is airing the game live on its Time Warner Sports Channels in the State of New York, State of Maine and throughout Berkshire County in Massachusetts. Some 3 million plus households will have the opportunity to watch the lid lifter for both schools.

Berkshire County Time Warner Channel Numbers:

North Adams - Williamstown
Channel 79 and HD 1803

Pittsfield - Lee
Channel 11 and HD1803
 

Approximately 48 hours after the game concludes Digital Customers of Time Warner can access the game via Time Warner Cable Sports On Demand.

INTERNET -- The game will be streamed live on the Internet through the services of TEAMLINE.

TO HEAR AUDIO ONLY BROADCAST:  Call TEAMLINE 1-800-846-4700. When prompted give the Ephs' access code - 0126.

< LIVE STATS > 

STREAKS:  The Ephs have won the last two season openers vs. Colby and Eph head coach Aaron Kelton has started both of his Williams seasons with a win. Williams owns a 4-game win streak in season openers.

The Ephs are gunning to record their 26^th consecutive winning season.

Colby has lost its last six opening games, since defeating Williams 35-9 in 2005 in Waterville, Maine.

AWARDS:  Players in today's game who earned All-NESCAC honors in 2011:

BY THENUMBERS ...

Top Returnees from 2011

STARTERS