Box Score
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Freshman Chance Brady averaged 11.1 yards per rush for Tufts
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MIDDLETOWN, CT - The Tufts football team took the opening kickoff and drove for a touchdown, but host Wesleyan would prevail over the Jumbos 52-9 as the 2013 NESCAC season opened on Saturday.
The game started at 6 pm and was played under the lights for the first night game in conference history.
Jumbo junior QB Jack Doll (Villa Park, CA) completed his first five passes on Tufts' opening drive to bring the visitors to the Cardinal 44. He had an 18-yard completion to Greg Lanzillo (Weston, MA) to the 12. An eight-yard run by junior tailback Zack Trause (Carlstadt, NJ) and a seven-yard pass from Doll to sophomore tight end Xavier Frey (New Canaan, CT) gave Tufts a quick 7-0 lead. The drive went 10 plays for 77 yards in 2:45.
On Wesleyan's first possession, the Jumbo defense made a strong stand after the Cardinals moved the ball to the Tufts three-yard line. Tackles by junior tri-captain Tommy Meade (Wakefield, MA), sophomore Matt McCormack (River Forest, IL) and sophomore Junior Arroyo (Mattapan, MA) forced a 20-yard field goal by Sebastian Aguirre making it 7-3 Jumbos.
It was all Wesleyan from there, though. They scored touchdowns on their next four possessions to take a 31-7 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by LaDarius Drew with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter. Cardinal Kyle Gibson had scored on an 85-yard run earlier in the second stanza.
A 61-yard punt by Tufts freshman Willie Holmquist (Dix Hills, NY) pinned Wesleyan at their own eight-yard line in the middle of the second. Meade was in on two tackles for losses helping move the Cardinals back to the three and forcing a punt. The Jumbo offense could not make use of good field position though.
The Wesleyan ground game continued to roll as 32 yards by Drew and 15 by Gibson on the next drive set up a 27-yard Jesse Warren to Jay Fabien touchdown pass which made it 38-7 with 3:42 until halftime. Jake Bussani had an interception for Wesleyan on Tufts' ensuing possession and the hosts turned that into seven with a 10-yard Warren to Jonathan Day scoring pass.
After a scoreless third quarter, Wesleyan added a two-yard touchdown run by John Vassar in the middle of the fourth.
Holmquist's 39-yard punt to the Wesleyan four-yard line later in the fourth would lead to a safety for Tufts when freshman David Neville (Clayton, MO) made a tackle in the end zone after a completed pass.
Gibson (8 carries, 150 yards and a td) and Drew (20 carries, 119 yards and 2 tds) led Wesleyan's 337-yard rushing attack. Warren completed 13 of 17 passes for 215 yards and three tds. Josh Hurwitz caught six balls for 103 yards and a td.
Freshman Chance Brady (Haverhill, MA) had as strong collegiate debut for Tufts, carrying the ball seven times for 78 yards (11.1 average). Trause was good as well with 10 rushes for 54 yards as Tufts compiled 123 yards on the ground. Trause also caught five passes for 45 yards and Doll completed 22 of 42 for 168 yards. Freshman Mike Rando (Walpole, MA) brought eight kickoffs back for 173 yards.
Holmquist averaged 40.7 yards per punt with three inside the 20. McCormack led Tufts with nine tackles and Meade had eight, including 2.5 for losses. Freshman Mike Stearns (Framingham, MA) also had eight tackles.
Devon Carillo finished with a game-high 11 tackles for Wesleyan. Justin Sanchez intercepted a pass and broke up two others.
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