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In front of 6500 students, family and alumni, and broadcast throughout New England on the New England Sports Network, Wesleyan lost to Amherst College 9-7. 

The Cardinals fell to 3-2 on the season, while the Lord Jeffs improved to 4-1 and remain in a first place tie in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with Colby College , Trinity College and Middlebury College. The loss marks the sixth straight Cardinal defeat at the hands of the Lord Jeffs.

If losing by such a small margin in a cable-broadcasted Little Three game is not bad enough, the Cardinals also lost receiver George Thompson ’02 for the rest of the season. On a desperation pass on the final play of the game, the Cards receiver and punt-returner, who leads the team in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and points scored was hit away from the play, fell hard to the ground and broke his chin.

"George is our best receiver," said quarterback Brennan Carney ’04. "This really hurts. We’re going to need some other guys to step up." 

Wesleyan controlled the game on both sides of the ball. The Cards’ offense gained 271 net yards and 16 first downs, while Amherst only produced 184 yards and moved the chains nine times. Carney threw for 206 yards, while Amherst’s QB threw for 60 yards. Wesleyan had 16 more offensive plays, controlled the ball three more minutes and converted on four more third downs, yet Amherst left Middletown with the victory.

"Games are not won or lost on offense or defense or special teams. They are lost overall," said Head Coach Frank Hauser. "Football games are won by making plays. They made more plays [than us]."

Wesleyan controlled the ball for most of the first half. On the Cardinal’s first two drives, Carney and the offense marched within 15 yards of the endzone but failed to score. After two missed field goals, the Cards went into the half with nothing to show for their consistent ball movement and defensive dominance.

"The whole game we moved the ball really well," Carney said. "But I missed some passes and made bad reads, and we killed ourselves with penalties. The line was blocking well, we were running well, I just didn’t make the passes I had to."

In the first quarter, the Cards marched downfield and set up a first and goal from the Amherst seven yard line. In a crucial sequence of plays, running back Ronnie Jacobs ’03 was stuffed for a short gain and Carney threw two incompletions, forcing a fourth down.

"We had a good drive going and I made a couple lousy passes," Carney said. "My job is to capitalize. I should own the red-zone, but I didn’t get it done."

On fourth down, Wesleyan suffered its first of several special teams lapses in the game. After a botched exchange between the long-snapper and holder, kicker Vin Balsamo ’04 hit a line-drive that fell short of the uprights.

"Overall, our special teams are pretty good," said Eben Ellertson ’02, a starter on several special teams units. "We had a couple breakdowns which really hurt us." 

The Cardinals committed an even more crucial mistake on special teams with five minutes remaining in the half. Wesleyan’s punt team had good coverage on Mark Olschefskie’s ’01 punt but could not tackle Amherst return-man Derrel Wright. Fielding the ball at his own 32, Wright cut left eluding the first Cardinal, ran behind a block and made it to the sideline, where he used his speed to outrun the remaining Wesleyan defenders. After 

Wright’s score and a successful extra-point, the Cards trailed Amherst 7-0. 

"We knew Wright was a good athlete," said Quad-Captain strong-safety Louis Bronk-Zdunowski ’01. "We felt we could be physical with him to let him know it wouldn’t be an easy game. [On this play], we lost containment and he got to the sideline."

With 30 seconds left in the half, the Cardinals would commit another special teams blunder that would add to the Lord Jeffs’ lead. When Olschefskie and the Cardinals lined up to punt deep in their own territory, Amherst’s David Frankel raced around the end and blocked the kick. The deflected ball traveled out of the endzone, adding a safety and two points to the scoreboard for Amherst.

"A guy got through and came off his block," Ellertson said. "He made a good play, got through and made something happen." 

Wesleyan broke onto the scoreboard midway through the third quarter when Carney hit Thompson in stride on a streak pattern for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The long scoring connection was the pair’s fourth of the season and a career long for both players. 

According to Carney, Thompson made an impressive move and put distance between himself and the defenders.

"It was a perfect play. Everything clicked," Carney said. "We had to make a couple more big plays, but we only made [this] one." 

On Amherst’s next possession, the team let a golden opportunity slip through its hands. Linebacker Dion Mueller ’02 hit the Lord Jeff running back and forced a fumble. Frosh linebacker J.P. Reed dove on the loose ball but couldn’t maintain possession, and Amherst recovered.

"It would have given our offense great field position against a tough Amherst defense," Bronk-Zdunowski said. "[Not recovering the fumble] didn’t bring the team down, but it certainly could have been a big boost."

Wesleyan faced another crucial play in the final minute of the third. On fourth and one from the Amherst 44-yard line, Coach Hauser elected to try for the first-down. However, running back Ronnie Jacobs ’03 (who ran for 87 yards on 25 carries) was stopped behind the line.

"It was a gamble," Coach Hauser said. "But it was one I thought we needed to take at that time."

Wesleyan managed only one more drive in the final quarter. With four minutes remaining, Wesleyan strung together three first downs and appeared to have some momentum. However, the drive was killed after the Cardinals were called for unsportsmanlike conduct and illegal formation. Wesleyan was forced back to its own 15, where Carney would be dropped for a loss to the Cardinal two. The penalty and subsequent plays eliminated Wesleyan’s chances of winning.

"It was a lousy call by the official," Hauser commented. "Nothing of importance happened to lead to that call." 

Coupled with the loss of Thompson, the loss was a tough blow for the Cards. In the three remaining contests, Wesleyan faces tough competition in Little Three rival Williams College and first place Trinity.

"This was the biggest game of the season, especially for seniors," Bronk-Zdunowski commented. "We all wanted to play our best in front of the alumni and TV. It’s tough for the seniors knowing that Amherst is a team we have never beaten."