MEDFORD, MA (October 24, 2023) -- The Tufts University football team, winners in their its last five games, will look to extend the winning streak as the Jumbos head to Clinton, NY this Saturday for a road tilt at Hamilton College at 1 p.m. in a conference clash. The Jumbos won their fifth in a row on Saturday at Amherst College, knocking off the Mammoths 34-14 thanks to four combined touchdowns from junior quarterback
Michael Berluti. Tufts has now won five in a row during a single season for the first time since the 1986 campaign.
Game Details
Opponent: at Hamilton College (1-5, 1-5 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Clinton, NY – Steuben Field (
Directions)
Weather: Cloudy, High 60s, Chance of Rain: 50%, Wind: NW 10-15
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Continentals vs. Jumbos All-Time
The series with Hamilton and Tufts goes back to 1976, as Tufts holds a 18-6 all-time mark against the Continentals. Tufts has won the last two meetings, including a 49-13 win last year in Somerville as
Michael Berluti was 20-of-26 for 349 yards with four scores.
Tyler Johnson also rushed for 148 yards and two scores, as Tufts racked up 606 yards of total offense in the win. The Jumbos have won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series, dropping just two games against Hamilton since 1991. The scores though in Clinton have been much closer, as the 2021, 2014 and 2011 games have all been one score contests. Tufts is 9-4 against Hamilton on the road, and has averaged 27 points per game all-time against the Continentals.
A Look At The Jumbos
The Jumbos are play back-to-back road games for the first time this season and for the first time since winning a pair of games at Bates College and at Williams College last season. Tufts is 5-2 on the road over the last two seasons combined, and will look to up that mark on Saturday. The Jumbos come into the weekend with the league's second-ranked scoring offense with 33.0 points per game, while its rushing attack still paces the NESCAC and is 64th nationally with 179.0 yards per game. The offensive line, led by graduate students
Travis Cepalia and
Blair Horning, has allowed only one sack all season which leads all of NCAA.
As talked about last week, the Jumbos have done a great job of taking care of the ball as it has turned over the ball only six times in 2023. That is second in the NESCAC and 21st in Division III. Tufts also has stayed on schedule with its offense, allowing just three tackles for loss all season, which is fourth in the country. Berluti comes in second in the NESCAC in total offense with 296.7 yards per game, 26th in the country, while he is fourth in the league in rushing with nearly 60 yards a game. His 16 passing TDs leads the conference, while he is responsible for 108 points in 2023, best in the league.
Chartellis Reece leads the conference in rushing after six games, as he has tallied 82 yards per game while scoring six times this season on the ground.
Aundre Smith and
Khallid Calhoun have also helped bolster the rushing attack for the Jumbos in recent weeks. Through the air,
Jaden Richardson caught another touchdown grab last week to up his season total to 11. He ranks sixth in NCAA Division III in touchdown grabs, and his 18 career receiving scores are one shy of the Tufts' school record of 19 by David Halas from 2005-08.
Cade Moore is second on the team with 28 catches, adding five touchdown grabs, while
Robbie Moret and
CJ Burton each have eight catches on the season.
Henry Fleckner has pulled in 13 grabs as well for the Jumbos. On special teams,
Vaughn Seelicke stayed perfect on the season with two more field goals, as he is now 6-for-6 while going 24-for-25 on extra points this year. Punter
Patrick Walsh is averaging 38.5 yards per attempt, adding five inside the 20 and two over 50 yards.
Defensively,
Shane Reiner leads the team with 35 total tackles and six for loss, adding three sacks on the season.
EJ Comerford has 33 tackles, including 21 solo stops, and
Jameer Alves also has 27 tackle.
Louis Timmins leads the team with two picks and five pass break-ups, while fellow lacrosse-football dual sport athlete
Kristian Rosario has four passes defensed with an interception.
Suleiman Abuaqel has a team-high four sacks for the Jumbos this season. The last time the Jumbos won six in a row was when it finished the 1986 season with seven straight victories. The school record for most consecutive wins in program history is 12 twice, from 1926-28 and 1978-79.
A Look At The Continentals
Hamilton is coming off its first victory of the 2023 season, as it tripped up Colby College last weekend 17-6 on the road. In that contest, Hamilton got a 34-yard touchdown pass from Luke Kurzum in the second quarter, and then a Kurzum touchdown run in the fourth while the defense held Colby to 5-of-15 on third downs. Hamilton also held Colby three times on fourth downs in the win.
The Continentals come into the weekend with the seventh-best scoring offense in the NESCAC, averaging 15.8 points per game, while its total offense number of 268.7 yards per game is ninth in the league. Defensively, Hamilton is also ninth as the Continentals are allowing 378.5 yards per game. Hamilton does run the ball well, as its 121.2 yards on the ground per game ranks fourth in the NESCAC. The Continentals are last in the league in passing defense, allowing a league-high 261.3 yards per game through the air.
Hamilton has two players in the top 10 in rushing yards per game, as Nate Wildman has a NESCAC-high 100 attempts on the season for 298 yards and four touchdowns. Kurzum is ninth in the conference in yards per game with 38.6, posting nearly five yards per carry. Kurzum is seventh in the NESCAC in passing efficiency, and Lucas Perez-Segnini ranks 17th in the league in receiving with 38.8 yards per game to go along with two touchdowns.
Defensively, Cole Rivell has had a strong season as he ranks third in the NESCAC in tackles with 55 this season, adding a league-best 36 solo stops. Nick Hoff also ranks 11th in the NESCAC in tackles with 41, and Kyle Bratcher has seven passes defended in 2023.
Head coach Dave Murray is in his ninth season at the helm of the Continentals, posting a 20-55 record while in Clinton. Hamilton is the fourth stop for Murray, as he spent 16 seasons at Alfred University where he went 108-60, while also going 43-29-1 at Cortland while spending time at Lebanon Valley back in 1997.
Tailgate and Parking Information
Click
this parking map for on-campus parking options and walking paths to Steuben Field. All Hamilton football home games are free admission. Tailgating policies for Hamilton are
HERE.
Up Next
The Jumbos will be back at home on Saturday, November 4 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day, hosting Colby College at Ellis Oval for the final home game of the season.
--JUMBOS--
