AMHERST — The Amherst College football team turned over a new leaf on Saturday with a 41-0 win over Colby at Pratt Field.
The win came just a week after Amherst (3-1 NESCAC) had its 21-game win streak snapped by Middlebury.
Amherst hasn’t lost at home since Oct. 19, 2013.
“You go out and you lose a football game and guys want to get back out there and play,” Amherst coach E.J. Mills said. “You have to wait a whole week, and guys get antsy but we always prepare well.”
Lockdown defense on the ground and in the air led to great field position for the Amherst offense.
“You win and lose up front,” Mills said. “We just made it really hard for them.”
Amherst quarterback Nick Morales made his first career home start and threw to seven receivers. His favorite target was Bo Berluti, who had seven catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Morales finished with 23 completions for 323 yards and three touchdowns. The longest play of the day was a Morales to Berluti pass and catch for a 69-yard touchdown to put Amherst up 14-0.
“The guys up front gave Nick a lot of time,” said Mills. “The offensive staff put Nick in a position to be successful, and then he just made some great plays.”
Colby’s offense was no match for Amherst’s stingy defense. Amherst allowed 25 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving and only 10 first downs. It also tallied seven sacks, many of which came on third-and-long to force Colby to punt.
Despite the blowout, Amherst had a tough time converting red zone chances into touchdowns. Two goal-line stands by Colby kept Amherst running back Jack Hickey out of the end zone and forced Amherst to kick field goals.
“We didn’t finish offensively in the first half, so that is always something to work on,” said Mills. “But overall it was a good team win and we are happy about that.”
Amherst travels to Connecticut next week to take on the 3-1 Wesleyan.