AMHERST, Mass. -- Two teams hungry for a win square off this Saturday when the Bates football team visits the Mammoths of Amherst College. Kick is set for 1pm.
The host Mammoths have struggled on offense this season, averaging 6.3 points per game, last in the NESCAC. Bates is also trying to get the offense going, averaging 11.3 points per game through three contests. However, the Bobcats are coming off a performance against Colby where they scored as many points in one game (17) as they had the previous two combined.
On defense, Bates senior captain Tony Hooks (New Rochelle, N.Y.) is second in the NESCAC in tackles this year with 31. His 4.5 tackles for loss on the season is tied for fourth in the conference.
THE PARTICULARS:
What: Bates (0-3) @ Amherst (0-3)
When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 1:00 p.m.
Where: Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium (Amherst, Mass.)
Live Coverage: Video | Stats
All-Time Series: Amherst leads 28-4-2
Previous Meeting: Amherst 28, Bates 20 (Sept. 18, 2021 in Lewiston, Maine)
AMHERST LAST WEEK:
Trinity College remained unbeaten this season with a 20-3 win over the Amherst College football team in NESCAC action at Pratt Field.
The Amherst defense held the Bantams scoreless for the first two possessions, stopping a Tyler DiNapoli rush on a 4th-and-1 attempt.
The Bantams capitalized on a pair of first-quarter interceptions to take a 14-0 lead. Trinity senior defensive back Hunter Tully put the Bantams on the board with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown. On Amherst's next possession, Trinity senior defensive back Justin O'Neil-Riley picked off a pass and returned it 34 yards to the Amherst 27-yard line, then senior quarterback Spencer Fetter found senior wide receiver DeVante Reid for the touchdown on the next play.
The Mammoths came up with a pair of interceptions in the second quarter. First-year defensive back Luke Harmon picked off a pass in the end zone for his first career interception but the Mammoths were unable to score on the ensuing possession. Sophomore linebacker Ben Taylor recorded his first career interception on the final play of the first half.
The only points on the board in the second half came from field goals. Trinity sophomore Matthew Jumes kicked a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter. Amherst senior Conor Kennelly booted a season-long 35-yard field goal to cap the first drive of the fourth quarter before Jumes added a 34-yarder to account for the 20-3 final score.
BATES LAST WEEK:
The Bates football team jumped out to a 10-point lead, but five turnovers and 31 unanswered points from the Colby College Mules were the difference in a 38-17 loss for the Bobcats Saturday night in NESCAC action.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, the Bobcat offense got to work behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.), who found senior wide receiver Christian Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) for a 48-yard strike to the Colby 11-yard line. On third and nine from the 10, Bosselait hit Olivieri again for an eight-yard gain. Then senior running back Reza Badiee (La Jolla, Calif.) rushed one yard for a first down, and punched it in on the next play for his first career touchdown. Junior Archie Green Jr. (Upland, Calif.) made the PAT and the game stood tied at seven with 2:10 left in the opening quarter.
The Bates defense forced a three-and-out and the Bobcat offense went back to work, with senior Mohamed Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) catching a pass for 16 yards and rushing for 24 yards to the Colby 18. The drive stalled there and Green Jr. drilled a 35-yard field goal, putting Bates up 10-7 with 11:38 left in the second quarter.
The Bobcats continued to impress on defense in the first half when junior Jarrin Sato (Honolulu, Hawaii) picked off Colby quarterback Matt Hersch's pass with a diving grab at the Bates 28. Then on third and two at the Bates 36, Bosselait found Diawara on the far sideline. He shook multiple defenders and sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown. Green Jr. made the extra point and the Bobcats led 17-7 with eight minutes remaining until halftime.
Bates continued to shut down the Mules, forcing another three-and-out. But a Bates fumble gave the ball back to the Mules and permanently changed the momentum of the game. Nine plays and 35 yards later, Hersch punched it in with eight seconds left and Colby trailed the Bobcats 17-14 at the half after the extra point.
The Bobcats got the ball to start the third quarter but Bosselait's pass was intercepted by Nick Donatio, who returned it to the Bates 18. The Bobcat defense held and Lowell Carr made a 31-yard field goal to tie the game at 17 with 12:11 left in the third quarter.
Bates and Colby traded punts the next few possessions before Hersch found Jack Sawyer on a go route down the far sideline for a 50-yard touchdown, putting the Mules (2-1) ahead for good with 3:14 left in the third quarter.
With the Bobcats now down seven, the teams traded interceptions on the next two drives, with Marc Dougherty picking off Bosselait and senior Mohamed Coulibaly (Philadelphia, Pa.) intercepting a Hersch pass.
Early in the fourth quarter, Colby's Javon Williams picked off a pass, which eventually led to a Colby touchdown. Hersch found Sawyer for 38 yards to the Bates 12 and on the very next play he ran it in for the 31-17 lead with 8:27 left in the game.
The Mules capped off the scoring late in the contest when Keon Smart ran the ball in from 30 yards out, making the final score a bit deceiving considering how close the game was until midway through the fourth quarter.
BATES AND AMHERST'S LAST MEETING:
For the third straight season, the Bates football team gave the Amherst College Mammoths all they could handle in a 28-20 loss at Garcelon Field in the 2021 season opener for both teams.
The Bobcats found themselves down 14-0 after the first quarter. Bates answered with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, taking a 17-14 halftime lead. A Chad Peterson QB sneak with 9:39 left in the third quarter put Amherst ahead for good. But the game remained close throughout.
With Bates down 14-0 and Amherst driving late in the first quarter, senior safety Anthony Costa (West Springfield, Mass.) picked off a Brad Breckenridge pass in the end zone, getting Bates the ball back at the 20-yard line.
On second and eight from the 22, senior quarterback Brendan Costa (Westport, Mass.) found wide receiver Mohamed Diawara (Philadelphia, Pa.) for a 10-yard gain. Costa followed that up with a 14-yard completion to senior Derek Marino (Marblehead, Mass.) and an Amherst personal foul on the play put the ball in plus territory at the 39. Costa rushed for three yards and connected with Diawara for a six-yard gain to the Amherst 30, ending the first quarter with Bates down by two scores.
Christian Olivieri (Hull, Mass.) ran the ball for three yards to start the second quarter, picking up the first down to the Amherst 27. Then on third and seven, Costa found Marino again for another first down, to the Amherst 11. The drive stalled but senior Simon Redfern (Providence, R.I.) got Bates on the board with a 26-yard field goal.
Down 14-3, Bates forced a punt on the next Amherst drive. Costa tried to go deep on the first play from scrimmage and Jackson Hayes (San Marino, Calif.) made a great leaping effort, coming down with the ball almost simultaneously with Amherst's Ryan Monteleone at the Mammoths 14-yard line. The officials ruled Monteleone had the interception and the Bates defense went back to work.
On third and one from the 23, Amherst running back Kellen Field was hit in the backfield by Daniel Lynch (Berlin, Conn.), who forced the fumble. Senior Tim Simplicio (West Hartford, Conn.) jumped on the loose ball for the recovery, putting the Bobcat offense in business with 8:18 left in the second quarter.
Costa immediately found Marino for an 11-yard gain and a seven-yard completion to Diawara set Bates up with second and three from the Amherst seven. Costa rushed four yards down to the three and on second and goal found receiver Sean Bryant (Falmouth, Maine) for the touchdown, cutting the Amherst lead to 14-10 after Redfern's extra point split the uprights.
The Bobcat defense forced a three-and-out and Bates got the ball back on its own 40 with 3:37 left in the second quarter, down by four.
Olivieri converted a first down on a 4th and 1 rush up the middle for two yards to the Amherst 49. Then the Bobcats hit a huge play, with Costa finding Diawara behind the defense for a 49-yard touchdown. The ball traveled about 60 yards in the air, landing in Diawara's hands in-stride in the end zone for the go-ahead score.
Redfern's extra point put Bates up 17-14 with 2:11 left until halftime.
On Amherst's ensuing drive, the Mammoths worked the ball into Bates territory until linebacker Spencer Adams (Bedford, N.H.) picked off a Peterson pass at the Bates 30, ending the threat.
The Mammoths got the ball trailing by three to start the third quarter and marched down the field. They converted a pair of big third downs early in the drive and Field ran the ball 24 yards down to the Bates 10, setting up a first and goal. The Bobcats kept the Mammoths out of the end zone the next three plays but a Peterson sneak on fourth and goal put Amherst back in front.
The 13-play, 75-yard drive also took 5:21 off the clock.
Down 21-17 after the extra point, Bates refused to back down. Olivieri opened the next Bobcat drive with an 18-yard rush to the Bates 43. The Bobcats moved the ball into Amherst territory and Costa connected with Diawara for a 21-yard gain to the Amherst 20.
The Mammoths tightened on defense and Redfern drilled a 34-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 21-20 with 5:35 left in the third quarter.
Amherst missed a field goal on its next possession and Bates got the ball back at its own 21-yard line. But a three-and-out set up the Mammoths with great field position at their own 48.
The fourth quarter began with the Mammoths leading the Bobcats by one point and facing a third and two at the Bobcat 34.
The Bobcats stuffed Jack Roberge for no gain but Field picked up the first down with a two-yard run on fourth down. On the next play from scrimmage, Peterson found Joe Masterson on the near sideline. He somehow stayed in-bounds, shaking a couple Bates tacklers before racing 32 yards for the touchdown, opening up a 28-20 lead for the Mammoths after the extra point.
Bates appeared to have the answer, holding the ball for the next 7:59 and converting multiple third and fourth downs on the drive, including a 15-yard strike to Marino on fourth and nine from the Amherst 36 and an eight-yard completion to Bryant on fourth and six from the Amherst 17.
But the Bates offense could not finish the drive, with two passes falling incomplete and Costa rushing for a loss on third and goal. On fourth and goal from the 15, Costa tried to find Diawara again, but this time he was unable to split a pair of defenders and the ball fell incomplete for the turnover on downs.
The Mammoths missed another field goal on their next drive, giving Bates one last chance with 1:12 remaining in regulation.
Costa immediately found Bryant for a 15-yard gain to the Bates 37. Bates was able to advance the ball to midfield with 50 seconds left in the contest, down eight.
Then Matt Albino made a big play for Amherst, sacking Costa back to the 46. A pair of passes fell incomplete and Costa's fourth down pass to Bryant came up two yards short of the sticks, giving the ball back to Amherst and sealing the win for the Mammoths.
BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:
OFFENSE
LT 73 Peter Simplicio Jr. 6-5 280
LG 76 Quinn Woods Sr. 6-2 275
C 71 Nick Florio Sr. 6-0 265
RG 77 Cameron Winslow Sr. 6-4 306
RT 63 Cole De Magistris Jr. 6-4 270
TE 89 Steven Guerrette Jr. 6-3 225
WR 7 Mohamed Diawara Sr. 6-1 180
WR 81 Sean Bryant Sr. 6-3 200
WR 1 Jackson Hayes Sr. 5-9 165
QB 8 Colton Bosselait So. 6-0 200
RB 4 Reza Badiee Sr. 5-11 201
DEFENSE
DL 94 Matthew Juneau So. 6-1 220
DL 98 Kyle Hamilton Jr. 6-3 230
DL 93 Drew Kremhelmer So. 6-0 275
DL 52 Jack Ryan Sr. 6-2 255
LB 17 Thomas Formus Sr. 6-0 205
LB 5 Tony Hooks Sr. 6-1 225
LB 23 George Hawkins III Jr. 6-1 205
CB 21 Owen Straley Sr. 5-9 165
CB 2 Mohamed Coulibaly Sr. 6-0 180
S 24 Jarrin Sato Jr. 5-8 170
S 14 Jose Calleja Sr. 5-10 175
SPECIALIST
P/K 35 Archie Green Jr. Jr. 5-11 190
AMHERST'S PROBABLE STARTERS:
| # |
First Name |
Last Name |
Pos. |
Ht |
Wt |
FB-Yr |
| DEFENSE: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Solomon |
Christopher |
C |
5'9 |
175 |
Soph |
| 3 |
Raymond |
Dixon |
C |
5'11 |
172 |
Jr. |
| 27 |
Matt |
Monteleone |
S |
6'0 |
182 |
Soph |
| 8 |
Charles |
McKissick |
S |
6'1 |
187 |
Sr. |
| 4 |
Ryan |
Monteleone |
LB |
6'0 |
195 |
Jr. |
| 35 |
Ben |
Taylor |
LB |
6'3 |
230 |
Soph |
| 13 |
Andy |
Skirzenski |
LB |
6'2 |
225 |
Jr. |
| 41 |
Tim |
Swope |
LB |
6'0 |
215 |
Sr. |
| 9 |
Anthony |
Leneghan |
DL |
6'2 |
260 |
Soph |
| 99 |
Phil |
Slaughter |
DL |
6'2 |
255 |
Soph |
| 93 |
Flynn |
McGilvray |
DL |
6'1 |
270 |
Sr. |
| 92 |
Michael |
Mitchell |
P |
5'11 |
160 |
Soph |
| 90 |
Conor |
Kennelly |
PK |
6'3 |
205 |
Sr. |
| OFFENSE: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 74 |
Jack |
Nagy |
OT |
6'4 |
275 |
Soph |
| 77 |
Frankie |
Kelley |
OG |
6'4 |
285 |
Jr. |
| 66 |
Carson |
Webb |
C |
6'2 |
265 |
Jr. |
| 61 |
Jake |
Yoffee |
OG |
6'1 |
260 |
Jr. |
| 72 |
Nick |
Diprinzio |
OT |
6'2 |
260 |
Sr. |
| 42 |
Kevin |
Girardi |
TE |
6'1 |
225 |
Sr. |
| 11 |
Mike |
Piazza |
QB |
6'0 |
192 |
Jr. |
| 34 |
Louie |
Eckelkamp |
TB |
5'10 |
216 |
Jr. |
| 80 |
Owen |
Gaydos |
WR |
5'11 |
175 |
Soph |
| 1 |
Cam |
Jones |
WR |
6'1 |
180 |
Jr. |
| 0 |
Carson |
Ochsenhirt |
WR |
5'10 |
175 |
Jr. |
