NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week Safety Spencer Donahue ’17 celebrates the Bantams’ continued dominance. (Courtesy of Greg Sullivan)
1. Trinity (2-0; Last week: 1)
Another shutout for the Bantams as they rolled over Williams scoring 24 points. Trinity is likely to dominate the NESCAC for the rest of the season, with their only potential scares to be against Middlebury, Amherst, and Wesleyan. They will be back in “The Coop” Saturday to take on Hamilton, which should be a cake walk for them. We will see if they can keep the Continentals’ offense scoreless and become the first NESCAC team to not allow a point through three games.
2. Middlebury (2-0; Last week: 3)
The Panthers shook off their nerve-wracking opener at Wesleyan and put up 28 points on Colby fairly easily. Middlebury’s weakness still falls on their running game as they only accumulated 52 rushing yards last week. Each team picked up a safety in this game, and Colby scored their lone touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game to scrap nine points on the board. Middlebury has a lot of work to do as they take on Amherst this week. Quarterback Matt Milano ’16 will need to be on his A-game if they want to stay undefeated.
3. Amherst (2-0; Last week: 2)
Bowdoin fans, avert your eyes…
This was a tune-up game for the Lord Jeffreys as Bowdoin posed no real threat. Amherst has continued to put points on the board, and I think that is exactly what they will do to Middlebury this week. Amherst will likely run the ball all over Middlebury, proving they belong in the Middlebury’s spot.
4. Wesleyan (1-1; Last week: 4)
The Cardinals were on the other side of a close game this week as they scored the winning TD to beat Hamilton on a 19-yard run with just over three minutes left in the game. Wesleyan should get another victory this Saturday as they take on a struggling Colby team.
5. Williams (1-1; Last week: 5)
The Ephs were outmatched against the Bantams last weekend. Williams had little to be disappointed about in this game. They take on Bates this week which is a team not to take lightly, and that can always pose some issues because of its unique offense.
6. Tufts (2-0; Last week: 7)
Tufts will move up a spot as they are the worst of the best – the only undefeated team that has zero shot of winning a NESCAC title this year. Tufts won a thriller against Bates in Maine last Saturday. Tufts kicker Wille Holmquist ’17 saved the day again with a 34-yard field goal that gave the Jumbos a 17-14 lead in what was eventually a one-point victory. Tufts will take on Bowdoin this week.
7. Bates (0-2; Last week: 6)
Another week, another loss – this one a heartbreaker – for slotback Shaun Carroll ’16 and the Bobcats. (Courtesy of Josh Kuckens and Bates College Athletics)
The Bobcats lost a tough one to Tufts so naturally they swapped rankings. Bates will try to get it’s first win of 2015 this week at Williams. The Ephs have actually been solid against the run (104.5 YPG allowed), which could mean a 0-3 start is in the cards for the Bobcats.
8. Hamilton (0-2; Last week: 8)
Hamilton has put together a competitive team that has scrapped in their first two games – a five-point loss to Wesleyan really raised some eyebrows – but they are still plagued by a losing streak that dates back to Oct. 13, 2012. Sadly, Hamilton will more than likely make it three calendar years without a win as they take on Trinity this weekend. At least they’ve climbed out of the cellar of the power rankings, probably for good.
9. Colby (0-2; Last week: 9)
The Mules suffered their second loss of the season, and but for a lucky break on a poorly-snapped punt and a garbage time rushing TD against third-stringers, Colby would still be scoreless. We will see if they can use the momentum from their last touch in the Middlebury game to pose a threat to Wesleyan on Saturday.
10. Bowdoin (0-2; Last week: 10)
Tim Drakeley ’17 was unable to carry the Polar Bears past Amherst, or really to even compete. Bowdoin was simply overpowered by Amherst who outgained the Bears’ total offense by 369 yards. Within 12 minutes of the opening kick the score was 24-0 Amherst. That’s back-to-back blowouts that have not gone Bowdoin’s way. Bowdoin will play Tufts on Saturday for a chance to move up the ranks.
Nobody had Jack Cooleen ’16 (#81) on their team this week. That will change. (Courtesy of Tufts Daily)
It’s been a rough week for me. Losing in fantasy really hurts one’s pride. I studied all off-season for this. Nick didn’t do jack squat. He drafted “Trinity Kicker” during the draft. Are you serious? And yet he smoked me in Week 1.
Well, I think it’s fair to say that I got my revenge against his Bantam counterpart in Week 2. I cleaned the floor with Carson, more than doubling up his Puzzo-led squad. The QB duo of Matt Milano ’16 and Alex Snyder ’17 nearly topped Carson on its own.
The mid-week pickups of Kenny Adinkra ’16 and Devon Carrillo ’16 were pretty profitable, as well. Nick Kelly ’17 sat out with an injury for Amherst, which meant that Adinkra racked up 13 points for me. While I don’t know what’s going on at running back for the Cardinals, with two former All-NESCAC First Teamers filling reserve roles (including Lou Stevens ’17 who is on my bench), I trust that Carrillo is going to get plenty of touches every week with sweeps and in the Wildcat.
There wasn’t much to write home about for Carson. Sonny Puzzo ’18 was solid but less spectacular than a week ago when he tallied 36 points. Otherwise, Bates’ Frank Williams ’18 was the lone bright spot for Carson. Williams’ one-yard TD run in the first quarter was the difference.
See the damage below:
Joe
Carson
Pos.
Player
Pts.
Pos.
Player
Pts.
QB
Matt Milano
26
QB
Sonny Puzzo
15
QB
Alex Snyder
26
QB
Jared Lebowitz
10
RB
Kenny Adinkra
13
RB
LaDarius Drew
2
RB
Tyler Grant
0
RB
Nick Gaynor
4
WR
Ryan Rizzo
12
WR
Neil O’Connor
1
WR
Devon Carrillo
16
WR
Mark Riley
3
TE
Bryan Porter
9
TE
Rob Thoma
2
FLEX
Jabari Hurdle-Price
12
FLEX
Ian Dugger
1
FLEX
LaShawn Ware
1
FLEX
Frank Williams
15
D/ST
Middlebury
17
D/ST
Amherst
12
K
Charlie Wall
13
K
Charlie Gordon
1
BE
Lou Stevens
0
BE
Matt Minno
0
BE
Pat Dugan
7
BE
Henry Foye
0
BE
Mbasa Mayikana
1
BE
Jon Hurvitz
0
145
66
In the much less interesting matchup this week, Nick handily dispatched Adam in a pretty uneventful meeting. Adam made a huge acquisition by picking up Reece Foy ’18 last week, but his 31-point performance on the strength of a 90-yard TD run was not enough to close the gap. Nick didn’t get any standout performances, but his entire roster chipped in enough to take down Adam. Oh, and that Trinity defense … wow.
#11 Reece Foy ’18 has been a revelation through two weeks for Amherst. (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)
When Amherst scored with 3:43 left in the first quarter to go up 24-0 against Bowdoin, the message was clear: the champions are still on top. They were simply on a different level than the Polar Bears. The Jeffs took their foot off the gas pedal and cruised to a 37-6 win. Elsewhere, Trinity went out and pitched their second consecutive shutout against Williams, and Middlebury cruised to a 28-9 victory against Colby. Combined the three won by a score of 89-15, and the scores could have been even more lopsided than that. Of the Fantastic Four of NESCAC football, only Wesleyan struggled as it took a late fourth quarter comeback to keep Hamilton in the winless column.
Nine out of the 10 games so far had the same result as last year (Middlebury beating Wesleyan is the only different result), and the results so far have mostly reinforced the idea that the league is built on two levels. Jumping up or down a level is possible (William’s descent has been coupled with Wesleyan’s and to a lesser extent Middlebury’s rise), but for the most part a team’s performance from year to year remains within that tier. The top of the bottom tier is occupied by Bates and Tufts, and the Jumbos win on Saturday affirmed their status as the team closest to making the jump from the bottom to the top tier – though they’ve win by slim margins in both weeks.
Stock Up
Wide Receiver Jack Cooleen ’16 (Tufts)
Cooleen’s statistics from 2014: 13 catches, 195 yards, two touchdowns Cooleen’s statistics from Saturday: seven catches, 178 yards, two touchdowns
Tufts really only had one way of moving the ball on Saturday. That actually worked pretty well in the second half when Alex Snyder ’17 threw the ball up for grabs to the 6’5″ Cooleen. All 17 of Tufts’ points were a direct result of long balls to him. The two touchdowns came on 45- and 27-yard catches by Cooleen, and the game-winning field goal was set up by another 45-yard reception. Cooleen was beating mostly one-on-one coverage on the outside against much shorter defensive backs, and other teams have had success with being physical against him. That wasn’t the case on Saturday, and the Jumbos escaped with a win mostly because of his efforts. If he is able to sustain that threat of a deep jump ball, the Tufts offense suddenly adds a whole other dynamic to it.
Quarterback Reece Foy ’18 (Amherst)
Well, Amherst has found a quarterback, and that should scare every team in the NESCAC. The defining moment of the game against Bowdoin was when Foy was forced to step up on a pass play and took off to run. He quickly made it into the second level, and once he got going it was clear that he was faster than every Bowdoin defender. The play was a 90-yard run, and Foy finished with exactly 300 yards of total offense. Having thrown for 242 YPG, he is second in the NESCAC in that category. He is still not the most accurate quarterback, but as long as he can keep his completion percentage right around 60 percent (he is at 61.3 percent right now), he will be fine. Foy has the luxury of throwing to athletes like Jackson McGonagle ’16, too, who made a few acrobatic catches where he simply outmuscled Bowdoin defensive backs for the ball. The Amherst coaching staff has made it clear that they are sticking with Foy at QB, and he has given them no reason not to be happy with that decision.
Trinity Defense
Through two games, the Bantams haven’t allowed a point. You don’t need to have created your own sports website about NESCAC sports to know that that means they are pretty good. Their dominance goes even deeper than that. The Bantams have allowed only 167.5 YPG, the best in the NESCAC and 88 YPG less than second place Wesleyan. Their six takeaways through two games is also tops in the league. The scariest part of the defense is their youth: the top six tacklers are all underclassmen and three of them are freshman linebackers. Safety Spencer Donahue ’17 collected NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, making him the second straight Bantam defensive back to win the award (Paul McCarthy ’16 won it last week). Williams had their chances as they got into Trinity territory on five different drives, but the Bantams made the plays in big moments. The play of the game came from McCarthy who wrestled a jump ball away from Darrias Sime ’16 in the end zone to keep Trinity up 14-0 at the beginning of the second half. The Trinity defense still has yet to face the best offenses in the league, but so far so good for the Bants.
This is just a really great photo we wanted you to see. (Courtesy of Josh Kuckens and Bates Athletics)
Stock Down
Bates’ Decision Making
Bobcats faithful are still at a loss for how they let the game Saturday against Tufts get away from them. Bates was up 14-0 at halftime, and their young defense was playing well. The Jumbos stormed back, but after a Tufts safety made it 17-16, the Bobcats were in a position to win with a 4th and goal from the one-yard line with just under seven minutes to play. However, instead of taking the field goal and the lead, Coach Mark Harriman went for it and watched Ivan Reese ’17 fumble the ball into the end zone for a Tufts touchback. Harriman has been aggressive near the end of games before, but this decision was puzzling because it amounted to an extra point for kicker Grant DeWald ’18, who is 4-4 on the season on PATs. I can see the logic of Harriman wanting to go for it so close to the end zone – and in a sense it worked, since Reese had the first down – and thinking that even if they got stopped that Tufts was pinned deep. But, hindsight is 20-20, and in this case he should have trusted his kicker and defense.
Quarterback Gernald Hawkins ’18 (Wesleyan)
The Cardinals struggled to move the ball all day against a very game Hamilton defense, and their inability to throw the ball downfield was a big part of that. Hawkins was just 14-31 (45 percent) for 157 yards, and Coach Dan DiCenzo went to backup Mark Piccirillo ’19 for short spurts as well as leaning on Devon Carrillo ’16 to run the Wildcat offense. Hawkins did not look comfortable sitting in the pocket and tried to make plays with his legs without great success. He did have one rushing touchdown that was negated by a Wesleyan penalty. Quarterback Jesse Warren ’15 was at times under appreciated for his importance in the Wesleyan offense and ability to keep defenses honest. Hawkins threw the ball more than 20 times in the first half, and the Cardinals put too much pressure on him without trying to wear down the Hamilton defense. Wesleyan has two weeks to get their offense right before they face Amherst.
Kicking Game
Kicking is usually an adventure in the NESCAC, but this weekend was an unusually bad one. In the Colby-Middlebury game, Middlebury blocked a punt that led to a safety, and Colby blocked two extra points and a field goal by Middlebury. Colby’s John Baron’s ’18 first punt went -2 yards (not a typo), and in the second quarter he boomed a 79-yarder that rolled out at the one-inch line – one of the few kicking bright spots on the day, coupled with Pat Donahoe’s ’16 71-yarder to the two-yard line. Trinity had a bad snap on a punt lead to punter Kyle Pulek ’16 having to throw a pass out of desperation that led to a nine-yard loss. Hamilton missed a 32-yard field goal, and Wesleyan almost lost because their extra point was blocked after their first touchdown. The Tufts kicking game was off all day long with an eight and 14-yard punt, two botched snaps leading directly to nine Bates points, and a 22-yard missed field goal – this after kicker Willie Holmquist ’17 went 3-4 on FGs last week, including a game-winner in OT, to earn Special Teams POW honors.
No team impressed more last week than Jeff Devanney’s Trinity squad. (Courtesy of Robert LeBel)
Well, we went 4-1 in our predictions last week, but pretty much nothing went as expected. We got the Williams-Bowdoin game wrong. It seems as if the Ephs just have the Polar Bears figured out. They’ve now outscored Bowdoin 63-7 over the past two seasons. The Bantams won pretty handily as we thought they would, but we didn’t foresee a shutout coming. Hamilton forced OT before eventually falling to Tufts and QB Chase Rosenberg ’17 went completely bananas throwing the football. We got the spread on the Amherst-Bates game fairly close, so I guess that’s a check in the win column for the NbN staff. But the kicker was really Middlebury-Wesleyan, the Week 1 Game of the Week. I went for an ambitious 35-14 prediction in favor of the Panthers, and while they were able to rack up four TDs, the final score was much closer than I thought it would be.
So let’s take another shot. Week 1 provided us with some good information that will shed some light on the coming weekend.
Four to Watch
1. Wesleyan RB LaDarius Drew ’15 If you just look at the box score, you might think that Jaylen Berry ’18 has taken over as the Cardinals’ feature back, having garnered 122 yards on 21 carries as opposed to Drew’s 35 yards on six carries. However, that Drew didn’t enter the game until the second quarter was suspicious. There must have been a reason that Drew was held out for the first quarter – and I don’t know what it is, but I think it was predetermined for Drew to sit out the first quarter. Whether that’s true or not, by the time he entered the game against Middlebury, Berry had gotten rolling and there was no reason to stop him. I think Drew gets back into the action early on this weekend, and there should be plenty of rushing yards to go around for the Wesleyan backs tomorrow against Hamilton. 2. Hamilton QB Chase Rosenberg ’17 As a freshman and sophomore, Rosenberg started nearly every game, but as a team the Continentals found very little success. He was supplanted by transfer Brandon Tobin ’18 for the start in Week 1 and saw some limited action in the game’s first half, but a leg injury sent Tobin to the sidelines for good just before halftime. Rosenberg couldn’t have capitalized on his chance any better, going 14-23 for 301 yards and three touchdowns and no picks. Rosenberg will likely be the signal-caller tomorrow, so the pressure is on to keep up this level of play. 3. Middlebury RB Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 Head Coach Bob Ritter believes that Middlebury will be able to have an effective rushing attack as the season goes on, but the Panthers showed no evidence of that in Week 1. The passing game was working for Middlebury against Wesleyan in the second half, so it made since to continue to air it out, but 0.45 yards per rush is simply not going to cut it going forward. Hurvitz is the lead back for Middlebury, but Diego Meritus ’19 will see plenty of touches, too, and Matt Cardew ’18 – though he didn’t see the field against Wesleyan – could still make an impact. 4. Williams LB Russell Monyette ’17 Where did this guy come from? Monyette barely played a year ago, but in Week 1 he led the Ephs with six tackles, one for a loss, while filling in for the injured James O’Grady ’16. No word yet on whether O’Grady will be back for Week 2, and if he is we don’t know what Monyette’s role will be. Williams’ Week 2 opponent, Trinity, will look to pound the ball on the ground with multiple weapons, so the onus will be on the Williams linebacking corps to stop this multi-faceted attack.
Game Previews
Bowdoin (0-1) at Amherst (1-0): Amherst, Massachusetts, 1:00 PM
These are two teams coming off of vastly different Week 1 performances. Going into enemy territory is going to be a big challenge for Bowdoin. However, I think both teams regress towards the mean somewhat this week. We’re just learning what Reece Foy ’18 can do as the Amherst QB, and he might turn out to be as good as he was in Week 1, but don’t expect him to look great every single time out. As for the Polar Bears, there wasn’t much to like last Saturday. Still, I think another week to learn a new system, get comfortable with a new coach and to work out some kinks will prove to make a big difference. Will it be enough, though, to surprise the LJs? Doubtful.
Prediction: Amherst 31-Bowdoin 7
Wesleyan (1-0) at Hamilton (0-1): Clinton, NY, 1:00 PM
The Continentals played some inspired football last weekend. Hamilton fans came away pleasantly surprised, I would imagine, and this week we’ve tipped our cap to Coach Dave Murray and crew. There’s reason to believe that things are be turning around in Clinton. That being said, Hamilton played what might have been its best game and still lost to a middling Tufts squad. Meanwhile, Wesleyan looked very tough against Middlebury. I’m extremely impressed by how Coach Dan DiCenzo was able to get a green group so ready to play in Week 1, and that rushing attack is simply deadly. I think the good Hamilton vibes take a big hit this weekend, unfortunately. It’s going to get better, but this game could be ugly.
One thing I can’t predict is who will lead the rushing attack for the Cardinals, but I expect it will be as potent as in Week 1. WR/Wildcat QB Devon Carrillo ’16 is looking like a staple in the Cards’ attack as a sweep/option threat. I wonder if they might try to get him the ball in space with some screens out of the slot this week, as he had zero receptions against Middlebury.
Prediction: Wesleyan 33 – Hamilton 7
Colby (0-1) at Middlebury (1-0): Middlebury, VT, 1:00 PM
At face value this looks like an easy contest for Middlebury. But wait, do I smell a trap game? The Panthers got beat up against a physical Wesleyan team, and next week is circled on their calendars as they will be traveling to Amherst. For some reason, I’ve got a feeling that Middlebury is still shaking off the cob webs a little bit. The statistics don’t necessarily suggest that (except for the aforementioned rushing problems), but the offense doesn’t look to be a full steam yet. Defensively, the nearly 300 rushing yards allowed in Week 1 was very disappointing. That should get better, but will it happen this week? And for Colby, the questions are endless. Nothing went right against Trinity. What happened to that two-headed monster at tailback? And how was Trinity able to rip through the Mules’ D so easily? Perhaps they’ll do better against an aerial attack than they fared against Trinity’s ground game. But I don’t think they do well enough to overcome the home team.
Prediction: Middlebury 28 – Colby 17
Williams (1-0) at Trinity (1-0): Hartford, CT, 1:30 PM
The Ephs surprised us with a beatdown of the Polar Bears last week, but they did the same thing in Week 1 a year ago and ended up 2-6. Will this be a repeat of Williams’ 2014 campaign, or was the 27-7 win in Week 1 truly a statement of a new and improved Ephs squad?
I tend to lean towards the former. Maybe this team is better than a year ago, but I also think Trinity is elite. The cream is going to continue to rise to the top in the NESCAC, and I think that divide will become a lot clearer this week with Trinity, Middlebury, Wesleyan and Amherst all picking up wins. Oops, I guess I just spoiled my prediction…
QB Sonny Puzzo ’18 (#13) and the Bantams were far too much for Colby to handle last Saturday. (Courtesy of Robert LeBel)
1. Trinity (1-0; Last week: 3)
As Trinity blew past Colby in the season’s opener in Maine, it became apparent that the loss of running back Joe Moreno ’19 to an ACL tear may not plague the Bantams as much as previously thought. While QB Sonny Puzzo ’18 piled up 278 passing yards, the Bantams also accumulated 161 rushing yards, which gives credit to their depth at running back. Trinity’s defense emerged as a menace shutting out Colby and limiting them to a total of 159 yards while making three sacks and three interceptions. The hype is up – the Bantams are the real deal.
2. Amherst (1-0; Last week: 2)
Amherst had a strong first week accumulating, the most points in the NESCAC. The defense had a hiccup allowing Bates to rush for two touchdowns, one which came on Bates’ first play, an 80-yard run by slotback Shaun Carrol ’16. Their offense looked very balanced, splitting their 556 net yards between rushing and passing. Reece Foy ’18 has a lot of receiving options, and they will continue to mix it up with an array of running backs.
3. Middlebury (1-0; Last week: 1)
The Panthers had a nail-biter last week. Wesleyan could have easily stolen the number three spot in these ranks with a win, but Middlebury got the job done like we all expected. Quarterback Matt Milano ’16 threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Middlebury was on their heels all game and averaged a half yard on 22 carries. The Panthers were lucky to come away with a win last week.
4. Wesleyan (0-1; Last week: 4)
Despite losing in Week 1, the Cardinals showed some real promise taking a good Middlebury team to the finish. Despite Gernald Hawkins ’18 throwing two interceptions, he showed flashes of excellence, and if he is able to tune up his passing game, this team could go the distance and win a NESCAC championship. The Wesleyan defense completely shut down the Middlebury running game, but the Cardinals walked away from last week’s game very disappointed.
5. Williams (1-0; Last week: 8)
A good Williams team moves up to the fifth spot this week after a convincing win over Bowdoin. They were able to control the game rushing for 150 yards and holding the ball for 38 of 60 minutes. However, the Ephs manhandled Bowdoin last year in the season-opener, too, and went on to finish 2-6. Williams will be put to the test Saturday as they travel to Hartford to take on the Bantams.
6. Bates (0-1; Last week: 7)
Bates lost to a great team in Amherst, and despite allowing 37 points, they were able to put up 316 total yards on offense and two touchdowns. Still, besides Carroll’s 80-yard touchdown run, he picked up an average of 2.25 yards per carry. Bates will take on Tufts this week, who escaped an overtime win against Hamilton.
7. Tufts (1-0; Last week: 5)
Tufts mixed up the pass and run game to edge out the Continentals by three points in overtime. Chance Brady ’18 racked up 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns, so look for him to help lead the Jumbos to more wins this season.
8. Hamilton (0-1); Last week: 10)
Hamilton put up a great fight against Tufts and showed great passion. Despite being down 21-0 at the half and losing their starting QB to an ankle injury, they were able to force the game into overtime. I am not sure Hamilton will break the losing streak this season, but you must give credit where credit is due, and the Continentals don’t deserve the 10 spot this week.
9. Colby (0-1; Last week: 6)
Colby did not look good in Week 1 – the only team unable to get on the scoreboard. Part of the equation, too, is that Colby ran into an inspired Trinity team on Saturday. The Mules’ Gabe Harrington ’17 was unable to get it done behind center, and wide receiver Ryder Arsenault ’17 needs to make more of an impact at wide receiver.
10. Bowdoin (0-1; Last week: 9)
Last in the ‘CAC is a tough pill to swallow, but it is no surprise as Bowdoin is in a rebuilding season. On the upside, Tim Drakeley ’17 did pass for 248 yards, so there is some hope with his arm if he can sharpen his completion percentage (53.8 percent).
Mark Riley ’16 against Mike Stearns ’17 is a good one to watch. Courtesy of Tufts University
Game Info: Saturday, Oct. 3, 1:30 PM at Garcelon Field in Lewiston, Maine
As two 4-4 teams last season, both Bates and Tufts head into this season fighting for the last spot among the league’s upper half. While the top four teams seem to be heads above the rest, Bates and Tufts – along with Williams, who looked strong last week against Bowdoin – offer the best chance out of the rest of the NESCAC to close the ever-widening gap between the 4th and 5th place teams.
The focus for the Bobcats this season has to be on improving their passing game from last season, in which they ranked 10th in yards per game (124.0) and total yards (992). With the graduation of QB Matt Cannone ’15, who threw nine interceptions on the year, Patrick Dugan ’16 takes the reins under center. Seeing as the passing attack of the Bobcats is still trying to figure out their identity, much of the offensive production is still in the hands of slotback Shaun Carroll ’16, who ran for 107 yards in last week’s game versus Amherst.
The Tufts locker room could not be feeling better about where they are, coming off a season that ended their long losing streak, and already starting 2015 with a win under their belt (24-21 in OT vs Hamilton). RB Chance Brady ’17 rushed out of the gates this season, providing his team with 117 yards and two touchdowns on the day, which was by far his best game since becoming a Jumbo. Alex Snyder ’17 did just enough in last week’s win, not turning the ball over once, and throwing for a modest but respectable 188 yards (8.2 yards per completion).
Last Meeting:
The Jumbos, down 13-17 at halftime, went on to score 29 points in the second half, making what seemed like a close game a 42-24 trouncing. While Tufts QB Jack Doll ’15 torched the Bates secondary, throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns, the real story of the Jumbos’ offensive outburst lay in the special teams play of Zack Trause ’15. In what seemed to be a close 24-23 game late in the third quarter, Trause broke it open with an 82-yard kickoff return, and then a 49-yard punt return, both for touchdowns, making it a 35-24 Tufts lead with 14:02 left in the game. While the Bobcats had plenty of time to carve into this 11-point lead, Doll put an exclamation point on the game with a three-yard touchdown pass to Jack Cooleen ’16.
Not to take away any credit from the Tufts’ return game, which proved to us that special teams is in fact 1/3 of football, the 42-24 score did not completely tell the whole story. Bates did have a lead with little time left in the third quarter, and had sufficient time to build on that lead had their special teams defense held strong. Seeing as both teams ended the year 4-4, it’s obvious that this game held a lot of weight in determining which team rounded out the upper half of the NESCAC, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes down to a head-to-head tiebreak again this season.
Tufts X-factor: Wide Receiver Mike Rando ’17
The strong rushing attack of Brady and the Tufts Jumbos is no longer a surprise, so expect the Bobcats defense to limit Brady’s ability to get into the second level of defense by loading the box on Saturday. What Bates will really want to test is the passing attack of Alex Snyder. Who does Tufts have for Snyder to throw to? Junior receiver Mike Rando seems to be a hot pick for a game-changer in this game. While six receptions for 53 yards isn’t the most efficient performance, we know that Snyder will be looking to throw to a receiver he’s comfortable with. In addition, Rando could prove to be a threat in the return game, because, as the Bobcats know all too well, Tufts returners can provide a spark late in the game.
Bates X-factor: Quarterback Patrick Dugan ’16
It’s not often that a quarterback is chosen to be an x-factor, but in this case I think the play of Dugan will dictate how this game ends up for the Bobcats. In his first collegiate start this past week against Amherst, Dugan proved that he could stay composed and not turn the ball over, even against the formidable secondary of the Lord Jeffs, who led the league in INTs last season (17). While 117 yards isn’t a lot, Dugan completed 11 of his 16 passing attempts, averaging 7.3 yards per completion. After holding his own against the best defense in the league, I expect Dugan’s confidence will be on display this Saturday starting for the hometown crowd for the first time.
Prediction: Bates 24 – Tufts 17
If there’s one thing that Bates players have not forgotten from last season, it’s their loss to Tufts last year. The last thing the Bobcats want to see is Tufts marching into Lewiston and walking out sitting pretty at 2-0. For those of you who think human emotion doesn’t actually make a team play better, and that revenge is not a thing; 1.) you must have never heard of the Patriots and 2.) Statistics play into the Bobcats’ favor this weekend. Take a look:
Last year Tufts was ranked last in the league in passing yards allowed with 225.1 per game. Facing a quarterback who just saw the best secondary in the NESCAC, it’s possible that Dugan will throw a few more passes than usual and it could be a big day for Riley at wideout. Another key stat to look at from last year is that Bates was ranked third in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (102.6). With Chance Brady being Tufts’ best offensive weapon, Alex Snyder and his young receiving core will be expected to carry a bigger load. That being said, last year was last year, and the teams are not the same. Snyder played well in last week’s game against Hamilton, and Brady will certainly not look at a third-ranked rushing defense as an immovable object. All things considered, I believe the stars are in line for a Bobcats win this weekend.
Jaymie Spears ’16 was named a USA College Preseason all-American before this season. (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)
NESCAC quarterbacks know that they risk disaster every time they drop back against Amherst. Over the past few years, The Jeffs have been far and away the best at creating interceptions. They led the league in both 2013 and 2014, totaling 37 interceptions over that time. The finest moment for the group was against Middlebury in 2013 when they intercepted Mac Foote ’14 five times in a 37-16 beatdown. This year Amherst brings back three longtime starters, seniors Jaymie Spears ’16, Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ’16, and Chris Gow ’16. Those three represented the backbone of the secondary a year ago, and this year they will be the driving force for a defensive unit that is looking to improve despite losing a few key pieces.
All three of Gow, Spears and Fairfield-Sonn have become integral parts of the defense over the years. Their strengths and skill sets vary widely, allowing the defensive staff to rely on each of them to fill in a specific role that makes the group together so good. For Head Coach EJ Mills, how the pieces fit together is what makes this trio so good.
“As good as they are individually, their greatest strength is how they play together as a unit,” Mills says.
Each of the three remind me of some NFL or college stars. Even though they play slightly different positions, the best comparison I have for Fairfield-Sonn is former LSU and current Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu because of how they attack at the line of scrimmage and have a knack for the ball. Fairfield-Sonn had four total turnovers last year, two on interceptions and two on fumble recoveries. From his strong safety position, Fairfield-Sonn has the freedom to read what is in front of him. Yet Coach Mills was quick to add that Fairfield-Sonn is instinctive enough that he always makes the right read and doesn’t get beaten deep because of his aggression. That aggression is not just on the field, but it carries over to pregame. Fairfield-Sonn describes himself as the “energy and hype guy” who gets his teammates going in the locker room and right before the game. That he is one of the smallest players on the field at 5’10” and 175 pounds (I suspect that height might be an exaggeration too) makes no difference.
Then there is the brain in the back, free safety Chris Gow. He is in charge of making all of the coverage calls on the field. When the offense tries to catch the Jeffs off balance with motion, Gow is the player who makes the adjustment calls. Fairfield-Sonn compared him to Earl Thomas, the safety for the Seattle Seahawks, because of Gow’s defensive quarterback tendencies. I shouldn’t undersell his athletic abilities either. He has the speed to cover a lot of ground in the back end, and he is physical enough that he led the Jeffs in tackles last week against Bates. He had four interceptions a year ago, including one against Trinity where the Bantams tried to take a shot deep but were foiled by Gow.
As for the most decorated member of the secondary, Jaymie Spears … Coach Mills just chuckled when asked about him. What he kept coming back to is best summed up by University of Miami player Santana Moss.
Big time players step up in big games.
Simple as that.
Not really, of course. Spears does a million things well on the football field, and one of them is that he rises the occasion at the best possible moment. Spears has started for Amherst since his sophomore year and over that time has become a star. In 2013 against Middlebury, it was Spears who returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown to put the nail in the coffin. It was last year when Spears became a force to be fully reckoned with. He had six interceptions and eight pass breakups, and it was his exceptional timing that made the biggest difference. Not even five minutes into the 2014 season, Spears blocked a Bates field goal to keep the game scoreless. In the third quarter, one play after Bates had intercepted Alex Berluti ’17 at the Amherst 30-yard line, Spears snagged his second interception of the game to keep the Bobcats at bay. Then in the biggest game of the year against Wesleyan, Spears blocked an extra point which ended up giving Amherst the chance to make a field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Spears is one of the most athletic players in the league, but at the corner position that takes you only so far. Mills said that Spears watches as much film as anybody on Amherst, and he picks up on receivers tendencies very well. That combination allows him to always stay balanced and in control. The obvious comparison for him is Darrelle Revis, but Richard Sherman might be a better one because Spears always stays to one side of the field in Amherst’s defensive scheme. Fairfield-Sonn noted that because Spears is the boundary corner, he often lines up next to the opposing sideline and gets trash talked a good amount. “But Jaymie lets his play do all the talking for him,” Fairfield-Sonn says.
The final spot of the field corner is filled by Stefan Soucy ’17, a part-time player last year who replaces Ryan Duzyk ’15. Soucy looks more like a safety than a corner at 6’1″ and 210 pounds, but he still has the athleticism to stay with receivers. And the pipe line of talented defensive backs is strong with Brown transfer Kyle Obana ’18 and Nate Tyrell ’19 both potential starters next year.
As good as this secondary is, they still have their warts. A good counter-argument can be raised that the current Jeffs secondary is overrated and has gotten lucky. Against Middlebury last year, a rainstorm made throwing the ball very difficult, and so we did not get to see what Matt Milano ’16 could do against the Jeffs. Trinity also was without starting QB Henry Foye ’16 last year which meant they were left without a capable thrower on the roster. Then, as further evidence, you could point to the game that Wesleyan’s Jesse Warren ’15 had last season. He was able to gash the Jeffs’ secondary for big gains, finishing with two touchdowns and 306 yards on just 26 attempts (11.8 yards per attempt). Amherst intercepted him just once, though the Fairfield-Sonn interception did lead to a short field and an Amherst touchdown.
They were only third in the NESCAC in pass defense behind Wesleyan and Williams a year ago. However, both of those secondaries have to replace a significant amount of personnel. The Williams secondary also benefited from the fact that they trailed in a lot of games and so teams wanted to run the ball against them.
On Saturday the Amherst defense held Bates to 117 passing yards and had no interceptions: not an exceptional performance against the run-heavy Bobcats. The game tells us little about what the Jeffs are capable of, though the ability of the one true receiver threat for Bates, Mark Riley ’16, to catch seven balls for 87 yards is troubling.
The arguments against the Amherst secondary are fair ones, but the strengths of the Jeffs drown them out. Passing windows against them are narrow to non-existent, and the possibilities for all three seniors are huge. Mills has seen his fair share of elite secondaries at Amherst, and he was excited about the possibilities for this group.
“I don’t want to call them the best unit I’ve had back there, but they have a chance to be very very good this year,” Mills admitted.
In the next couple of weeks the Jeffs will enter the meat of their schedule against Middlebury and Wesleyan, and that secondary will be called on to live up to the high standards they have set over the years in big moments.
The author, young Peter in uniform. (Courtesy of Peter Lindholm)
NESCAC football season has always been a very special time for me. As a kid I spent many wonderful Saturday afternoons sprinting around Alumni Field in Middlebury, playing touch football with older kids on the hill overlooking the end zones, and then hiding in the bushes from those same older kids when they wanted to use my head as the football. My friend Kenton and I would spend the entire game in those bushes sometimes, having layered, intense debates over issues like “Do football players wear pads, or are their shoulders just really big?” My dad, my constant (if not vigilant) guardian at these games, was and is still always encamped at the foot of the press box, entertaining whoever stopped to say hello. And once in a while he would glance around and ask his friend, “Hey, have you seen Pete?”
As I began to grow up, for lack of a better term, the games themselves became interesting. It was Donnie McKillop’s laser of an arm that first enthralled me, and I was lucky enough to move right from his illustrious career to McCallum Foote’s even more historic (though I will always argue less entertaining) run. I got to witness some great Panther football and, I came to realize, some great football from the other NESCAC teams as well while I grew as a sports fan. So, as I looked everywhere I could for an article to write to kick off my 2015-2016 Nothing but NESCAC season, I thought it would be fun to do a top-three NESCAC Football Teams of my life as a developed sports fan, which I will count as roughly 2005 to 2015.
A wise man once said, “Without rules, society would fall into chaos.” It seems to me that society could get used to some of that, but no one would call me a wise man, so there we go. Anyway, here are the ground rules for the top three:
Only one representative for each team. This rule is basically in place to make sure that I don’t pick all of Donnie McKillop’s seasons at Middlebury, but it makes sense to me to have a little diversity here. NESCAC football has not been a diverse place over the last 10 years; the same four teams win all the time. And as a globally-conscious citizen, I consider it my duty to do my part to bring diversity to NESCAC as a whole. One love, y’all.
A team doesn’t have to win the league to get picked. Now I’m not a man prone to hyperbole, but the NESCAC football system for deciding a champion is literally the worst thing in the history of America other than Donald Trump and orange juice without pulp. It doesn’t feel right to me to follow such a tragically inept system, and watching crime shows has taught me to follow my gut.
No Amherst teams allowed.
And now here’s the list. As always, if you have any complaints with the rankings feel free to send an angry yet eloquent e-mail to Joe or Adam (NothingbutNESCAC@gmail.com). Also, because I’m currently in a class on TV culture and we just talked about Friday Night Lights in class, I will be ranking the teams based on the three best characters on the show. In descending order, the list will go from Matt Saracen, the allegorical representation for Jesus (think about it for a bit) himself, to Coach Eric Taylor to Big Tim Riggins, the hunkiest fullback in TV history.
3. Matt Saracen: Amherst 2011 (8-0, Average Scoring Margin: +17.25)
Did all the Amherst people angrily storm off after rule number three? Did they throw their glasses of aged scotch on the ground and go for a calming walk in their petunia gardens? Good, because this team was filthy. They were a fantastic defensive team, giving up only 12.0 points per game. Defensive end Kevin Ferber ’12 led the league in tackles for loss with 15, and set a program record for sacks with 11. They were also dangerous on the other side of the ball, with running back Eric Bunker ’12 taking home Offensive POY honors. Their closest game was a 35-28 win over Trinity in which the Jeffs held a 35-7 lead at one point. A deadly team on both sides of the ball, the 2011 Lord Jeffs lose out on higher honors only due to the dominance of the first two teams, and because of that part in season two where Matt won’t help Landry get Reyes in trouble for beating up their friend because he’s worried about what the team will think (don’t worry if that made no sense to you). Not a good look for Matt, and not a good look for the Lord Jeffs either.
Eric Bunker ’12 led the offense of a great Amherst team. (Courtesy of the Amherst Student)
2. Coach Taylor: Williams 2006 (8-0, Average Scoring Margin: 25.25)
Williams’ College quarterback Pat Lucey ’08 put on his leather jacket, lit up a Marlboro and left the diner. A pretty redheaded waitress looked longingly at him as he left: he hadn’t paid his check, but she was certainly not going to hassle him. He had watched those conniving SOB’s over at Trinity turn the NESCAC football scene into their goddamn practice field for three years now, and he was damn sick of it. The whole league was, and they looked to him as a savior. Trouble was, he fancied himself a drifter. He didn’t like staying in one place long enough to be held responsible for things, that was why he’d left Beth alone in Bozeman all those years ago. But he sure was in deep now, and in Week 2, the Bantams would be coming to town for a good ol’ fashioned shootout. He would be ready, because he had to be.
**fade to black, voiceover comes in **
“In theaters this summer, Jake Gyllenhaal stars in …“THE GUNSLINGER”.
Williams quickly established themselves as the new top dawgs in the ‘CAC, dispatching the Bantams 41-16 on their way to an undefeated season. Led by Offensive POY Patrick Lucey at quarterback, the Ephs outscored their opponents by an average of 25 points per game, and swept their way through the playoffs to earn a legitimate trophy … oh wait.
Pat Lucey ’08 could throw it anytime, anywhere. (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)
Tim Riggins: Trinity 2005 (8-0, Average Margin of Victory: 28.25)
The final and most dominant team of Trinity’s three-peat from 2003-2005, the Bantams in 2005 remind of my childhood friend Charlie. Let me explain. Charlie was the only one of my friends who had a Gamecube AND Madden, so naturally I basically camped outside of his house. I, being a naïve young man, failed to notice that whenever we played, Charlie would be playing with a team that had every Pro Bowl player on it. The final score would be something like 86-6, and he would act all apologetic and nice about it. “Oh I got lucky,” “Oh the wind was on my side, good thing I won the coin toss.” The Bantams outscored their opponents in 2005 by and average score of about 35-5, and if you leave out the game against Amherst in which they gave up 20 points, Trinity only gave up 16 points ALL YEAR. They had five defensive players on the First Team, including Defensive POY Michael Blair ’06, and had games with scores like 47-0 (Bates) 58-0 (Hamilton) and 63-7 (Wesleyan). So congratulations to the Bantams, and screw you Charlie, we’re playing again this summer and I’m gonna kick your ass.
So there we have it. It’s been a great stretch of football in NESCAC, but again not very diverse, with Middlebury, Amherst, Trinity and Williams either winning or finishing second every year. However, last year Wesleyan was the runner-up in the league, and one has to expect that NESCAC football is soon due for an explosion of talent throughout the league, as we have seen in basketball in the last couple of years. One thing is for sure though. Whether that happens or not, you’ll find me watching the Panthers take on those teams on Saturdays at Alumni field. Maybe not in the bushes though. I’m one of the big kids now.
Austin Lommen ’16 (#11) helped propel Team Lamont last week. (Courtesy of CIPhotograpy.com)
Every time I tell somebody that I play NESCAC fantasy football, I can feel the waves of judgment coming from them. They look at me with narrowed eyes full of skepticism. “NESCAC fantasy football? What drugs are you on?”
And I get it. Playing NESCAC fantasy football is about as weird as fantasy sports can get. Nobody else does it for a reason. But you know what, we don’t care about you and your silly societal norms. We aren’t that invested in our teams; we aren’t going to lose any sleep or spend hours trying to do crazy trades. But it’s fun, easy and we know that some player out there is shaking his head at us in shame while also being pumped that he is on a fantasy football team somewhere, somehow.
Matchup 1: Nick DiBenedetto over Joe MacDonald 94-90
Nick
Player
Points
Joe
QB
Gabe Harrington
-2
QB
Matt Milano
40
QB
Tim Drakeley
14
QB
Alex Snyder
9
RB
Diego Meritus
12
RB
Lou Stevens
0
RB
Connor Harris
12
RB
Tyler Grant
10
WR
Darrien Myers
21
WR
Ryan Rizzo
12
WR
Dan Barone
2
WR
Mbasa Mayikana
0
TE
Trevor MIletich
18
TE
Nik Dean
0
FLEX
Ben Kurtz
3
FLEX
Jabari Hurdle-Price
1
FLEX
Raheem Jackson
1
FLEX
LaShawn Ware
5
D/ST
Trinity
20
D/ST
Middlebury
9
K
Eric Sachse
3
K
Charlie Wall
6
TOTAL
104
TOTAl
92
BE
Matt Hirshman
1
BE
Ethan Suraci
1
BE
Alex Berluti
0
BE
Pat Dugan
6
BE
Tanner Contois
0
BE
James Burke
0
I have to give it to DiBo, when he took Darrien Myers ’17 with the fifth pick overall, I scoffed at it as a true homer pick. However, the wide receiver was the difference in this matchup with his two touchdown catches being especially important. The other big scorer for Dibo … that would be the Trinity defense which pitched a shutout and had a defensive touchdown to have a big weekend.
How Joe was not able to win despite 40 points from Matt Milano ’16 (the kicker for Milano was the one rushing touchdown he had) is beyond me. But if I was to gander a guess, the combined zero points between Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17 and Lou Stevens ’17 was a major factor. Expect MAJOR changes from Team MacDonald in Week 2.
Matchup 2: Adam Lamont over Carson Kenney 109-78
Carson Kenney
Player
Points
Adam Lamont
Player
Points
QB
Sonny Puzzo
36
QB
Austin Lommen
24
QB
Jared Lebowitz
0
QB
Gernald Hawkins
14
RB
LaDarius Drew
3
RB
Nick Kelly
10
RB
Nick Gaynor
9
RB
Chance Brady
23
WR
Matt Minno
5
WR
Ryder Arsenault
2
WR
Mark Riley
8
WR
Mike Rando
5
TE
Rob Thoma
2
TE
Alex Way
5
FLEX
Ian Dugger
3
FLEX
Shaun Carroll
16
FLEX
Frank Williams
3
FLEX
Jackson McGonagle
6
D/ST
Amherst
5
D/ST
Wesleyan
3
K
Charlie Gordon
4
K
Ike Fuchs
1
TOTAL
78
TOTAL
109
BE
Neil O’Connor
0
BE
Ben Berey
3
BE
Henry Foye
0
BE
Pat Donahue
23
BE
Jon Hurvitz
0
BE
Carl Lipani
1
Am I surprised that I won my Week 1 matchup so easily? No, I’m surprised I didn’t win by more. Everywhere you look on the roster, it’s stud city. Quality days from Chance Brady ’17 (117 rushing yards and 2 TDs) and Austin Lommen ’16 (288 passing yards and 2 TDs) carried the squad. The 174 receiver yards from Pat Donahue ’16 weren’t even especially missed, and once he gets into the starting lineup, nobody is stopping me.
Meanwhile Carson got nearly half of his points from Sonny Puzzo ’17 (278 passing yards and 2 TDs), and had nobody else score in double digits. In all seriousness, this was just an unlucky week for Carson as guys like Matt Minno ’16 and Mark Riley ’16 had decent weeks but just didn’t have any touchdowns. Once he figures out his QB situation, he will be dangerous.
And those are your Week 1 results. As you can tell, many of the players that we expected to be huge contributors ended up doing very little in the first game. Such is the way of the NESCAC. Despite the click-bait title, we do not know nothing (and we know more than one thing too, alright Socrates). We just had to get some of the unknowns of how coaches would react to the first game before our fantasy lineups would become perfect.
Standings:
Team Lamont (1-0)
Team DiBo (1-0)
Team Kenney (0-1)
Team MacDonald (0-1)
After what seemed like an eternity, NESCAC football returned in triumphant glory on Saturday, and a lot of what we anticipated came to fruition, but there were many surprises, as well.
Today we give you the risers and fallers in our estimation, as well as a few game notes from each contest.
Stock Up:
Hamilton Offense
Tufts isn’t the most stout defense in the NESCAC, but you still have to be impressed with how the Continentals moved the ball and the play of QB Chase Rosenberg ’17 and WR Charles Ensley ’17. After starter Brandon Tobin ’18 succumbed to an injury early in the first half, Rosenberg (the starter for the past two seasons) came on and proceeded to go 14-23 (69.9%) for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Ensley was on the opposite end of 107 of those yards, and displayed some top-notch athleticism with some of his grabs. His teammate, Pat Donahoe ’16, actually tallied even more yards – 174, to lead the NESCAC – so there may yet be some life in this Continental offense. We’ll wait and see whether or not Tobin returns, and how that might shake up the QB situation.
Connecticut Schools
Despite the loss, the Cardinals proved on Saturday that they still belong to the league’s upper echelon. The Cards ran all over Middlebury, and newly-minted QB Gernald Hawkins ’18 flashed potential throwing the ball, though the results were subpar on Saturday. The defense looks like it barely dropped off, and when you can control the clock and move the ball on the ground as effectively as Wesleyan, you always have a chance to win. Panthers players returned from this one bearing rave reviews of the Wesleyan team as a whole.
Meanwhile, the Bantams looked like they were playing a Pop Warner team on Saturday. A 34-0 win on the road, 439 yards of total offense and only 159 yards allowed. Enough said.
Williams QB Austin Lommen ’16
Expectations are great for former D-I players that transfer down to D-III, and that was true for Lommen last year. The BC transfer was about average last year, completing 60.1 percent of his passes and racking up seven touchdowns against nine picks, but it might be time to buy in on the righty. Lommen went 20-30 (66.7%) for 288 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. Lommen managed the offense well, and the Ephs went 6-8 on third downs in the first half, most of them courtesy of throws by Lommen.
Stock Down:
Bates O-line
Yes, the Bobcats were matched up against an elite D-line from Amherst, but still, their performance in the trenches does not bode well for the rest of the season. Bates needs to churn up yards on the ground in order to win (with the occasional shot downfield to Mark Riley ’16). The Bobcats’ backs gathered 199 yards on the ground on Saturday, but 80 of those came on one Shaun Carroll ’16 scamper. Take that out, and the Bobcats rushed for 119 yards on 45 attempts – a 2.6 YPC average.
Colby Backs
Along the same lines as the above, the Mules were unable to consistently move the ball on the ground. QB Christian Sparacio ’18 had the most success of any ball carrier, racking up 30 yards on seven carries. We are still expecting big things from classmates Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17 and Carl Lipani ’17, but it looked like Colby just ran headfirst into a brick wall against Trinity.
Bowdoin
Just to complete the Maine college trifecta, Bowdoin has to go in this spot. The offense was stagnant, and Tyler Grant ’16 didn’t get many opportunities with the Polar Bears trailing for much of their game against Williams. The loss of RB Trey Brown ’16 to injury will prove to be costly, as the Bowdoin coaches were hoping to be able to spell Grant far more this year than last – but alas, it was not to be. It was not a good opener for anyone in the black and white.
Game Notes:
Middlebury 28 at Wesleyan 25
Well, it wasn’t easy, but the Panthers hung on to go 1-0. Matt Milano ’16 wasn’t at his best early on, but was still very, very good. It was interesting that Jared Lebowitz ’18 got just one series. His entry into the game was pre-determined, but we don’t know what went into the decision to not use him for the rest of the game. Regardless, the passing game wasn’t the issue for Middlebury. The running game, however, was not effective. Somehow, the Panthers need to figure out a way to become a multi-dimensional team. They like to use screens to substitute for old-fashioned hand offs, but you still have to be able to give it to your back and let him work once in awhile.
On the other side of the field, Wesleyan competed until the very last. Hawkins has loads of potential at QB, despite his struggles throwing. He’s a fantastic athlete, and when he took off for one 17-yard dash up the gut my jaw physically dropped. Obviously, he’ll need to work on throwing the ball – sort of important for a quarterback. As for the running game, I was really shocked that Jaylen Berry ’18 was used as the feature back, carrying the ball 21 times to LaDarius Drew’s ’15 six carries and Lou Stevens’ ’17 two – not because I doubt the youngster’s ability, but because he supplanted two former All-NESCAC First Teamers as the go-to guy on Saturday. That being said, I would not be surprised if next week Drew ran the ball 25 times for 150 yards, and the same can be said about Stevens. Furthermore, Devon Carrillo ’16 continues to be a threat with his legs in many ways – out of the Wildcat, multiple back sets and on sweeps. Defensively, I have to give a shout out to DE Jordan Stone ’16. He’s a physical beast and had a great game and it showed on the stat sheet as Stone gathered 2.5 sacks.
Amherst 37 at Bates 14
Amherst WR Nick Widen ’17 and the LJs took care of Bates with ease. (Courtesy of Bates Athletics/Phyllis Graber Jensen)
I didn’t watch any game as closely as I did Middlebury-Wesleyan, but nonetheless there was much to be learned from every contest. Reece Foy ’18 got the start for Amherst, and – this is the surprising part – played every snap at QB. Last season Foy and Alex Berluti ’17 opened the season in a time-share until Max Lippe ’15 came back from an injury. That Foy was able to do enough in camp to completely takeover the gig says something in and of itself. Also of note, Kenny Adinkra ’16 got the lion’s share of the carries and was more productive than Nick Kelly ’17. Will that last, or will Kelly return to 2014 form and takeover the feature role as he was expected to do. OR, will the super-talented Jack Hickey ’19 start stealing away more carries?
For Bates, I know that the triple-option is the staple of their offense, but Mark Riley is just incredible. The Bobcats completed 11 passes for 117 yards, and seven of those catches went to Riley for 87 yards. I don’t think that if you put a prime-age Randy Moss on any team in the NESCAC he would take as large of a proportion of the catches as Riley does.
Williams 27 at Bowdoin 7
For the second straight year the Ephs stomped on the Polar Bears. (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics/CIPhotography.com)
Not much went right for the Polar Bears in Week 1. I don’t know whether to credit Lommen or crucify the Bowdoin secondary for the Ephs’ success through the air. Overall, I’m reserving judgement on the Polar Bears.
For Williams, though, you have to feel good about this start. Maybe they’ve put something together in Williamstown right under our noses. Although, I vaguely remember writing something to the same effect one year ago after Williams’ 36-0 beatdown of Bowdoin in Week 1. Maybe Coach Aaron Kelton just has the Polar Bears’ numbers. Maybe he’s taping opposing coaches’ signals with a cell phone camera, and 15 years from now, when Coach is getting fitted for his fourth NESCAC Championship ring, and the twilight is setting on a decorated career, NESCAC officials will bust down the door and point a finger at him and call him a cheater for doing exactly what every other team in the league was doing…
I’m sorry, I wasn’t planning that. (And there’s definitely no illegal filming going on anywhere in the NESCAC.)
Trinity 34 at Colby 0
With Joe Moreno ’19, sadly, out yet again with a torn ACL, Nick Gaynor ’17 has become the team’s top back. From a fantasy perspective though, this is a tricky situation, as Gaynor, Ethan Suraci ’18 or QB Sonny Puzzo ’18 could be the team’s leading rusher any given week. I particularly don’t think Gaynor will see many goal line touches. Gaynor is a converted wideout, and Suraci is a much bigger body. Max Chipouras ’19 – who had just two touches – got a goal line TD on Saturday instead of Gaynor. No matter who’s behind him, the return of Puzzo under center is going to be huge for Trinity. Henry Foye ’16 did a great job when healthy last year, but I think that Puzzo brings elite talent to the QB position.
Tufts 24 at Hamilton 21
The best game of the day came between two perennial doormats that look to be rising from the ashes. Tufts already took the first step a year ago by going 4-4, but with the Jumbos still 0-infinity in their last infinity chances on the road, the Continentals were feeling really good about their chances. And with newly-transferred QB Tobin at the helm, it appeared that Chapter 1 of the fairytale was under way.
Then Tobin left the game with an ankle injury, and everything fell into the hands of Rosenberg, the beleaguered vet. And boy, did he respond.
Rosenberg matched a career-high with his 301 passing yards, the program’s fifth-highest single-game mark. His 21.5 yards per completion and 13.1 yards per attempt were Hamilton records. He threw three TD passes, all in the span of 12 plays in the second half. His receivers, namely Donahoe and Ensley, made some spectacular plays, but let’s give all the credit in the world to Rosenberg for his stellar performance.
Alas, the Hamilton offense could not punch it in with the first possession of overtime. K Zach Altneu ’18 boomed his field goal attempt through the uprights, but Tufts Head Coach Jay Civetti was able to call a timeout just in time, forcing Altneu to kick again, and this time he pushed it wide left.
The Jumbos were conservative on their possession, moving the ball to the six-yard line before Snyder took a five-yard loss to position the football right in the middle of the field. K Willie Holmquist ’17 came up clutch for the Jumbos, who celebrated their first road victory since Oct. 3, 2009.
Aside from Rosenberg, CB Jimmy Giattino ’17 was a beast defensively for Hamilton and DL Tyler Hudson ’19 had an impressive debut. Last year’s tackle-leader John Phelan ’16 saw limited action, rotating with Mickey Keating ’17 at linebacker. We believe Head Coach Dave Murray is trying to protect Phelan who was banged up considerably during camp, but only time will tell if this timeshare continues. And lastly, Tobin’s ankle injury appears to be minor, which keeps the QB conversation in Clinton very intriguing. However, after a performance like that, how Rosenberg could not get the keys to the car for at least one more week is a mystery to me.
And in case you missed it, every road team won! Can you believe it? I don’t know how long it’s been since that happened in the NESCAC. Maybe between the 47 assignments I have this week and the job search I’ll try to procure that information.
