AMHERST — After being shut out last week at Wesleyan, the Amherst College football team looks to get back on track against Tufts at 1 p.m. Saturday at Pratt Field.
Amherst struggled offensively against Wesleyan as it failed to get anything going on the ground. AC rushed for 11 yards on 21 attempts. Coach E.J. Mills wants to have more balance from his offense against Tufts.
“We want to be able to run and throw and keep the defense off balance,” Mills said. “The run sets up the pass and vice versa. We just need to execute better.”
Amherst also had six turnovers last week, including five interceptions, as it was kept off the scoreboard for the first time since 2007, when it lost to Williams 20-0.
Amherst (3-2) last suffered two losses in 2012. It hasn’t had a three-loss campaign since 2008. It has a tough test against Tufts (4-1) if it wants to avoid a third defeat.
Tufts is led by senior running back Chance Brady. He leads the conference with 120.8 yards per game and nine rushing touchdowns.
“Chance is one of the best running backs we are going to face. It is going to be a supreme challenge for our defense to slow him down,” said Mills. “We are not going to stop him, but we need to slow him down and eliminate the big plays.”
The Amherst defense has only allowed 25 yards rushing per game this season, which is best in the conference.
Tufts has a good defense as well. Freshman linebacker Greg Holt leads the conference with 13.6 tackles per game.
“He is playing out of his mind,” Mills said.
Mills was confident that his guys will be ready.
“It is all about execution is all three phases,” Mills said. “Everyone needs to focus on doing their job and being excited to play. If we do that then we will have a good day on Saturday.”