WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (October 1, 2022) -- The Tufts University football squad got a career day from sophomore quarterback
Michael Berluti, while providing momentum-changing plays on special teams in a big 35-28 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) road win at Williams College in action from Farley-Lamb Field. The win for Tufts in Williamstown was only their third since 1981 but their third since 2015.
The Jumbos (2-1, 2-1 NESCAC) trailed on three different occasions on Saturday, but battled back all three times to earn the victory. The Ephs (1-2, 1-2 NESCAC) got on the board first late in the opening quarter, as Mario Fischetti finished off an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 hosts with 26 seconds left in the opening frame.
The defensive units would continue to dictate the play through the second quarter before the Jumbos finally got on the board with 4:14 left in the half thanks to a 24-yard touchdown pass from Berluti to
Phil Lutz to tie the game at seven. Williams came right back on the next drive and regained its lead, as Fischetti motored in for a 36-yard touchdown run with just under two minutes left in the second quarter. The Ephs would force a three-and-out on the next possession, getting the ball back with 1:09 left in the half.
The hosts moved the ball down the field to the Tufts 19 with less than five seconds left in the half, but an Ivan Shuran 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by
Dom DeCrescenzo and
Victor Garza scooped up the loose ball and raced 75 yards down the middle of the field to turn a 17-7 Williams lead into a 14-14 going into the halftime locker room.
After the break, the offensive units would come to life as Tufts got a stop on defense and then went nine plays over 4:12 of the third quarter before
Jaden Richardson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass to put the Jumbos up 20-14. Williams responded with another long drive, this time marching 59 yards on 11 plays before quarterback Jack Dickinson finished off the drive with an eight-yard scoring run.
The high-scoring third quarter continued on the next possession for Tufts, much on the back of Richardson, who hauled in four passes on the drive including a 40-yard touchdown catch to make it 28-21 following a two-point conversion on a
Phil Lutz reception from Berluti. The Jumbos would take their largest lead of the game at 35-21 less than a minute into the fourth quarter, as
Jackson Butler hauled in Berluti's fourth touchdown pass of the game from 19-yards out.
The Ephs didn't go away though, pulling to within a touchdown after Mike DeGasperis was hit in the back of the end zone by Dickinson with 9:42 to play to make it 35-28. Williams forced a three-and-out on the next Jumbo possession, and moved the ball to the Tufts 20 but the drive stalled as Dickinson misses Fischetti on 4th and 8 on a pass over the middle.
On the next possession, Tufts got the ball out of its territory and Berluti pooched a punt on 4th and 12 from the Williams 35 down the the 12 yard line of the Ephs with 54 seconds to play. The hosts moved the ball up to the their own 40 yard line with two seconds left, but Tufts was able to deny a bevy of laterals on the final play to clinch the win.
Berluti had a monster game for the Jumbos, as he was 28-of-33 for 402 yards and four touchdowns. The passing yardage was the most in a game since Anthony Fucillo tossed for 503 yards against Amherst College back on October 30, 2010. His four touchdown passes were one short of the school record of five, while the 28 completions were a season-high for the signal caller.
Richardson also had a monster game for the Jumbos, as the wide receiver posted 10 grabs for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Lutz added eight catches himself for 153 yards and a score, while Butler finished with five grabs for 51 yards and a touchdown. Defensively,
Shane Reiner led the team with nine tackles and a tackle for loss, while
Matty Drouillard added nine tackles including seven solo stops.
Johnathan Oneal post added six stops for Tufts, while
Kristian Rosario totaled five stops and two pass breakups.
Garza totaled four tackles in the game in addition to his big special teams return, while
Edward Iuteri finished with four tackles and two stops for loss. The Jumbos finished with 432 yards of total offense, 402 of that coming through the air.
The Jumbos are back in action next Saturday under the lights, hosting Bowdoin College (1-2, 1-2 NESCAC) for Homecoming 2022 weekend at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, October 8 at the Ellis Oval.
--JUMBOS--
