2008 Woodie Awards
Three-point victory lifts football to 3-0
Benji Thurber
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Sports
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The Middlebury football team jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Saturday, Oct. 6 against Amherst and hung on to defeat the Lord Jeffs 19-16. The visiting Panthers, who improved to 3-0 on the season, did not score after the second quarter, but used another dominant performance by their defense to earn a tough victory on the road.
The Jeffs, who fell to 2-1, were able to keep the game close with a strong defensive effort of their own and staged a late comeback that came up just short.
On the Panthers' opening possession, quarterback Donald McKillop '11 mixed a pair of eight yard completions with rushes by running back David Randolph '08 to lead Middlebury down into Amherst territory. On third-and-six, Randolph capped the nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown run.
On the next Middlebury drive, McKillop, who completed 15 of 34 passes for 168 yards on the day, drove the Panthers 67 yards down the field for a 24-yard Jack Britton '08 field goal and a 10-0 lead with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter.
With their offense struggling early, the Jeffs used two key plays from their special teams and defense to put some points on the scoreboard. Keith Erzinger pinned the Panthers on their own two-yard line with a 48-yard punt, and Guy Matisis tackled Randolph in the end zone for a safety. After another excellent special teams return on the kickoff, Lucas Loeffler was able to find some rhythm and led the Jeffs on a 10-play scoring drive, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Bullock, which brought Amherst within one point, 10-9.
The Panthers responded with a scoring drive of their own, as Randolph, who finished the day with 18 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns, found the end zone on a 10-yard rush. The Panthers tacked on two more points from a safety, and stretched their lead back to 10, 19-9, going into halftime.
Both defenses came out strong in the second half, and neither team was able to score during a third quarter field position battle that featured seven punts. The Jeffs began their first drive of the second half at midfield, and quickly drove down to the Middlebury five-yard line. Their best scoring opportunity of the quarter ended, however, when Mike Quinn '09 forced a fumble and Nathan Shreve '08 recovered the ball for the Panthers.
The Jeffs, who fell to 2-1, were able to keep the game close with a strong defensive effort of their own and staged a late comeback that came up just short.
On the Panthers' opening possession, quarterback Donald McKillop '11 mixed a pair of eight yard completions with rushes by running back David Randolph '08 to lead Middlebury down into Amherst territory. On third-and-six, Randolph capped the nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown run.
On the next Middlebury drive, McKillop, who completed 15 of 34 passes for 168 yards on the day, drove the Panthers 67 yards down the field for a 24-yard Jack Britton '08 field goal and a 10-0 lead with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter.
With their offense struggling early, the Jeffs used two key plays from their special teams and defense to put some points on the scoreboard. Keith Erzinger pinned the Panthers on their own two-yard line with a 48-yard punt, and Guy Matisis tackled Randolph in the end zone for a safety. After another excellent special teams return on the kickoff, Lucas Loeffler was able to find some rhythm and led the Jeffs on a 10-play scoring drive, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Bullock, which brought Amherst within one point, 10-9.
The Panthers responded with a scoring drive of their own, as Randolph, who finished the day with 18 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns, found the end zone on a 10-yard rush. The Panthers tacked on two more points from a safety, and stretched their lead back to 10, 19-9, going into halftime.
Both defenses came out strong in the second half, and neither team was able to score during a third quarter field position battle that featured seven punts. The Jeffs began their first drive of the second half at midfield, and quickly drove down to the Middlebury five-yard line. Their best scoring opportunity of the quarter ended, however, when Mike Quinn '09 forced a fumble and Nathan Shreve '08 recovered the ball for the Panthers.
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