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Sophomore Austin
Crittenden led Tufts with 12 tackles and intercepted a fake
field goal attempt
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HARTFORD -- Freshman RB Evan Bunker (Topsfield, MA) rushed for
158 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown to lead the Trinity College
Bantams to a 27-7 victory over the visiting Tufts University Jumbos
in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football
action this afternoon at Jessee/Miller Field.
Trinity, ranked No. 8 in New England, wins its second straight
game and its 37th consecutive triumph at home. The Bantams
remain flawless in their 37 games played on the artificial turf at
Jessee/Miller Field and have won three straight games against the
Jumbos. Tufts falls to 1-3 with their third consecutive loss.
Trinity rushed for 294 yards and held the ball for 42:23 of the
game, while the Bantam defense held Tufts to 203 total yards, 42
rushing yards, and 12 pass completions in 42 attempts. Tufts
was forced to punt nine times and averaged just 26.2 yards per
attempt on a windy day, and the Jumbos were three for 16 on third
down conversions.
Trinity won despite being picked off three times, losing a
fumble, and having an extra-point blocked, scoring the game's first
touchdown on a blocked punt by sophomore Nick Campbell (New Albany,
OH) and 23-yard return to paydirt by freshman Brendan Bader
(Brookfield, CT) with 7:28 left in the first quarter.
After the touchdown and a blocked PAT by Jumbo junior
tri-captain DE Donnie
Simmons (Houston, TX), Trinity took a 13-0 lead with 3:27 left
in the opening stanza on a seven-play, 70-yard drive that saw
Bunker run three times for 39 yards and finished with a 14-yard
scoring pass from senior QB Craig Drusbosky (Orange, CT) to senior
TE Chris Hunt (Westford, MA).
Tufts got on the board early in the second quarter, taking
advantage of a Trinity fumble on a bad snap that was recovered at
the Trinity 44-yard line by senior DT Alex Gresham
(Milton, MA). A 44-yard pass down the right sideline by senior
tri-captain QB Anthony
Fucillo (Winthrop, MA) connected with classmate Greg Stewart
(Wilmington, MA) at the 10:48 mark.
The Jumbos kept themselves within a score the rest of the half,
foiling a fake field goal try by the Bantams with an interception
by sophomore CB Austin
Crittenden (Deerfield, IL), and stopping another drive on a
pick by junior SS Nick Falk
(Riverside, IL).
Trinity controlled the ball in the second half with over 23
minutes of possession and just two completions allowed in 14 pass
attempts by the Jumbos. The Bantams took a 20-7 lead on their
first possession of the third quarter on a one-yard plunge by
Bunker, and closed out the scoring with a one-yard dive into the
end zone by fellow rookie RB Delonte Wellington (Bowie, MD) with
8:05 left in the game.
Junior ILB Walter Fallas (Everett, MA) paced the Trinity defense
with 12 tackles, one sack, and two pass breakups, while Crittenden
led Tufts with 12 tackles. Bantam senior CB Harry Melendez
(Holyoke, MA) intercepted a pass for the third game in a row, and
Simmons added nine tackles and a sack for the Jumbos.
Drusbosky completed four passes in 10 attempts for 52 yards,
while Fucillo was 12 for 42 for 161 yards. Both quarterbacks
were sacked twice. Freshman QB Hedley Jennings (Charlotte,
NC) added 61 yards on the ground on nine carries, and Wellington
had 15 rushes for 50 yards. Tufts senior tri-captain RB Pat
Bailey (Beverly, MA) rushed 10 times for 32 yards and caught five
passes for 60 yards.
Game Statistics
#
Game release courtesy of Trinity
College
