AMHERST — Coming off of last week’s double overtime loss to Middlebury, the Amherst College football team was determined to bounce back this Saturday against Bowdoin.
“We knew we had to prove to ourselves and the league that it wasn’t going to stop us,” Mammoths running back Brandon Huff said. “A lot of it is doing what we do and not worrying about what the other team brings.”
Led by three total touchdowns from quarterback Ollie Eberth, Amherst defeated the Polar Bears, 36-14.
The Mammoths (4-1) opened the scoring in the first quarter when wide receiver Luke Mallette got free down the sideline and reeled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Eberth.
With 27 seconds left in the opening quarter, Amherst defensive back Ricky Goodson blitzed from the left side and stripped the ball away from Bowdoin quarterback Austin McCrum. Defensive lineman Manni Malone picked up the ball and scored a 15-yard touchdown.
“It was a gift. Any defensive lineman wishes for that,” Malone said. “We had a blitz off the edge. Ricky came in and made that sack. … Full credit goes to the defense on the blitz. I can’t take full credit for that.”
In addition to making plays on offense and defense, the Mammoths also won the special teams battle. A high snap on a Polar Bears punt early in the second quarter sailed over the kicker’s head and into Bowdoin’s end zone before it was kicked out of bounds for a safety. With less than a minute to go in the second quarter, the Polar Bears attempted a 22-yard field goal, but it was blocked by Goodson and kept Bowdoin (0-5) off the board.
“We spend a lot of time, effort and energy (on special teams),” Amherst coach E.J. Mills said. “Coach (Eddy) Augustin does a great job coordinating that. We understand the importance of special teams in football games There are a lot of hidden yards and other things out there.”
One of the Mammoths’ only miscues on special teams came at the beginning of the third quarter when the team had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked.
“We have to clean up the extra point, field goal piece,” Mills said. “Our protection hasn’t been as good as it needs to be. Our kicker (Connor Kennelly) has done a great job. I don’t think it was his fault. It’s a protection issue.”
Amherst’s James O’Reagan scored on a 26-yard reception with 4:07 to go in the third quarter to increase the team’s lead to 29-0. Huff scored with a 16-yard rush between the tackles with 13:20 to go in the fourth quarter.
Bowdoin scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Both came on runs from Nate Richam-Odo.
“You have to give (Bowdoin) credit. They kept playing,” Mills said. “We subbed a little bit, but obviously you walk away from the game happy we won. There is no easy games to win, yet there are many things that we have to continue to work on. That is what we will take away. It’s a great win, but we have to continue to improve and get better.”
The fourth quarter was highlighted by a one-handed catch from Huff along the right sideline that excited the Mammoths and the home crowd.
“I was coming out of the backfield and ran a leap route,” Huff said. “It was a great ball by Ollie, I just had to leap to catch it. It was probably more dramatic than it needed to be.”
With so much parity at the top of the New England Small College Athletic Conference standings, last week’s loss to Middlebury could prove to be decisive by the end of the season, but the Mammoths aren’t worried about the past.
“You only get so many opportunities to compete as a team. These guys are trying to define what they want their legacy to be,” Mills said. “You can’t hold on to what could have been. You’ve got to win the week. You’ve got to win against the team you have in front of you. We knew Bowdoin would be a challenge. We just have to keep working hard and keep getting better.”