Looking Back (Sept. 25) | Bills give patriots Fitz, Improve to 3-0
Coming into last Sunday's match up with the Patriots, the Bills had little reason for hope: the New England club had beaten the squad from upstate New York 15 times in a row, as Tom Brady consistently put up huge numbers against them. However, this time would be different, as the Bills picked off Brady four times en route to a 34-31 victory at home.
In fact, Brady's performance was astoundingly poor, especially considering that he threw four interceptions all of last season and one of his picks in the game was returned for a touchdown by Bills cornerback Drayton Florence. While Brady also threw for four touchdowns, the Pats seemed to implode in the second half as the Bills gained momentum in front of their raucous home crowd.
That momentum was due, in large part, to the effort of Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw for 369 yards and two TDs and led his team back from the monster deficit in the second half. With the score tied at 31-31 with less than two minutes to go, Fitzpatrick hit Fred Jackson for a 38-yard pass that set the Bills up for the game-winning 28-yard field goal by Ryan Lindell.
In fact, the Bills became the only team in NFL history to come back from deficits of at least 18 points in two consecutive weeks and, in doing so, moved to 3-0 on the season. The Patriots, meanwhile, were left to ponder what could have been as they let a big lead slip away against a division rival.
Looking Ahead (Oct. 1) | Women's Soccer travels to Amherst for battle of Unbeatens
The women's soccer team is off to a fast start in their 2011 campaign, with three wins and two draws in their first five matches. They have an impressive draw with No. 23 Wheaton College to their name, and sit in a tie for second-place in the NESCAC with No. 5 Williams through three matches.
But if the team hopes to maintain its momentum, it will need to best Amherst, the current conference leaders. The Lord Jeffs are 5-0 overall, 3-0 in the NESCAC and have outscored opponents 14-1 so far this season. They have wins over Springfield College and Middlebury, who sit at No. 2 and No. 6 in the New England region, respectively. Always a threatening side, they have been further bolstered by the emergence of sophomore Sarah Duffy, who has already accumulated seven goals and two assists in just her first full season as a starter. If the Jumbos hope to stymie the Lord Jeffs' attack, they will likely need to start by stopping Duffy.
While Amherst has been somewhat of a one trick pony, Tufts has gotten offensive production from a variety of sources, with eight different players contributing goals and four players contributing assists.
The game will only be made more ominous by a difficult schedule that requires the Jumbos to travel home to host the Trinity Bantams, also undefeated in the NESCAC, on Sunday.
