AMHERST — After defeating Hamilton 34-0 in its season opener, the Amherst College football team will look to keep its 20-game win streak going when it faces Bowdoin College at 1 p.m. in Brunswick, Maine, on Saturday.
Amherst got off to a great start defensively when it held Hamilton to just 6 yards rushing. Stopping the run limited Hamilton on offense.
“It always starts up front,” Amherst coach E.J. Mills said. “We had a really strong defensive line and they did an outstanding job for us.”
The defensive line took a lot pressure off an inexperienced secondary. Making Hamilton one dimensional allowed the secondary to sit on the pass and focus on making plays.
“When the defensive line does such a good job, they can just stand back there and defend the pass,” Mills said. “We didn’t have to use them in run support as much.”
Amherst, which forced three turnovers in its opener, will look to build off its performance against Bowdoin. The Polar Bears lost 40-3 to Middlebury in their first game of the season.
Bowdoin struggled on both sides of the ball against Middlebury. Offensively it was held to under 200 yards. Still, with a new offensive coordinator Bowdoin presents a challenge.
“We don’t really know what we are going to see,” Mills said. “We only have one game in essence. We have an idea but it is the unknown that is a little scary.”
Bowdoin’s defense allowed 517 yards, including 386 passing to the Panthers.
Last week, Amherst was led by sophomore running back Jack Hickey, who rushed for 111 yards and scored three touchdowns.
“We want to stay balanced on offense. We are going to thrive on running it and that opens up the pass game,” Mills said.