The football team dropped its third straight game while undefeated Amherst extended its winning streak to five with Saturday’s 38-3 victory.
The Red and Black struggled to put things together offensively and were hard pressed to stop an efficient Amherst attack that keyed around a strong running game and precise passing. Wesleyan went three and out on its first two possessions, unable to capitalize on a Steve Secundo ’05 interception, and punted to end both drives. The team’s inability to capture the momentum and create offense early gave the Lord Jeffs scoring opportunities of their own. Amherst capitalized by scoring on five consecutive drives following Wesleyan’s second punt.
Strong running out of the backfield by Amherst’s Fletcher Ladd and Matt Monteith fueled a 52-yard drive that was capped off by a touchdown pass from Amherst quarterback Marsh Moseley to wide out Justin Macione for the game’s first touchdown. Turnovers continued to hurt Wesleyan Saturday afternoon, as running back Phil Banks coughed up his first of two fumbles on the day at the Cardinal 37-yard line, leading to a quick six-play strike from Amherst that widened the deficit to 14 points. Amherst added a field goal and two more touchdown passes from Moseley to make the score 31-0 before the end of the first half. The Jeffs were dominant, taking every bit of momentum into the third quarter with a 31-point cushion on the strength of Moseley’s right arm.
Wesleyan struck first in the second half, getting a 37-yard field goal from place kicker AJ Taucher ’08 on its second drive. The crowd got behind the Cardinals after the score, but the squad failed to find an offensive rhythm.
Coaches for both teams made mass substitutions in the second half as Wesleyan was desperate to get something going on offense and Amherst was in a position to get some of its second options time on the field. Head coach Frank Hauser pulled starting quarterback Zach Canter ’07 after a rough first half and replaced him with Zach Librizzi ’08. Librizzi played effectively in his first game under center at the college level, passing for 108 yards and running out of the pocket for 40 more, accounting for more than 60 percent of Wesleyan’s total offense.
“I had no expectations of playing on Saturday,” Librizzi said. “Coach let me know I was going to start the second half and caught me by surprise. I was excited though, and nervous through the first few snaps, but I got comfortable out there.”
Dan McKenna ’06 quarterbacked Wesleyan’s last series of the day but failed to trigger much action in the closing minutes of the game. Nick Kehoe, who took over at quarterback for Amherst, failed to complete a pass and gave up an interception to Jeff McLaren ’06. Amherst was held without a passing yard for the entire second half. Will Beeson carried the offensive load for the Lord Jeffs, running well in the second half. He picked up the game’s longest rush and Amherst’s only second half score when he broke away from defenders at the Wesleyan 48 and motored down the left sideline for the touchdown.
Despite Librizzi’s attempts to get the Cardinal offense together, Wesleyan continued to find a way to keep itself out of the end zone.
The Cards’ misfortune can be summed up by the results of a third quarter drive. After a bad Amherst punt, the Cardinals took over at the Jeffs 29-yard line and marched within one foot of the end zone over a brief seven play drive. Inches from the goal line, a normally sure-handed Banks bobbled the hand-off as he tried to explode to the right side, leaving Amherst defensive back Bob Sargent to scoop up the loose ball and scramble for 17 yards before being brought down. Failing to convert this most promising red zone opportunity, the Red and Black punctuated an ultimately disappointing Homecoming game.
“If you come out flat against a good team, they put up scores and beat you,” Librizzi said. “Their 5-0 record says enough about how well they’ve been playing, but they have a bunch of strong, athletic guys, and they’re just dangerous.”
The Cardinals have now been held to just 10 points over the last three games and will need to solve some offensive problems before Bowdoin arrives for a match with the Cardinals this weekend.
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