Wesleyan dropped to 2-3 on the season with a 23-0 loss at the hands of the Amherst College (4-1) Lord Jeffs this past Saturday in front of 4,400 people at Corwin Stadium.

The Cards were led by middle linebacker Quincy Francis ’06 who had a game-high 16 tackles, to go along with a tackle for a loss and a sack. Offensively Wesleyan struggled, but was led by receiver Ryan Walsh ’09 who snagged nine balls for 95 yards. Quarterback Zach Librizzi ’08 finished 20 of 32 for 159 yards and an interception.

“They jumped out to a quick lead and it’s difficult to overcome such a margin against a strong team like Amherst,” John Harding ’09, who had seven tackles, one-and-a-half tackles for a loss and a sack for a 10-yard loss, said.

Mark Hannon, who had 11 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, led the Jeffs. Amherst quarterback Nick Kehoe ’07 finished 23 of 32 for 226 yards, scored two touchdowns and threw an interception.

The scoring opened up on the first drive of the game when Amherst received the kickoff and then drove 67 yards on four plays. After three short gains, Kehoe connected with Hannon for a 54-yard touchdown pass that put the Jeffs in front 7-0 just 1:54 into the game.

On Wesleyan’s ensuing drive, it took only three plays for another score. Unfortunately, after a short completion and a sack, Librizzi had his pass intercepted by Rob Grammer and returned 38 yards for the touchdown. After a successful extra point, Amherst led 14-0 just 4:17 into the game.

“We played a lot better than the score shows,” Kwasi Ansu ’09 said. “Falling behind 14-0 so quickly made it very difficult to fight our way back into the game.”

That was all the scoring in the first half, as neither team was able to penetrate deep into the opposition’s territory. Towards the end of the half, the Cards were able to move the ball nicely on a ten play, 50-yard drive from their own 13 yard line to the Amherst 37. The drive was marked by precision passing from Librizzi. He completed five passes on the play, three of them to Walsh (of 11, 14, and 15 yards). Unfortunately, the drive stalled at the Amherst 37 yard line, and the Cards were forced to punt.

“The defense really came together after the first quarter and kept their offense in check for the most part. If we can be more consistent on both sides of the ball, we will definitely continue to improve as the season goes on,” Harding said.

Wesleyan was never able to get anything going on offense in the second half and was shutout by the Lord Jeffs. Amherst scored one more touchdown on a pass from Kehoe to Hannon and also added a 36-yard field goal by kicker Matt Eberhart.

The Cards were out-gained 311 to 182 in total offensive yards, and only had 12 first downs, while Amherst had 18.

Amherst defensive lineman Guy Matisis came away with NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after his game against Wesleyan. The sophomore had seven tackles, to go along with 2.5 tackles for a loss (resulting in a loss of 20 yards) and two sacks for a loss of 18 yards.

Librizzi is now second in the NESCAC in passing yards per game and total offense. He trails Kehoe in both categories.

Walsh is second in the league in receiving yards per game with an 80.2 average per game. Francis and Tim O’Callaghan sit first and third in the NESCAC in tackles with 61 and 51 respectively.

Wesleyan will look to rebound from a tough homecoming next Saturday when the winless Bowdoin Polar Bears visit Corwin Stadium for a 12:30 p.m. clash with the Cardinals.

“Bowdoin is winless on the year but they have splayed everyone close,” captain Jeff McLaren ’06 said. “If we are to win Saturday we’ll have to play mistake-free and turnover the ball on defense so the offense has a short field to work with.”