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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- For the first time since
1995 (a scoreless tie played in terrible conditions), and 1991
before that, the Williams College Ephs (6-2) shut out the Amherst
Lord Jeffs (4-4) at Weston Field, 20-0. Amherst has not won a
game played at Williams since 1985. The win gave Williams
their 45th Little Three title.
There was no shortage of pre-game energy on Saturday, generated
in large part by ESPN's College GameDay coverage
(see recent football articles for more information on the
ESPN coverage), as thousands of fans camped out
hours before the game to get an early start on the homecoming
festivities. The appearance by GameDay was
the show's first Division III location and the 150th episode in
which they constructed an outdoor set. Amidst the frenzy, one
could've easily missed the match up brewing between the Weston
Field end lines--the NESCAC's number one defense in the Amherst
Lord Jeffs, and the number one offense in Williams.
Judging by the first half alone, though, one might've thought
Williams led in both categories, as the Ephs dominated on both
sides of the football. Williams amassed 216 yards of total
offense to Amherst's 50, and avoided turning the ball over while
Amherst quarterback Lucas Loeffler was picked off twice. In
fact, if not for the Jeffs keeping the Ephs from converting on all
but one of their three red-zone scoring chances, the score could've
gotten out of hand very early.
Despite not allowing the Jeffs a first down in the first
quarter, Williams was unable to put any points on the board early.
But after forcing an Amherst punt from their own end zone,
Williams found themselves in great field position to start the
second quarter. Senior Eph Quarterback Pat Lucey, playing in
his final game, put the favorable starting position to good
use. On first down at the Amherst 32-yard line, sophomore
receiver Nick Caro beat both defenders hounding him to the end zone
to make a diving catch on a just-good-enough pass from Lucey,
resulting in the Ephs first score and a 7-0 lead.
Regarding the play, Eph coach Mike Whalen said, "It's a set out
of which we can run the ball or throw the ball, so it's very
difficult because you have to pick your poison."
Amherst would register a first down on the ensuing possession
for the first time all game, finally moving the ball into Williams
territory. The success was short-lived however, as a great
pass rush by the Ephs resulted in an ill-advised pass by
Loeffler. The severely under thrown ball, no doubt influenced
by an impending sack, fell right into the hands of Williams senior
cornerback John Snipes.
Although Williams would be forced to punt on their next
possession, the Ephs continued to win the field position battle by
playing outstanding defense. Towards the end of the second
half they finally took advantage, starting with yet another long
completion from Lucey to Caro, this time for 22 yards over the
middle. Later in the drive Lucey, running on all cylinders,
dove to pick up the first down on fourth and two; a key play to
keep the drive alive and allow Scott Sobolewski to kick a 28 yard
field goal, giving the Ephs a 10-0 lead to take into the second
half.
Unfortunately for the Jeffs, the halftime break couldn't disrupt
the Williams defensive onslaught, as senior cornerback John Snipes
recorded his second interception of the game on Amherst's second
drive of the half. Jeffs quarterback Loeffler tried to go
deep, however Snipes was all over his man - a recurring theme for
the Ephs secondary.
After a Williams punt followed by another defensive stop of the
Lord Jeffs, the Ephs embarked on a 10-play, 78 yard drive that
would be the beginning of the end for the Lord Jeffs. Lucey
got things started with back-to-back passes of 20 yards or more,
the first to freshman tight end John Carroll over the middle for 23
yards, and the second to senior tailback Kevin Flynn for 21
yards. Flynn stayed involved moments later in the drive, this
time receiving a swing pass from Lucey which, thanks to an
outstanding cutback by Flynn, brought the Ephs inside the Amherst
10-yard line. After a Lucey run drew the Ephs within 6 yards
of the goal, junior Brian Morrissey was able to punch it in for the
touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
"We knew we weren't just going to run it right down their
throats, but we thought we could pound the ball at them a little
bit and maybe wear them down," said Eph head coach Mike Whalen.
Given the Ephs' iron curtain of a defense on Saturday, the 17
point lead may as well have been 40, as Williams held the Jeffs to
just 146 yards of total offense while forcing four turnovers.
"I can't really say enough about the defense. They
suffered through some adversity earlier in the year, gave up some
points early on, but today they really stepped up and just gave us
great field position all day to go along with a couple turnovers,"
said Whalen.
Fittingly it was a defensive play that essentially sealed the
game for Williams, as a swarm of Williams defenders caused Jeffs
wide receiver Brandon Bullock to cough up a screen pass to end the
third quarter. Williams DB Tim Batty recovered the fumble,
giving the Ephs great field position that would ultimately lead to
Scott Sobolewski's second field goal of the game, this time from 27
yards out for a 20-0 Williams lead.
In the fourth quarter the Ephs played keep-away, and the Jeffs
obliged by failing to even threaten the end zone. One
Williams possession had meaning, however, if only because it
contained a single play symbolic of senior Pat Lucey's career:
after evading an Amherst pass rush, Lucey stepped up in the pocket
and, with a hand on his jersey, delivered a 10 yard strike to
Morrissey for a first down. The pass zipped in between two
defenders and into Morrissey's hands as Lucey was dragged to the
ground. No matter the conditions (as he showed during
back-to-back 200-plus yard passing games in steady rains this
year), opponents, or amount of pressure, Pat Lucey simply kept
completing passes during his career at Williams.
By going 19 of 32 for 235 yards on the day, Lucey broke Williams
single season records in both completions and attempts, and
finished just shy of Joe Reardon's '04 career touchdown mark of 38
(Lucey threw one TD on the day to finish with 37).
When asked what it felt like to play his final collegiate
football game, Lucey matter-of-factly said, "I don't think it's
really hit me yet." He was, however, quick to praise his
coaching staff, in particular coach Whalen and offensive
coordinator Bill Barale:
"Coach Barrale is the best coach I've ever had, he's really
taught me a lot...I definitely wouldn't be the same quarterback if
not for him."
After the win and Gatorade shower, Coach Whalen reflected on
this year's team, the seniors, and the program's future:
"You can't really put into words how happy I am for these kids -
when you think back to that Bates game in week three and we're down
20-0, I think a lot of people were probably second-guessing where
this program was going; and that's the thing about these kids,
they're so resilient, they just never gave up."
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GameDay's Crhis Fowler
(blue shirt)
watched The Walk from the porch
of The Log
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Coach Whalen probably echoed the feelings of many of the roughly
12,000 fans that come out to watch the "Biggest Little Game in
America" every year when he spoke of ESPN's involvement this week,
as their College GameDay program was broadcast live from
Williams--the first time in 150 episodes that the show has been to
a Division III venue:
"There were certainly a lot of distractions. It's a once in a
lifetime opportunity, and you walk that fine line where you want
the kids to enjoy it because it's never going to happen again here
at Williams College, but you're also nervous, wondering in the back
of your mind, 'is it going to take away from our
focus?'. But the guys at ESPN were great and treated our kids
real well, and I hope the country got a look at what Division III
football is all about, because both teams played really hard today
- the emotion on the field is second to none."
As happened two years ago, when Williams defeated Amherst at
home, Coach Whalen thinks this victory will be a great motivator
for the team:
"I think this game will have a lot to do with how we do next
season. Our kids seem pretty fired up to work hard in the
off-season."
In true team-first fashion, Lucey provided a quote that summed
up the entire day:
"Whalen always talks about how lucky he is to be able to look
down the line and see me going in at quarterback, and every time I
tell him I'm way luckier just to be here."
Alumni, faculty, and students alike felt exactly the same way on
Saturday.
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Aerial view of Weston Field
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