HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Football squad shut out visiting Amherst College, 49-0, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tilt at Jessee/Miller Field Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 3-0 on the season and 3-0 in NESCAC action, while the Mammoths drop to 1-2 in conference and 1-2 overall.

The Bantams wasted little time putting their offense in gear, taking the opening possession 75 yards in four plays, capped off by a 51-yard touchdown run from sophomore Tyler DiNapoli (West Haven, Conn.) down the right sideline to build a 7-0 advantage for Trinity.

At the 8:50 mark of the first quarter, Amherst junior running back Jack Roberge (Monroe, Conn.) rushed up the middle, but the ball was knocked loose on a hit from Trinity senior Cooper Mandel (Ramsey, N.J.) and recovered by Trinity. On their ensuing possession, the Bantams found the endzone two plays later as senior Colin McCabe (Madison, Conn.) rumbled into the endzone from three yards out, making it a 14-0 score.

On their final possession of the first quarter, Trinity moved the ball 75 yards in just seven plays, culminating with a 20-yard dart from graduate quarterback Spencer Fetter (Winter Haven, Fla.) to senior Nicholas Zalanskas (Andover, Mass.) across the middle to the endzone, expanding the Bantams lead to 21-0 after the opening quarter of play.
With 10:07 left in the first half, the Bantams continued their offensive surge, moving 68 yards in six plays. Trinity made it a 28-0 score as junior Max Roche (Wyckoff, N.J.) hauled in a 21-yard pass from Fetter at the 7:43 mark of the second quarter.

Late in the second quarter, Trinity senior Cade Klarides-Ditria (Seymour, Conn.) jumped a Mammoth screen pass for the interception and returned the ball inside the Mammoth red zone to the 10-yard line. Two plays later, McCabe found the endzone for the second time on a six-yard tote, pushing the Bantams ahead 35-0.

The Bantams defense stepped up again with less than three minutes to play in the half, as Mammoth first-year quarterback John Collier (Atlanta, Ga.) was sacked by Trinity senior Kevin Clark (Hebron, Conn.), forcing a fumble that was recovered by Klarides-Ditria at the Amherst 24-yard line. Three plays later, DiNapoli stormed up the middle for a 14-yard score, giving Trinity a 42-0 lead at the half.

With 11:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Bantams mounted their final scoring drive of the day, executing a 13-play, 61-yard drive, finalized by a one-yard touchdown run for Trinity senior Will Kirby (Darien, Conn.) to set the eventual final score of 49-0.

"I was proud of the way our players came out and played with determination today," said Trinity Head Coach Jeff Devanney. "Our focus and physicality were way different from last week, we showed up today. If we can bottle whatever we did pre-game today, we'll be a tough team to beat. Defensively, we talked all week about taking the ball away and we did that really well. On offense, our running game really open things up for us. We'll take time to enjoy this win, and then it's back to work on Monday preparing for Hamilton."

The Trinity offense amassed 457 yards of total offense, featuring 245 yards on the ground, in the win, while limiting the Mammoths to 145 total yards, including only 35 yards rushing. Fetter completed 11-of-16 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns, while DiNapoli rushed for 110 yards on just nine carries with two touchdowns. Defensively, senior Sean Ryan (Hingham, Mass.) recorded a team-high seven tackles including a tackle for a loss, and classmates Dan Calderon (Levittown, N.Y.) and Hunter Tully (Taunton, Mass.) added five tackles apiece.

The Bantams will look to remain perfect when they travel to Hamilton College for a NESCAC matchup Saturday in Clinton, N.Y. Kick off is slated for 1:00 p.m.