Amherst has had to play most of the first half without national player of the year Aaron Toomey, who picked up two fouls and earned a seat on the bench next to coach David Hixon.
The 6-foot-2, 197-pound Hixon entered the NFL with the Denver Broncos in 2006 with as an undrafted free agent out of Akron, but only played in four games and had no receptions in two seasons there.