AMHERST, Mass. -- A bevy of big plays Saturday allowed the Amherst College football team to hold off Williams, 21-14, on Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium. 

It was the first victory over Williams for the Mammoths since the 2018 season, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Ephs, and allowed them to finish their season on a two-game winning streak and a 4-5 record. 

Williams fell to 2-6. The Ephs are at Bates next weekend in their final game of 2023. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS: 

* The game turned in Amherst's favor early on. After a punt, Williams started at its 20-yard line and drove to the Amherst to the Amherst 8-yard line over the course of nine plays. On a 3rd-and-3 from the 8, Mammoth wide receiver-turned-defensive back Christian Moore came up with an interception on a tipped ball at his own 4-yard line and returned the pick 76 yards to the Williams 20. On the very next play, Mammoth quarterback Mike Piazza found tight end Michael Quartermain wide open at the 18 and the sophomore rambled the final 18 yards for a touchdown and, after the Matthew Kelley PAT, a 7-0 Amherst lead. 

* On the very next Williams possession, Moore struck again. On a 2nd-and-14 from the Williams 42, Mammoth cornerback Luke Harmon forced a fumble after a completed pass at the Amherst 47, and Moore scooped up the loose pigskin and dashed 47 yards for a touchdown just 2:05 into the second quarter to give Amherst a 14-0 lead. 

* Williams fought back, making the score 14-7 before the half when it took the ensuing kick-off and drove 73 yards over 17 plays while taking over 10 minutes off the clock. Facing a 3rd-and-3 at the Amherst 4, Eph QB Owen McHugh lofted a pass to  Sam Jaffe in the end zone for the score just 2:56 before the half. 

* The Ephs took advantage of a bad snap on a punt attempt to tie the game in the third quarter. After the errant snap, Williams took over at the Amherst 3. Big plays by Solomon Christopher and Luke Harmon, (twice) forced a 4th-and-2 for Williams from the 2, but McHugh found Paul Harshbargar with a pass in the end zone and point after made it 14-all with six minutes left in the third quarter. 

* The two tams traded punts, the last of which pinned the Mammoths at their own 8 early in the final stanza. But Piazza, who threw for a career-high 374 games the week prior, came up big again, guiding the Mammoths 92 yards over 9 plays to take the lead back with 12:19 remaining. As the fourth quarter began, Amherst faced a 2nd-and-9 from their own 20. But Piazza reared back and threw a beautiful strike down the middle of the field that Carter Jung caught for a 43-yard gain and a first down at the Williams 37. On the next play, Piazza dashed for a 21-yard gain to the 16. He then connected with Quartermain again, this time for 14 yards as the big man nearly scored, finally being tackled at the 2. 

* Three plays later, facing a 3rd-and-goal from the 4, Piazza threw a missile to Jung in the end zone to beat tight coverage for a touchdown and the lead. 

* The two teams traded punt again, with Williams taking over at its own 20 with 8:33 remaining. Using a running game that bent but did not break the Mammoth, the Ephs drove to the Amherst 22, where it faced a 3rd-and-7. McHugh dropped back to pass but sophomore defensive lineman Kemit Fisher picked the right moment for the first and oly sack of the day for the Mammoths, tackling McHugh for a 5-yard loss. 

* On the next play, facing a 4th-and-12 with little time left, McHugh lofted a ball into the end zone, but it was picked off by Moore to end the threat. The Mammoths then proceeded to run out the clock. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Williams outgained the Mammoths, 297 total yards to 249, most coming on the ground (227). 

* For the second straight game, Piazza completed over 70 percent of his passes and threw multiple touchdowns. He finished 13 of 18 (72 percent) for 195 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also ran for a team-high 73 yards on 14 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. 

* Jung led all Amherst receivers with 4 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. Owen Gaydos had 2 receptions for 39 yards, and Quartermain had 2 receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown. 

* Defensively, many stood out for Amherst. Senior linebacker Andy Skirzenski was in on 17 tackles (10 solo) in the game, while Luke Harmon finished with 14 tackles, 11 solo, and a forced fumble. Fisher had 3 tackles and a sack. Moore had 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break-up and 123 return yards, plus a touchdown.