The Wesleyan football team traveled to Amherst this past Saturday for their first Little Three game of the season, losing 23-0 to the Lord Jeffs. Rain fell for most of the game, contributing to a messy field and a similarly sloppy game by the Cardinals.

In the first half, Wesleyan set up four good scoring chances for itself by driving into Amherst territory, but could never put any points on the board, being undone by a combination of turnovers, missed field goals, and punts. Amherst, however, scored 10 points before halftime, capitalizing on two interceptions thrown by the Cardinals to score a field goal and then a touchdown.

The second half was even worse for the Cardinals, with Amherst’s defense holding them to just 71 yards of offense after halftime. The Amherst defense was a big reason for the Cardinals’ struggles throughout the game, as the Lord Jeffs forced five Wesleyan turnovers on the day. The Lord Jeffs’ offense also overpowered an inspired Wesleyan defense, which ended the day with three takeaways. Justin Freres ’11 recovered a fumble at the Amherst 19 yard line, and Cam Davila ’12 intercepted two passes, one at the Amherst 24, but the offense still could not put any points on the board.

Other standouts performances included A.J. Chan ’11, who racked up a career-high 10 tackles, including an important stop on a third-and-goal run by the Lord Jeffs that forced them to settle for a field goal. Brett Bandazian ’12 had 11 tackles, and Freres had nine to go along with a sack. Outstanding linebacker Cyprian Oyomba ’12 blocked an Amherst punt, and the Lord Jeffs also had an extra point blocked, this time by Robert Dabbar ’12.

Offensive standouts were few and far between, although running back Shea Dwyer ’10 did have eight receptions for 54 yards. The Wesleyan running game was completely stifled by Amherst, who held the Cardinals to 14 yards on the ground.

The loss was Wesleyan’s 15th in its last 16 games against the Lord Jeffs, dating back to 1994. Wesleyan last defeated its Little Three rival on Oct. 23, 1993, in a 24-6 smackdown in Amherst that ran the Cardinals’ winning streak against the Lord Jeffs, who finished 3-5 that year after going 0-8 in 1992, to four games. The only Wesleyan win during that span came on Andrus Field in 2002, as the Cardinals blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt to preserve the 14-13 win.

Amherst continued its undefeated season with the win, improving to 5-0, while the Cardinals dropped to 2-3. This Saturday, October 31, Wesleyan travels to Brunswick, Maine for its 80th meeting with Bowdoin. The game will be a pivotal one, with both teams currently holding 2-3 records, and three other teams occupying fourth place in the NESCAC with the same record.