The Amherst College football team could not discover an offensive identity against Wesleyan on the road, losing 20-0 on Saturday. Playing from behind put the offensive load on sophomore quarterback Nick Morales’s back, and he could not carry them, throwing five interceptions. Wesleyan did not commit a turnover in the game.
“A lot of things come into play, and it is not a one-man operation, even though everybody wants to point their finger at the quarterback,” Amherst coach E.J. Mills said.
Sophomore running back Jack Hickey did not get much work for Amherst with just seven carries for 33 yards. Amherst has had a balanced offensive attack on the season but threw the ball more against Wesleyan with 39 passing attempts to 21 rushing attempts.
“That wasn’t necessarily part of the game plan or not, we just didn’t run many plays, and were playing from behind. We didn’t get many opportunities to see what he could do,” Mills said.
A bright spot for the Amherst offense was senior wide receiver Devin Boehm, who continued his strong season with six catches for 73 yards.
Wesleyan quarterback Mark Piccirillo exploited the Amherst secondary, completing 14-28 passes for 209 yards.
The Amherst offensive line struggled in the game, allowing five sacks. Grant Williams led the way for the Wesleyan defense with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss.
“We have a great group of leaders in this senior class and they set a great example for our younger guys and days like yesterday are humbling but they certainly add motivation as you try to improve as a team,” said Mills.
Tufts will visit Pratt Field on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start.