Football Outlasts Amherst for First Win

Author: Jack Donaldson

After last week's heartbreaking home loss to Colby, which put the Middlebury season into an early hole at 0-2, the Panthers rebounded strongly this weekend, traveling to Amherst and pulling out a 17-14 victory against the Lord Jeffs.

Amherst, who was undefeated going into Saturday's game, is a perennial contender for the NESCAC crown, which raised the stakes for the Panthers. "Certainly, going on the road to play Amherst and knowing what they were going to bring to the table helped us get mentally prepared for the challenge," said Tyler Bak '06, who noted that the players had to look "inside themselves" to get fully motivated.

Whatever their strategies were in priming for the gridiron battle, the Panthers stormed out on Sunday with a vigor that took the Lord Jeffs by surprise, stifling their running attack and playing excellent offensive ball.

"What was great to see today was that we were truly running on all cylinders," remarked sophomore standout Ryan Armstrong, who led all receivers with six catches on the day. "Every part of our game was strong," he added.

Indeed, few things went wrong for the Panthers. Quarterback Mike Keenan '05 put in a memorable performance, reading zones and blitzes with an almost intrinsic understanding of Amherst's defense. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 197 yards, including one touchdown and, more notably, zero interceptions. The touchdown, a short completion to Mike Murray '05, was very timely, completed with 1:12 left in the game to give Middlebury the edge for the afternoon.

Murray, who won NESCAC offensive player of the week for his performance, also blocked a crucial punt and scrambled 39 yards into the end zone for Middlebury's first score. The blocked punt, which Coleman Hutzler '06 described as "simply breathtaking," was important not only as a score but also as a momentum shift that the Panthers never relinquished.

Despite the Panthers' offensive highlights, it was their defense that provided the foundation for their success this weekend. Amherst's highly vaunted running game lived up to its reputation in its first two games of the season, and the Lord Jeffs surely were confident that they would be able to eat up yards and the clock again on Saturday against the Panthers. Middlebury proved them wrong. The Panthers' linebacker core and defensive backs shut down any attempts Amherst made, giving quite a few players career days. Rookie Scott Secor '07 amassed an awesome 17 tackles and caught an interception.

"It was great to see a young guy like [Secor] step up and make some big plays," said Andrew Pavoni '06 after the game. "It was an inspiration to us older guys."

Tim Collard '04 also had a strong day, as did Craig Pittman '04, who piled up 11 tackles and an interception that came with just over a minute remaining in the game and all but clinched Middlebury's first victory of the season.

Taking a renewed sense of confidence with them, the Panthers are eagerly anticipating their Parent's Weekend battle with Williams, who is looking shaky after being stunned by Bates at home last weekend. "We're not going to take any chances with [Williams]," said a determined Armstrong, "We know that come Saturday, it's go time."