MEDFORD, MA (November 3, 2022) – The Tufts University football team is coming off a big 49-13 win at home against Hamilton College and will look to pick up its third road win of the season at Colby College Saturday in Waterville, ME in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play.
Game Details
Opponent: at Colby College (4-3, 4-3 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Waterville, ME – Seaverns Field (
Directions)
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Tufts will be trying to keep the momentum going into this week's contest, as the Jumbos racked up 606 yards of total offense in the win over Hamilton College last week. The Tufts offensive line was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for its efforts, while sophomore quarterback
Michael Berluti threw for four touchdowns in the win. Senior running back
Tyler Johnson also rushed for a career-high 148 yards.
The Mules are fresh off a narrow 20-17 heartbreaking loss to Middlebury College in Vermont, as the Mules led 10-0 in the first half and 17-13 late in the fourth quarter but couldn't hold on. Colby has been strong at home this year, going 3-0 in Waterville, with wins over Williams College (24-14), Bates College (38-17) and Hamilton College (18-12).
The two teams have played 69 times prior to this weekend, with Tufts holding a 44-23-1 edge in the series dating back to 1892. Tufts is looking to continue its recent good form against the Mules, as the Jumbos have won the last seven games with Colby dating back to 2013. Prior to that though, Colby had won five straight. Last year, Tufts knocked off the Mules 26-21 in Somerville as it rallied for the win with a fourth-quarter touchdown reception from
Billy Dunn.
Tufts offense continued to fire on all cylinders last weekend, as the team enters this weekend with the NESCAC's top passing offense with 327.9 yards per game, ranking sixth nationally. The scoring offense is second in the NESCAC with almost 30 points per game, while the total offense number of 462.3 yards per game is first in the conference and 24
th nationally.
Berluti's strong season continued last week with nearly 350 yards passing and four scores and has thrown for 2,239 yards on the season. His total is second all-time at Tufts, trailing only the 2,475 from Anthony Fucillo in 2010. Berluti is third in the nation in passing yards per game with 319.9, while his total offense number of 351.4 is second in the country behind only Liam Thompson of Wabash College.
His receiving corps litters the NESCAC leaderboard as well, as
Jaden Richardson is second in the NESCAC and 44
th in Division III with seven touchdown grabs.
Phil Lutz has hauled in six touchdown receptions this year, while his 121.6 yards per game is seventh in the nation. He also is fifth in D-III in receptions with 57. Lutz is tied for third in a single season for receptions at Tufts.
Senior
Tyler Johnson has been extraordinarily strong lately, and currently leads the NESCAC in rushing with 559 yards and 79.9 per game. Johnson has scored six times this season, tops in the conference, while his 4.86 yards per carry ranks second in the league. He has been part of a rushing attack that ranks third in the NESCAC with 134.4 yards per game.
The defensive unit was strong last week against Hamilton and has been taking advantage of opportunities to turn other teams over.
Louis Timmins is first in the NESCAC in interceptions with four this season, while
Kristian Rosario has two this season. The unit has earned 12 turnovers on the year, including three last weekend against the Continentals.
EJ Comerford and
Matty Drouillard top the team in tackles with 40 apiece, while Drouillard has a team-best 5.0 tackles for loss.
Shane Reiner has been strong with 34 tackles as well, and
Victor Garza has three tackles for loss, a pick and four pass breakups.
Edward Iuteri has three tackles for loss on the season and
Will McCreery is coming off a career-high seven tackles against Hamilton.
The Colby squad has been strong this season up front, as it has allowed just 0.71 sacks all season which is best in the NESCAC and 17
th nationally. The defense has been highly effective in 2022, coming into this weekend's game allowing just 319.7 yards per game which ranks third in the conference along with 17.6 points per contest.
The Mules lead the conference with nine interceptions this season, while Julian Young is second in the NESCAC in tackles with 74 this season. Teammate Marc Dougherty is sixth in the conference in stops with 7.7 per game, and Rome Banaitis is ninth in the conference with three sacks in 2022. Nick Donatio has three interceptions, while Javon Williams has broken up four passes to go with two picks.
Offensively, Keon Smart gets the ball the most on the ground as he is sixth in the league in yards per contest with 51.6. Quarterback Matt Hersch has tossed for 1,243 yards and eight touchdowns this season, adding 220 yards on the ground. Jack Sawyer is the main receiving threat with 31 receptions and 460 yards, while Smart leads the team with 32 grabs for 142 yards. Isaac Anderson has also caught three touchdowns this season.
Another weapon for the Mules is punter Lowell Carr, who is first in the conference and 12
th nationally in punt average at 40.8 yards per attempt. He also holds down the kicking duties for Colby, making five field goals in 2022.
TUFTS VS. COLBY SERIES
Series Record: 44-23-1, Tufts
Last Tufts Win: 2021, 26-21 at Tufts
Last Colby Win: 2013, 37-0 at Colby
Current Streak: Tufts, 7
Large Margins: Tufts, 48-0, 2018; Colby, 37-0, 2013
--JUMBOS--
