The Amherst College football team extended its win streak to 15 consecutive games after a 31-13 defeat of Colby on Saturday afternoon. The Jeffs set a team record for the most consecutive wins in program history, and have won 20 straight games against the Mules. Amherst progressed to 4-0 on the season, while Colby dropped to 0-4.

The first 15 minutes of play were uneventful, and both Amherst and Colby were forced to punt on each drive. Despite a slow start to the game, the Jeffs managed to get things rolling in the second quarter.

Just under a minute into the second stanza, Charlie Wall ’18 put the purple and white on the board with a 26-yard field goal.

It was the start to a strong 15 minutes for the Jeffs, who amassed 17 unanswered points before the end of the half.

The Jeffs converted on their next drive. After forcing a Colby punt, Amherst regained the ball at its own 33-yard line.

Following two strong rushes by Jack Hickey ’19, Reece Foy ’18 completed a 46-yard pass to Jackson McGonagle ’16 to get Amherst to the opponent’s 8-yard line. The Mules called a time-out at fourth-and-goal in an attempt to hold off the visiting team, but Amherst converted on the following play. Foy connected with Devin Boehm ’17 in the end zone to give Amherst a 10-0 lead.

With just under four minutes to play in the half, Jaymie Spears ’16 picked off the Colby quarterback to prevent a touchdown. Spears made the interception at the Amherst 1-yard line and returned it for 60 yards. The play led to a touchdown. Foy, in combination with Kenny Adinkra ’16 and Boehm, led the Jeffs to the 2-yard line. On first-and-goal, Adinkra rushed for two yards to extend Amherst’s lead to 17-0. The Amherst defense held off the Mules for the remainder of the half.

The home team managed to get on the board at the start of the third quarter. Colby received the ball to begin the half, and found its way to the end zone over the next five minutes. The Mules drove for 85 yards over 12 plays, and recorded a touchdown with 9:37 to play in the quarter.

Amherst was quick to answer. Boehm received the kickoff and returned for 26 yards to get the Jeffs to the Amherst-40. Seven plays later, the purple and white found the end zone for the third time. Foy completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to McGonagle to extend the Amherst advantage to 24-7.

Play was back and forth for the remainder of the third and the majority of the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Colby cut the deficit again. The Mules found the endzone with 3:45 to play, but could not convert the extra point.

After an Amherst fumble, Colby recovered the ball at its own 24-yard line. However, the home team could not capitalize on the opportunity. Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ’16 intercepted a Colby pass and ran the ball to the end zone with 1:59 left in the game. The score was the last of the game, and the Jeffs locked up the win with a final scoreline of 31-13.

Although the Mules had a greater time of possession and more total yards than the Jeffs did, the purple and white still dominated the game. Offensively, Foy went 15 for 23 and completed two touchdown passes. Adinkra rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, while Boehm notched four catches and a touchdown. On the defensive end of the field, senior Tom Kleyn and juniors Evan Boynton and Parker Chapman led the team with seven tackles each, while Fairfield-Sonn, Spears and Nate Tyrell ’19 each picked off the Colby quarterback.

Amherst will face Little Three opponent Wesleyan this weekend for its homecoming game. Last year, Amherst narrowly defeated the Cardinals in an overtime win, 33-30. Kickoff is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Pratt Field on Saturday, Oct. 24.