Box Score
SOMERVILLE – The visiting Bates College football team rushed to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and held off a comeback by Tufts to earn a 31-23 victory over the Jumbos in New England Small College Athletic Conference football action on Homecoming Day at Ellis Oval/Zimman Field Saturday.
The game featured a contrast in styles as Bates pounded the ball on the ground for 309 yards on 64 rushes, while Tufts passed for 363 yards on 71 attempts. The Jumbos completed 40.
Bates took the opening kickoff after Tufts won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Bobcats wasted little time, driving 71 yards in three minutes and 49 seconds to take a 7-0 lead on a Trevor Smith (Malvern, PA) seven-yard touchdown run. Smith, the quarterback, was one of four different Bobcats to carry the ball on the drive which featured only one pass completion.
Tufts was unsuccessful moving the ball on the ensuing possession, and following a Marty Finnegan (Oak Park, IL) punt Bates took over at its own 39. Twelve rushes and a pass play later, senior Partrick George (Glocester, MA) blasted in from the 2 for the score and a 14-0 Bobcat advantage.
Tufts answered on the next drive with a 40-yard field goal from sophomore Connor McDavitt (Holden, MA) 18 seconds into the second quarter. The three-pointer was the first of McDavitt's college career.
Bates again drove the length of the field on its next possession until Smith's pass to the end zone was picked off by Jumbo senior Vincent Lee (Walpole, MA).
Tufts retuned the turnover on the next possession as sophomore RB Zack Trause (Carlstadt, NJ) fumbled after making a pass reception from senior QB John Dodds (Mount Pleasant, SC). Tufts forced a three and out on the ensuing possession and regained the ball following a punt on its own 23. The Jumbos drove to the Bates 47, but Dodds was intercepted by senior Joe Dell'Erario (Weston, MA) who returned the pick 60 yards for a 21-3 Bobcat lead at 4:21 of the second quarter.
Tufts answered with a 71-yard drive late in the half as junior Marcel Pitre (Chula Vista, CA) drove in from the one with 47 seconds on the clock making it 21-10. The key play on the drive was a 16-yard completion from Dodds to Finnegan on third and 5 form the Tufts 45.
Tufts was unable to move the ball on its first possession following the second half kickoff, and Bates took advantage of the short field with a five-play, 43-yard drive to go up 28-10 in just 1:25. Junior Ryan Cruit (South Portland, ME) scored from the 2.
Tufts rallied in the fourth, getting on the board again on a second Pitre one-yard run to pull within 28-16, but the two-point conversion pass failed.
A 26-yard field goal by junior Charlie Donahue (Plymouth, NH) on the following Bobcat possession gave Bates a 31-16 lead with 5:32 remaining in the fourth.
After an exchange of fumbles, Tufts took the ball at the Bates 33. Pitre scored his third touchdown of the game with 1:32 left in the game to bring the Jumbos within 31-23, but the onside kickoff was recovered by Bates, and the Bobcats ran out the clock on four running plays.
Smith led Bates with 88 rushing yards on 24 carries, and was 8 for 16 passing for 78 yards. Dodds finished one shy of the Jumbo record for individual pass attempts with 70, completing 40 for 363 yards, but was intercepted three times. Tufts senior tri-captain Dylan Haas (Yorktown Heights, NY) finished with 12 receptions for 99 yards.
Bates had a slight edge in total offense piling up 387 total yards to 370 for the Jumbos. Senior LB Josh Chronopoulos (Tyngsboro, MA) led Bates with 11 tackles and forced a fumble. Junior LB Sean Harrington (Chelmsford, MA) had 11 for Tufts.
Tufts (0-2) will travel to Brunswick, Maine next week to face Bowdoin in a 1:00 start. Bates (1-1) will host Williams College in Lewiston, also slated for a 1:00 kickoff.
Game statistics
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