MEDFORD, MA (September 13, 2023) – The Tufts University football team gets its 2023 season underway this upcoming Saturday, September 16, against defending New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champion Trinity College (CT) in Hartford.
The Jumbos started their 2022 season against the Bantams in Somerville and were outlasted 26-23 in what was a thrilling opening to a campaign that saw Tufts finish 6-3 overall. The record was the best for the Jumbos since 2018, also marking the fourth time since 2016 that Tufts won six or more games.
The program has taken a large leap during the tenure of head coach
Jay Civetti, who will be taking on his alma mater on Saturday. When asked about battling the reigning defending conference champs and his alma mater, he mentioned that he was just proud of where the program has come over his time as a Jumbo.
"There's that nostalgic piece of it, going back to your alma mater, but my excitement is how proud I am to bring my Tufts' team there," said Civetti. "I am excited for what is coming off the bus, and it's always a great challenge to play Trinity. They'll be excited, there will be a great crowd, but this will be a great litmus test. I just want to get onto the field with my team and play a game. We only get nine of these a year, so I'm just looking forward to spending 60 minutes on the field with my guys."
The work that Civetti and his staff have done over his 11 years at Tufts to transform the team to title hopeful is coming to fruition, as this year's group comes back returning 15 starters from last year's squad. Many contributors on both sides of the ball return, as the Jumbos ranked as the NESCAC's top offensive unit while ranking fourth out of the 10 conference schools on defense. That balance and belief in both units is what has many thinking Tufts could challenge for its first NESCAC title ever.
"The leadership from the leaders and captains has been significant," said Civetti. "The culture of the locker room is very focused. They've been that way since the spring, I think we have a group of players that love football and strive to be the best they can be. They enjoy being together, holding each other to that standard and that's definitely something that you want as a coach."
Many within the college football realm are staunch believers that if you have a strong offensive and defensive line, along with strong quarterback play, that your team more times than not will have success. When you look at the initial projected starters, Tufts brings back an experienced group up front on both sides, led on the defensive line by fifth-year
Michael Butler and Ed Iuteri. The offensive group is anchored by returning fifth-year All-American
Travis Cepalia, who will help protect First Team All-NESCAC quarterback
Michael Berluti.
"There are guys on both sides of the ball that can change a game, there's not just one guy necessarily on both sides of the ball and on special teams that can change the course of a game significantly," said Civetti. "We want to control what we can control, play the interval, win the day and win the moment."
The Jumbos ranked first in the NESCAC in 2022 in total points, touchdowns, passing yards and total yards while averaging 7.1 yards per play. That group was special in that it had quick strike ability through the air, but also could grind out drives on the ground behind All-NESCAC running back
Tyler Johnson. A large contingent of that offense is back, including center
Blair Horning and receivers
Jaden Richardson and
Cade Moore.
On the other side of the ball, The Jumbos ranked in the middle of the conference in most statistical categories. Tufts did rank first in one category and that was interceptions, where the Jumbos picked off 11 passes. Tufts defensive back seven brings back three starters, including
Louis Timmins and his conference-best four picks.
A quick start for the Jumbos this season will be key, as every game in the NESCAC is a different challenge though all equally important in an uber-competitive league. Tufts got out to a 3-1 record in 2022 and rebounded from two straight defeats to finish the year with three consecutive losses. The schedule is the exact same in 2023 in terms of order of opponents, but this year the Jumbos will have to head on the road for five games. Civetti believes though that this team has done the work and is prepared for what's ahead.
"There's a lot of veteran players out there for us, there's a handful of guys that will be seeing their first snaps on Saturday, but for the most part 80 percent of the guys that are going to be out there have played a lot of football," said Civetti. "There's a lot of confidence in assignments, scheme, so I think there's confidence in knowing what we do and who we are."
A full breakdown by units is below:
OFFENSE
As stated before, Tufts is coming off a season that was historic in the record books, breaking many records including passing yardage, passing touchdowns and total offense. This group has the luxury of returning one of the best quarterbacks in program history in
Michael Berluti, but also has experience behind him with two signal callers that have game experience.
Berluti led the NESCAC in passing yards with 2752 last year, adding NESCAC-bests of 27 touchdowns while averaging 305.8 yards per game. Even more impressive is his ability to extend plays and use his legs, as the now-junior rushed for 445 yards with a conference-best 6.7 yards a tote. Berluti is already the all-time leader at Tufts in passing yards and touchdowns, and he will look to add to those totals in 2023.
Behind Berluti though are two players in
Matt Crowley and
Luke Leongas who have playing time experience in previous seasons. Crowley started back in 2021 and passed for four touchdowns before an injury ended his season. Leongas added two games of action last season.
Out wide, the Jumbos obviously will miss 2022 NESCAC Player of the Year and First Team All-American
Phil Lutz. Lutz set multiple records at Tufts and is using his extra year of eligibility at Division I University of Delaware in 2023. Sometimes overshadowed though was the emergence of a legit star at receiver in
Jaden Richardson.
The now senior finished the campaign with 44 catches for 666 yards and seven touchdowns. Richardson has big-play abilities, as he posted touchdown receptions of 40, 53, 14, 40, 33, 15 and 70 yards as a junior. Richardson was seventh in yardage in the NESCAC, and his 16.2 yards per grab was second in the league.
Also, back as receiver is
Cade Moore, who had a steady and strong season for the Jumbos as he pulled in 24 grabs for 349 yards and one score. Moore versatility is what makes him such a weapon, as he can operate out of many different sets. Senior
Robbie Moret is listed as a starter after a strong fall camp, while
Ryan Doyle,
Luke Botsford, and
CJ Burton are all guys that could be in for a big bump up in production in 2023.
At the running back position, Tufts graduated
Tyler Johnson and his 800 yards and eight scores last season. Johnson was a First Team All-NESCAC tailback, so the shoes will be tough to step into this season, but the coaches feel like they have strong options to carry the ball.
Junior
Aundre Smith is a dynamic player with the ball in his hand and will be also used as a returner as well. Smith rushed for 131 yards on 24 carries in 2022, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Joey Dellumo also returns to challenge for more opportunities, as he played in six games while posting 12 carries and one score.
Jaylen Callender and
Khallid Calhoun are also other names to be on the lookout to pick up some of the added available carries available with the loss of Johnson.
On the offensive line side, Tufts has an experienced group of players back to help lead the way while also welcoming in a few new starters.
Travis Cepalia is back for his fifth-year, after earning First Team All-NESCAC and All-American honors in 2022. He joins fellow fifth-year player
Blair Horning, who slots in as the starting center in 2023.
New to the starting group are players that do have some experience in the past.
Gus Bickert is listed as a starter at tackle, while now junior
Matthew Maiava will slot in at guard to open 2023. Converted tight end
Kent Oliver will also play tackle this year after getting extended action last year as an extra blocker. This group was honored by D3football.com after their performance against Hamilton College. The depth and ability of this group has the coaches excited about their potential.
DEFENSE
The Jumbo defense looks to continue its ascent this season, and the pieces are certainly there as Tufts has nine starters back in the fold in 2023. The unit also has key reserves from last year back this season and has brought along some young players from last year as part of this exciting group.
Starting upfront on the defensive line, All-NESCAC First Team honoree Ed Iuteri is back after being a wrecking ball as a junior. The defensive tackle was great at occupying blocks, opening channels for others to make stops.
Michael Butler will be next to Iuteri after posting three sacks and 18 total tackles last year.
On the ends, junior
Jalen Hill and
Javier Rios had solid campaigns each as they are now listed as starters coming into the season. Hill played in all nine games last year, making 10 stops and assisted on one sack, while Rios added 21 tackles and a pair of sacks. Junior
Dom DeCrescenzo played in seven games making 18 tackles including 1.5 for loss last season, and
Will Duncanson also tallied two stops for loss in seven games. Senior
Marshall Wiese also played in four games and will push for more time in 2023.
At linebacker, the Jumbos bring back three starters from last year's group which includes All-NESCAC First Team honorees
Louis Timmins and
EJ Comerford. Timmins played both safety and linebacker last year, and was dynamic with 21 tackles, four interceptions, four pass deflections and two tackles for loss.
Comerford was the team's leading tackler with 50 last year including a team-highs of seven tackles for loss and six sacks. He also added four pass break-ups, five hurries and a fumble recovery. Joining Comerford is
Shane Reiner, who had a strong season at outside linebacker with 37 tackles, adding 2.5 stops for loss.
Jeff Xu played five games as a newcomer last year and will fight for an expanded role this season.
In the secondary,
Victor Garza and
Kristian Rosario both slot back in as starters in the opening depth chart after having strong campaigns last season. Rosario was eighth on the team in tackles in seven games, making 22 stops while picking off one pass and breaking up five. Garza finished with a team-high of seven pass deflections while adding one pick and 24 tackles. Garza was named All-NESCAC Second Team for his play as a junior.
With Timmins moving up to linebacker and the departure of
Johnathan Oneal and
Will McCreery, the safety spots will be employed by two new starters in
Jameer Alves and
Jeremy Zuniga. Alves played in all nine games last season, as he posted 21 stops in extensive time on both special teams and defensive packages. Zuniga earned time in six games, posting one pick and seven tackles. Senior
Drew Guida posted 12 tackles in four games including 1.5 sacks as he played both defensive back and linebacker.
Jayshon Means also returns after playing four games with one interception.
On the roster, the defensive back roster has nine players that are a junior or seniors so look for someone with experience to emerge as a big contributor in the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Tufts special teams' unit was a strength in 2022, and one that Civetti wants to continue to have excel. Both starting kickers are back this season with another year of experience, as
Vaughn Seelicke was a solid 38-of-40 on extra points while making four of his seven field goal attempts. His 50 points were second-best on the squad.
Fifth-year punter
Patrick Walsh returns after recording 28 punts for 1145 yards and an average of 40.89 yards. He also posted a very strong 11 attempts inside the 20 and added four of more than 50 yards. Walsh also handles kickoffs and registered 13 touchbacks last season.
First-year kickers
Caden Lawlor and
Andrew Leigh will both look for attempts this season, as both come in with stellar prep resumes.
--
The Jumbos' season gets underway on September 16 at 1:30 p.m. in Hartford, CT, taking on Trinity College (CT) at Jessee/Miller Field at Tansill Muldoon Stadium.
--JUMBOS--
