If the disappointment that resonated through the press box after the Panthers 38-31 loss to Amherst was any indication of the feelings that head coach Bob Ritter and his team felt, Saturday was a tough day.
Throughout the game the Panthers showed flashes of incredible talent, never more so than during the first half when the defense shut out the highest scoring offense in the NESCAC and took a 9-0 lead into the break. And if anything, the Panthers’ lead should have been even bigger. Leading 3-0, the Panthers drove down to the Amherst two-yard line. Facing third and goal, the snap from center Ken LeStrange ’12 went over the head of Donnie McKillop ’11 and was recovered by Amherst defensive end Kevin Ferber. It was one of a number of big plays that Ferber would make over the course of the game. He finished with 14 total tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and tipped two passes, one of which led to a crucial Amherst interception. “He was really disruptive,” said coach Ritter. “He had an impressive day.”
While the Amherst defensive line was impressive, it was the Panthers defense that stole the show in the first half, holding the Lord Jeffs stand-out senior quarterback Alex Vetras to just 48 yards passing and the number-one ranked offense in the NESCAC to 109 total yards of offense in the first half.
The second half, and the third quarter in particular, were different stories for the Panther defense. Demonstrating a sense of urgency and a level of intensity that the Panthers did not match at the start of the third quarter, the Lord Jeffs forced two Middlebury punts and came away with a crucial interception. Two touchdowns and a field goal later, the Lord Jeffs had suddenly taken a 17-9 lead less than seven minutes into the third quarter, quieting the home crowd into stunned silence.
After such a dominant performance from the Panthers defense in the first half, the barrage of points from the Wesleyan offense and the struggles of the Panthers offense were surprising.
“It was a combination of a couple things,” said Ritter. “We really put the defense’s backs against the wall in the third quarter with the wind and the field position.”
Now trailing 17-9, McKillop, the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week, and the Panthers offense kicked into gear. Trailing a prolific Lord Jeffs offense, the Panthers needed a special performance from an offense that had been out of sync for much of the game. Special may not do justice to the performance the Panthers’ offense put on in front of their home crowd, however. Led by seniors McKillop and running back Andrew Plumley ’11, the offense roared back, scoring touchdowns on each of their next three drives and converting a crucial two-point conversion to draw level at 24 apiece, bringing the Middlebury crowd to its feet.
Two plays in particular, epitomized the play of the Panther offense in the second half. Trailing 31-24 with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Panthers offense faced a pivotal third and three from the Amherst 31-yard line. Ritter put the ball in the hands of his two-biggest playmakers on offense, calling an option run for McKillop and Plumley. McKillop cut the ball upfield and, while being tackled by multiple Amherst defenders, somehow managed to pitch the ball backwards to Plumley who dove forward for a five-yard gain and a Panthers’ first down. Three plays later, the 5’10’’ senior from Burlington, Vt., finished the drive with a breath-taking touchdown run from 11-yards out, barreling over three Amherst defenders on his way to the end zone.
But it wasn’t meant to be for the Panthers on Saturday. On the ensuing drive, the Lord Jeffs converted three fourth down tries, the biggest on fourth and goal from the Panthers two-yard line to recapture a 38-31 lead with 2:28 remaining in the game.
The Panthers had one last chance to level the game, but on fourth and inches from the Panthers 29 yard-line, Donald McKillop got tangled with his offensive lineman on an attempted quarterback sneak, forcing the ball loose and stopping the Panthers on downs.
“It was a game that had its ebbs and flows and was certainly exciting,” said Ritter. “Give Amherst credit for making less mistakes than we did down the wire. I think we played well enough to win, but a couple of mistakes really hurt us.”
Despite an immensely disappointing loss that drops the Panthers to 1-2, Bob Ritter’s team can take positives from this game.
“That’s the level we need to play at each and every game,” Ritter said. “We have to combine that level of play with even more discipline and error-free football to achieve the things we want to achieve.”
It was also a historic game for McKillop, who had yet another record-setting performance, passing James Williams of Western Connecticut for the most completions ever by a quarterback for a New England Division III school. McKillop finished the day with 47 completions on 62 attempts. Of the 47, McKillop completed 14 passes to his running back Andrew Plumley for 97 yards. Nick Resor ’12 also had a career day, leading all receivers with 148 yards receiving on 13 receptions.
The Panthers (1-2) travel to Williams next week to play the Ephs (3-0) who are coming off a 41-0 win at Bates.
Football falls in heartbreaker to Amherst
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