AMHERST, MA – In the first game ever played under the lights on Amherst College's newly renovated Pratt Field, the Lord Jeffs (8-0) defeated their arch-rival Williams College Ephs (2-6) in the traditional "Biggest Little Game in America" by a score of 17-9.
The underdog Ephs played very well in the first half, especially on defense, holding the dynamic Lord Jeff to only 61 yards of offense and preventing them from achieving a first down until deep in the 2nd quarter. The Lord Jeffs rallied, however, and put together a touchdown drive in the final minutes of the first half to take the lead that they would never relinquish.
On the first drive of the game, the Ephs marched efficiently down to the Amherst 29-yard line, but the Lord Jeffs stopped the drive in its tracks with an interception by Jaymie Spears. However, Amherst couldn't keep possession; Williams tri-captain Tom Cabarle forced a fumble by Nick Kelly which was recovered by Antonio Blanco.
After an athletic catch and run by Mark Pomella to convert a 3rd and 17 for Williams, the Eph placekicker Joe Mallock knocked home a 30-yard field goal to put the Ephs on the board first, 3-0.
The teams' punters got quite a workout for the remainder of the first half; Joe Mallock for Williams and Jackson McGonagle for Amherst combined for 8 consecutive punts in the first half. With 3:03 left in the half, the Lord Jeffs took over at around midfield. After a pass interference penalty put them at the Williams 38-yard line, Lippe was finally able to connect with Gene Garay on a 16-yard reception for the Lord Jeffs' first offensive first down of the game. With that glass ceiling shattered, Amherst drove to the Williams 16-yard line when Lippe found Jackson McGonagle in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Despite some theatrics in the final minute by Williams looking for a possible score, the teams went into the half with the score 7-3. Prior to their last drive of the half, the Lord Jeffs had only netted 8 yards of total offense and had failed to gain a first down. In addition, Williams held the ball for 21:02 of the 30-minute quarter, a stunning disparity in time of possession. However, the Eph offense was never able take advantage of their defense's superb play and consistently was forced to punt, rendering their stunning statistical advantage moot.
Williams head coach Aaron Kelton attributed the team's first half success to his players: "They were just playing hard. They came out with great effort, they played with a lot of heart, and it was really an electric atmosphere. They gave everything they had and left it all out on the field [in the first half]."
To the uninformed observer, it looked like two entirely different football teams came out of the locker rooms for the second half. Amherst, having shed its first half sloth, blazed down the field in a 6-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a touchdown pass from Max Lippe to Gene Garay, extending the lead to 14-3.
In response, Williams squeaked out a first down but was subsequently stopped decisively by the Amherst defense, forcing another Mallock punt. The Lord Jeffs took advantage of the defensive stop with a slow and steady march down the field, in which they relied on the rushing of Raheem Jackson and Myles Gaines and a clutch 28-yard catch by Devin Boehm to put them inside the Williams 5-yard line. The Eph defense clamped down, however, and the Lord Jeffs settled for a 31-yard field goal by Phillip Nwosu.
After trading punts, Williams took over on their own 13-yard line with 13:14 remaining in regulation. After a fortuitous pass interference call moved them to the 27-yard line, the Ephs again barely gained a first down and this time were forced to try a fake punt of sorts. However, Mark Pomella's pass for punter Joe Mallock went over his head and Amherst took over after the turnover on downs.
Thus began a somewhat bizarre series of turnovers; on the very first play of Amherst's ensuing drive, Josh Helmkamp picked off Max Lippe's pass. Then, on Williams' third down try on the ensuing drive, Lommen overthrew his intended receiver and the ball was tipped right into the hands of Ryan Duzyk, who returned the pick to the Williams 32-yard line. Yet only two plays later, Tom Cabarle swooped in from his position at safety and picked off a surefire touchdown pass.
Coach Kelton praised his pass defense for their aggressiveness, saying, "We knew they were going to come out and throw it, and our boys did a great job. They did exactly what we talked about all day: going up and contesting balls."
After all this, the Eph offense still couldn't move the chains, and Joe Mallock punted again. The Ephs forced Amherst to punt in turn, and this time Williams was able to execute on offense. Taking advantage of a screen pass to Lewis Hayes that netted 21-yards and a beautiful catch by Adam Regensburg on the 2-yard line, Alex Scyocurka was able to punch it in two plays later for the Ephs' first touchdown of the game. However, Mallock's extra point was blocked twice, once on the original try by Jaymie Spears and then, after an offisdes penalty gave him a rekick, by Chris Tamasi. Thus the score was 17-9 with 2:56 remaining in the game
Williams attempted on onside kick but failed to recover, and the Lord Jeffs were able to run out the rest of the clock, ending the game.
Max Lippe helmed the Lord Jeffs at the quarterback position, completing 13 of his 22 passes (59%) for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Raheem Jackson was their leading rusher with 49 yards on 11 carries, and Gene Garay led the receiving corps with 66 yards on 3 receptions and a touchdown.
For the Ephs, Austin Lommen went 24-39 (62%) for 197 yards and 2 interceptions. Mark Pomella, the Ephs' sometime wide receiver sometime quarterback, was actually the leading rusher, totaling 28 yards on 8 carries, mostly out of the wildcat formation. Jean-Luc Etienne, also contributed 27 yards on 12 touches. Adam Regensburg led the Ephs in receiving with 31 yards receiving on 5 receptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, Lord Jeff Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn led all tacklers with 13, while Tom Cabarle led the Ephs with 9, plus a forced fumble and interception. Josh Helmkamp also recorded on interception for Williams, while Jaymie Spears and Ryan Duzyk both did so for Amherst.
Coach Kelton reserved special praise for Cabarle, one the Ephs' three senior captains, saying he was "all over the field, he really had a great game." He emphasized how proud he was of the effort his players put out in the game, and he also thanked his assistant coach, crediting much of the Ephs' success to their game-planning.
With the victory, Amherst clinched the Little Three title, the NESCAC crown, and their second perfect season in four years. Williams closes their season with a 2-6 record, repeating their tally from last season and finishing tied with Bowdoin and Colby for 7th in the conference.
"It's disappointing, we never want to be 2-6, not winning football games," Coach Kelton said, "but our boys are fighting through it and learning lots of lessons from it. That's what football is really about." Despite the loss in the final game, "they're already talking about next year and how they're going to be better."