Game Notes: Amherst (5-2) at Williams (6-1)
Saturday, November 13, 1999 at Weston Field, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Football Fast Facts
Amherst overall record: 529-390-54 (59.2%)
Record v. Williams: 45-63-5 (42.0%)
Streak: Williams has an unbeaten streak dating back to 1986, with 11 wins and one tie (1995)
Longest Amherst win streak: 6 from 1981-1986
Last Williams victory: 1998, 35-16 at Pratt Field
Last Amherst victory: 1986, 10-7 at Pratt Field
Biggest Williams win: 1885, 57-0
Biggest Amherst win: 1892, 60-0
Shut Out wins: Williams, 21
   Amherst, 11
Little III Titles: Williams, 41
   Amherst, 25
   Wesleyan, 12
   Three-way ties, 6
   Amherst-Williams, 1
Undefeated Amherst seasons: 5
  (1877, 1879, 1942, 1964, 1984)
Perfect Amherst seasons spoiled by Williams: 5
  (1957, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1996)

  • This is the 114th meeting of the oldest Division III rivalry and the fourth oldest in the nation. The "Biggest Little Game in America" kicked off in 1884 with a 15-2 Williams victory, from which the Ephs have taken a 63-45-5 lead in the series. In 540 games (314-194-32, 61.1%) over 122 years against NESCAC opponents, Williams is the only one Amherst does not field a winning record against.

  • Both schools are members of the Little III, a mini-conference started in 1910 that features the two Massachusetts schools and Connecticut rival Wesleyan University. The winner of the round robin trivalry takes home the coveted Little III title in each respective sport. Of the 85 titles bestowed since Amherst's inaugural capture in 1910, Williams leads with 41 football crowns, Amherst follows with 25 and Wesleyan claims 12. There have been six three-way ties (1919, 1920, 1936, 1976, 1978 and 1997) and one two-way tie between Amherst and Williams (1995).

  • For the third straight season, the Jeffs come into their season finale off of a romp of NESCAC-rival Trinity College, with the Amherst defense pitching its first shutout of the season last Saturday in Amherst. Led by 91 yards on the ground from sophomore tailback Okey Ugwonali--who comes into today's game third in the NESCAC with 518 yards rushing--the Jeffs jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Junior wide receiver Matt Hall returned from an early-season injury to pull in a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Peter Honig, and the Jeff defense only allowed the Bantams over midfield twice, holding the NESCAC's third-best offense to only 117 yards of total offense, their lowest output in five years.

    • As was the case two years ago, while Amherst enters the game coming off a big win, the Ephs come in off an upset loss at Wesleyan University, where the Ephs saw their 15-game winning streak snapped last Saturday. The streak, which started with Williams' 48-46 win over Amherst in Williamstown in 1997, was one of the longest in D-III, and this will be the first time since 1995 that neither team enters the game with a perfect record.

  • Though neither team is playing for a perfect season, the Jeffs could earn their first outright Little III title since 1986 with a win today, as well as the first-ever NESCAC title, which they would earn via the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Ephs. The Jeffs clinched at least a share of the Little III title with last week's win, thanks to their 28-14 Homecoming victory over Wesleyan. Williams can only clinch a share of the Little III title with a win, but would also clinch the NESCAC title outright.

  • The Jeffs come into today's game on a four-game winning streak that includes three straight wins in which the defense held their opponent (Wesleyan, Tufts, Trinity) to their lowest offensive output of the season. They'll need to do it again on Saturday, as the Ephs come in with the NESCAC's top-rated offense, averaging 30.6 points per game and just under 411 yards of total offense per game. By contrast, the Jeffs have only one game this year with more than 400 yards (Wesleyan), and enter today's game with the third-worst scoring offense in the NESCAC (17.0 points per game), as they've relied on the NESCAC's second-best scoring defense (11.1 points per game) all season.

  • The Jeff defense, led by sophomores Dan Lalli and Brian Landolfi, who have 87 tackles between them, has not allowed more than 19 points in a game all season, and has kept each Jeff opponent under 300 yards of offense, surrendering only 211 yards per game on average. Senior linebacker Mike Perrone has 14 tackles for loss through the Jeffs' first seven games, while junior defensive back Steve Yung has picked off three passes for the season, leading a secondary that has intercepted passes in each contest this season.

  • Links: Amherst Team Statistics / Amherst Football Homepage / NESCAC Report - Week 7 / Williams Football Game Notes

    • Saturday, November 14, 1998 at Pratt Field, Amherst, Massachusetts

    Williams (8-0)

    7

    14

    7

    7

    35
    Amherst (5-3)

    7

    0

    0

    9

    16

    TEAM TIME/QTR PLAY SCORE
    Williams 9:10/1 Fred Storz 1 yd. run Williams 7-0
    Amherst 4:42/1 Matt Hall 7 yd. pass from Peter Honig 7-7
    Williams 12:18/2 Dave Nemeskal 1 yd. pass from Sean Keenan Williams 14-7
    Williams 9:15/2 Collin Vataha 29 yd. pass from Keenan Williams 21-7
    Williams 3:25/3 Mike McAdam 3 yd. run Williams 28-7
    Amherst 7:48/4 Darin Byrne 5 yd. pass from Mike Sweeney Williams 28-14
    Williams 1:53/4 Nemeskal 7 yd pass from Keenan Williams 35-14
    Amherst 0:28/4 SAFETY Williams 35-16

    Individual Stats

    Rushing:(A) Bob DiSabato 9-65, Darin Byrne 4--2, Peter Honig 19-5, Mike Sweeney 3-13, Harold Henderson 1-0; (W) Fred Storz 30-122, Mike McAdam 9-36, Sean Keenan 6-16

    Passing: (A) Peter Honig 11-28-1 138 yards 2 TD, Mike Sweeney 7-20-3 106 yards; (W) Sean Keenan 22-12-0 166 yards 3TD

    Receiving: (A) Matt Hall 7-105, Derrell Wright 5-69, Steve Contreras 2-35, Darin Byrne 2-11, Bob DiSabato 2-19; (W) Matt Sigrist 6-77, Mike Paolercio 3-37, Matt Cleary 1-3, Collin Vataha 1 25, Dave Nemeskal 2-8

     

    GAME STATISTICS

    Team Stats

    Category AMHERST WILLIAMS
    1st Downs 23 10
    Rushes-Yards 36-81 45-134
    Passing Yards 244 166
    Return Yards 108 22
    Pass-Com-Int 48-18-4 22-12-0
    Punts-Avg 5-33.8 6-34.0
    Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
    Penalties-Yards 5-20 15-63
    Possession 29:46 30:14