The Scouting Report Inside the Huddle with Amherst

Author: [no author name found]

In this battle of unbeatens, and with no such thing as a tie (see Telling Number), something will have to give. Amherst comes into the game after handily handling two Maine opponents, Bates and Bowdoin, 31-6 and 20-7, checking off victories against the two in alphabetical order.

The Lord Jeffs hold the series advantage 18-13, which dates back to 1908 when Amherst destroyed Middlebury 51-5. However, with a total of 44 first-years on both teams, this year is a new one.

Saturday's game falls during Fall Family Weekend and conseqently may draw one of the biggest crowds of the year, approximately as big as the biggest Lord Jeff, #69 offensive lineman Nick Mancusi, who is 6'5" and 345 pounds. Bring a cushion for the small of your back as you watch the smallest Lord Jeff #24 defensive back Fran Florio, who is 5'8", 162 pounds and enjoy the game.


Players to Watch

On the Offense:
#11 Nick Kehoe, QB (Leads the NESCAC with 235.0 yards passing per game).
#1 Mark Hannon, WR (Leads the team with 15 catches, 187 total yards receiving and two touchdowns this year).

On the Defense:
#55 Brendan McKee, DL (Tied for the team lead with 14 tackles. He has 2.5 sacks through two games).
#7 Chris Mottau, DB (Fourth on the team in tackles; has one INT).

On Special Teams:
#43 Matt Eberhart, PK (75 percent with a long of 30 yards).
#1 Mark Hannon, P (The WR punts too - his longest went 46 yards).

Word on the Street

The problem is with our mascot. As a sports editor, it has always bothered me when we refer to our Amherst athletic teams as "the Lord Jeffs." Not only does the nickname leave more to be desired as a means of identifying our school as a menacing athletic opponent, it also pays homage to a man whom I can only describe as abominable.

-Ryan Yueng, in The Amherst Student, Sept. 15, 2001

Telling Number: 0-0

The score of Amherst's final game of the 1995 season, which was played on Veteran's Day against archrival Williams. This scoreless draw marked the last time there was a tie in an NCAA football game. This unique feat is now likely to stand forever, since the rules have changed. In 1996, overtime was implemented, thereby eliminating ties. In the game, there were 19 punts, only 16 first downs and a combined 237 yards of passing offense. With the tie, the Williams Ephs finished the season undefeated (7-0-1), while the Amherst Lord Jeffs were 5-2-1.