Football Shut Down by Amherst

The rivalry between Middlebury and Amherst is historically intense. Not only have both teams ended with impressive records the past few years, but they have also been competitively vying for the top spot in the conference with other top NESCAC teams.

 Two years ago, during the 2016 season, Middlebury snapped the Mammoths’ 21-game winning streak. Last year, the Panthers came away with a thrilling last-minute victory on the road at Amherst. This year, however, the Mammoths stormed the field in celebration, coming out on top 21–0 against Middlebury. The Panthers fell to a 2–2 record, while Amherst remains undefeated (4–0) on the season.

 The Middlebury offense could not get enough momentum to push the ball downfield, resulting in an inability to score against the Mammoth defense. Though the two teams differed by only six team passing yards, Amherst topped the Panthers by almost 100 rushing yards. The time of possession being almost equal (Amherst’s 29:39 to Middlebury’s 30:21), Middlebury’s rushing game proved the weakness of the Panther offense.

 Amherst scored one touchdown during each of the first three quarters. Though there were few total scores, the game intensity was still high.

 Sophomore quarterback Will Jernigan took the place of starting quarterback Jack Meservy ’19, who left the game after the first few plays due to injury. Jernigan threw a season high of 133 yards, the most offensive yards on the day for the Panthers.

 Peter Scibila ’21 ran for a total of 34 yards on 11 carries and had three receptions for 53 yards on the day, totaling most of the Panther offense alongside Jernigan.

The Middlebury squad will head to Williamstown, Massachusetts, this weekend, where they will take on Williams in another fierce battle between NESCAC competitors. Last year, Williams beat the Panthers on a last-second touchdown, one of two losses for the 2017 Middlebury team. This year, the Panthers will be back with vengeance, hoping to improve upon their performances thus far and regain a winning record.