T.E.A.M. First: The Key to Amherst’s Homecoming Rally

On Saturday, Amherst football held its annual homecoming game, where the unbeaten Mammoths geared up for a clash against the undefeated Wesleyan Cardinals. The game had added heat, since the loser would not only walk away with the potential of “undefeated” scratched from the history books, but also see their NCAA playoff bid chances significantly diminished. The purest of football fans couldn’t have asked for more: crisp, mid-October day where students, parents, alumni, and professors lined the bleachers and surrounding area at Pratt Field, bringing the stadium to life. 

When the opening whistle blew, however, the Mammoths quickly found themselves on their heels. They faced a strong Wesleyan offense, and senior quarterback Matt Fitzsimons found early success moving the ball downfield after Amherst elected to receive the ball in the second half. After an errant long snap sailed over his head on Amherst’s final possession of the first quarter, punter Efe Ilgar ’29 chose not to attempt a high-risk scramble and walked out the back of the endzone for a safety. Though Ilgar’s decision was an entirely logical one — despite what the fine folks at Barstool Sports had to say about it — Fitzsimmons and the Wesleyan offense punished it nonetheless, leading a commanding drive after the safety to put the Cardinals up 9-0 with 10:37 left in the half. 

Yet, after this drive, the Mammoth defense stepped up. 

“The worst part about playing at Amherst as an offensive player is that you have to play the defense five days a week at practice. Those guys are amazing. Those guys are special,” wide receiver Christian Moore ’27 remarked after the game.

Indeed, after the score, the defense snuffed out any momentum Wesleyan seemed to gain in their opposing drives. Despite a first half in which Amherst’s offense failed to generate any real momentum, the defense kept the deficit manageable headed into the break. Defensive lineman Jackson Duncan ’27, named this week’s NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week, led the charge, recording two sacks in the first half. 

Coming out of the locker room at the half down 9-0, the offense needed a turnaround. Another stellar defensive effort ended Wesleyan’s first drive with a three-and-out, with Ty Kazanowsky ’27 picking up a sack for himself and Duncan nearly forcing a fumble. The offense showed signs of life but again came up short. It was, still, the defense keeping Amherst in the game. 

After a promising Wesleyan drive which brought the ball within Amherst’s 40-yard line, defensive tackle Avery Romain ’27 and linebacker Carson Skotak ’27 thwarted the opposing team’s scoring attempt, putting the ball back in the hands of Amherst quarterback Marek Hill ’28 for the remainder of the third quarter. After an incredible 71-yard rush from Michael Dunmore ’29 was called back on a holding call, the clock bled out on the third without Amherst having moved the needle, setting the stage for a fourth quarter that needed to see a comeback, and that was to begin with a second down for the Mammoths on their own fourteen-yard line. 

At the beginning of the fourth, however, Hill threw an interception at Wesleyan’s five-yard line. The energy among the fans deflated — the game seemed all but lost. It was clear that if Wesleyan scored off the turnover, the chances of a comeback would drop tenfold. 

With that, Wesleyan moved to Amherst’s three-yard line with a fresh set of downs, seemingly assured to score and put the game out of reach. The defensive line, though, refused to recognize what everybody else in the stadium had already accepted, and together they held their ground. Duncan, Kazanowksy, Davis Crandall ’29, Noah Onkst ’28, and Izaiah Gallagher ’29 denied Wesleyan at every turn, forcing a turnover on fourth down just one yard shy of the end zone. 

After the stop, the ball was placed back in the hands of Hill and an undeniable momentum swung back in their direction; the Amherst offense was finally ready to deliver. Yet, two plays later, they had moved nowhere. Third down and eight yards to go, Hill was still in his own end zone — and there he reminded us all what he was capable of. Flirting with another safety and out of options with his pocket collapsing, Hill sidestepped the Wesleyan pass rush and unleashed an off-script, picture-perfect 45-yard dime to freshman receiver Cam Fowler ’30, who corralled it, lost his matchup, and was home free for the 97-yard lightning strike. “I got to the end zone, and I was like, it just didn’t feel real,” Fowler told us after the game. 

As he streaked down the sideline, Pratt Field erupted, color returning to the faces of the Amherst faithful as Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’28 secured the extra point and put the Mammoths within two at 9-7. As Fowler also noted, though: “the game wasn’t over yet.” Indeed it was not, and Amherst was in dire need of a defensive stop on Wesleyan’s ensuing possession. As they had done all day, the defense vanquished any Cardinal prayers. Morgan Wyatt ’28 continually hurried Fitzsimmons on their last first-and-second-down attempts, and Charlie Taylor ’29 eventually broke through the Cardinal O-line off a Fitzsimmons drive and forced a fumble for lost yardage. The Cardinals were forced to give the ball up with 6:22 remaining, putting a red-hot Mammoth offense back on the field. 

With the game on the line, Hill and Dunmore sliced through the Wesleyan defense, driving them to Wesleyan’s 46 with 3:24 to go when Head Coach E.J. Mills called a timeout. Lehrman Stadium was no longer buzzing; it was shaking. President Michael Elliott bounded down the grandstands, shouting for fans to get on their feet. The Mammoths continued to whittle down the Cardinals; after a quiet day, Hill found Max Alexander ’29 for a seven-yard reception while Demitrius Smith ’27 attacked from the ground. As Hill told us after the game: “We know what we’re capable of, and it just takes one, one moment to see it come through.” Such a moment had brought them within two, and another would win them the game. 

It arrived just after the two-minute warning, when Hill connected with Moore down the seam for an acrobatic 21-yard touchdown on third down. “It [felt] amazing. It really [did] feel amazing. Football is the best sport. You’ll never feel a feeling as euphoric as that,” Moore noted about his game-winning catch. The sideline and stadium were ablaze as Hill connected with Jadon Davis ’29 to tack on a two-point conversion and stretch the Amherst lead to six with 22 seconds on the clock.

For the last time in the game, Amherst’s defense put its dominance on display. Wesleyan generated some offensive motion, but it was not for long. Morgan hunted Fitzsimmons down on second down, forced the ball loose, and Gallagher recovered the fumble to seal the game. Amherst had crawled back from down nine points in the last quarter of play to improve to 6-0. Students and alumni rushed the field after the final whistle, capping off a picturesque ending to the day. 

To launch such an incredible comeback takes guts, heart, and, above all else, trust. Moore adds: “Yeah, I mean, so much of football, especially when they're out there playing man coverage, is: do you believe that your guy is better than the man across from him? And Marek does that. He has 100% trust in us.” Despite the early offensive struggles, not one player lost faith or trust in the other guys around him. Hill added: “There was no doubt on the sideline. Coach [Malik] Grove calls it glossy eyes. There were no glossy eyes on that sideline. People were ready to get back out there and get back after it.” 

Mills also touched on this theme. “Saturday was a great T.E.A.M. victory. [Together Everyone Achieves More],” he noted. “There was absolutely no panic at halftime — we just told everyone to relax and stick to our process and just keep focusing on executing every single play. Every play has a life of its own — and we always talk about how everywhere there is a chance to impact the outcome of the game.” 

As athletes, the words “pressure is a privilege” are told to you from the time you are in youth sports. Mills, Moore, and Hill reflected this idea, appreciating how much of a joy it is to be in a situation where the game is down to the wire, and you can look in the eyes of your teammates to the right and left and have full confidence in their abilities. 

Saturday’s game could not have been a more storybook finish, but the team is wise enough to know not to bask in their spoils for too long. “This game is special because we get to celebrate on Saturday and then we get to work on Sunday,” Moore noted. Coach Mills echoed this sentiment, “Wesleyan is a tremendous program — so Saturday was a huge victory. That said, it is over – and we are now totally focused on getting ready to play a very talented Tufts,” and signing off with his signature: “Crank it!”

If this team had not yet earned your attention, dear Amherst community, hopefully it has now. Three games left in the season, nary a loss under their belts, the Mammoths are clearly above all else, fueled by heart. As we all know, with clear — not glossy — eyes and a full heart you cannot lose. The Mammoths haven’t.