MEDFORD, MA (October 1, 2024) -- Coming off a dominating 25-0 home win over Amherst College last Saturday, the Tufts University football team will look to keep the home winning vibes going with a big New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contest against undefeated Trinity College Saturday at Ellis Oval. The Jumbos allowed just 119 yards of total offense in the win over Amherst College, as they posted their second shutout in the last three home games, while senior quarterback
Michael Berluti posted three total touchdowns in the victory. Trinity is coming off a 45-14 win over Williams College in Hartford, as Zander Zebrowski threw for 366 yards and four scores.
Game Details
Opponent: vs. Trinity College (3-0, 3-0 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Somerville, Mass. –
Ellis Oval -
Directions
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Low 70s, Chance of Rain: 20%, Wind: NE 5-10 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Bantams vs. Jumbos All-Time
The Bantams have controlled the series with the Jumbos over the last 25 years, as Tufts has won just two match-ups with Trinity since 2002. The Jumbos last win in the series was back in 2019, when they knocked off Trinity 14-8 thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Jacob Carroll. Two seasons ago, Tufts fell just short at home against Trinity 26-23 as it nearly erased a 19-0 first-half deficit. Last season, Trinity scored on their first four drives in rolling to a 44-19 win in Hartford.
Trinity has won the last three contests against the Jumbos, while earning victories in 14 of the last 15 games. Both head coaches in Saturday's game are alumni of Trinity College, as Tufts head boss
Jay Civetti is a 2001 graduate while Jeff Devanney graduated in 1993. The last four meetings at Tufts have all been a one-score game.
A Look At The Jumbos (2-1, 2-1 NESCAC)
Tufts will look for its first winning streak of the season on Saturday, as the Jumbos try to stay in contention for their first NESCAC title in program history. The Jumbos finished with 427 yards of total offense against Amherst last weekend, while going 8-of-15 on third down. Berluti finished 18-for-29 with one passing touchdown and 230 yards through the air, while also rushing for two scores and 59 yards on the ground. Sophomore
Christian Shapiro toted the ball 16 times for 84 yards, and
Khallid Calhoun also had 40 yards rushing on 12 carries. Moore finished with 67 yards receiving on five catches, and
CJ Burton and
Henry Fleckner each had three receptions.
Matt Rios had 43 yards on two catches, while
Jack Elliott also posted 34 yards on a pair of grabs.
Saturday's victory of Amherst was all about the Jumbos ability to get off the field, forcing the Mammoths into a 3-of-11 rate on third downs while surrendering only 94 passing yards and 25 yards on the ground. The 119 yards of offense against was the second-fewest allowed by a Tufts defense in the last 10 years. Tufts allowed only 70 yards in a 38-0 win over Colby College last November 4. The 25 yards surrendered on the ground were the fewest for a Tufts squad since allowing -11 against Hamilton College on September 15, 2018.
On the season, Tufts has boasted the second-best offensive unit in the league with 400.3 yards of offense per game, ranking fourth in rushing yards per game and second in passing yardage per contest with 265.7 a night. Berluti is 56-for-108 on the season for 797 yards while adding also rushing for 89 yards on the year. Berluti comes into the weekend ranked No. 6 in the nation in Division III among active players in passing yards with 7,387 while his total offense number per game average of 302.2 yards is second in Division III over his career. The Jumbos have done a nice job of staying ahead of the sticks, as they have posted just three negative yardage plays all season, while their 34:12 average time of possession is 11th in the nation.
Sophomore
Matt Rios leads the team with 224 yards receiving on the year, while
Cade Moore has added 14 grabs for 179 yards and a touchdown. First-year
Keller Rogers has made a quick impact of late, as the speedy flanker has pulled in two grabs for 72 yards. Fleckner has eight grabs as well, while senior tight end
Jack Elliott is averaging 27 yards per catch on his four grabs. Sophomore
Christian Shapiro has rushed for 183 yards this season, and
Khallid Calhoun has added 73 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, Tufts has been the best unit in the NESCAC through three weeks allowing just 226.3 yards per game including only 124.7 yards through the air. The defensive efficiency rating of 72.2 is the best in the NESCAC and Top 10 in the nation while ranking fifth in Division III in passing efficiency against at a 72.20 rating. Sophomore defensive back
Ty Richardson has three interceptions in as many games, best in the NESCAC, while
Will Duncanson picked off two passes last week against Amherst. Tufts has also been fantastic on third downs, allowing just a 20.5 percent success rate which is seventh-best in Division III.
Johnny Ferrelli leads the Jumbos with two tackles for losses and 13 total tackles, while
Jameer Alves has a team-high 17 stops to go with three pass break-ups. Tufts has allowed three or less third down conversions in all three games this year, and is coming off a contest against Amherst where the Mammoths failed to reach the red zone.
A Look At The Bantams (3-0, 3-0 NESCAC)
The Bantams come to Somerville this weekend riding a seven-game win streak dating back to 2023, and Trinity has gone 28-2 in its last 30 games overall. Trinity has won the last two NESCAC titles, and the Bantams have the most conference titles in league history with 10 including five since the 2017 season. The Bantams started the season with a 17-7 home win over Colby College, followed by a 28-7 road win at Bates College and a home win over Williams College last weekend, 45-14. Zander Zebrowski was 20-for-29 for 366 yards and four scores while Tyler Dinapoli rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown. Nolan O'Brien had nine catches for a career-high 212 yards and three touchdowns, and Amari Phillips had 10 stops on defense.
Trinity has the league's top scoring offense and defensive units this season so far, as the Bantams are averaging 30 points per game on offense while surrendering just 9.3 points per contest. Trinity is averaging 402.3 per game, and leads the NESCAC in touchdowns with 11 while averaging 6.7 yards per play. Trinity is sixth in the league in rushing offense with 113.7 yards a game, while the 288.7 yards per game through the air is first in the NESCAC and 28th nationally. The Bantams have scored on all of their red zone chances this season, and have done a nice job holding onto the ball with just one turnover through three games.
Zebrowski leads the NESCAC in yards and touchdown passes with 866 and eight scores through the air, while tossing no interceptions so far in 2024. O'Brien is second in the NESCAC in receptions with 23 while ranking second in yardage with 353 and four scores. Sean Clapp is fifth in receptions with 16, two for touchdowns, and Dinapoli is sixth in the NESCAC in rushing with 45.3 yards per game. Jack Tosone is also ninth in rushing with 42.0 yards per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Trinity's Amari Phillips is sixth in tackles in the NESCAC with 23, ranking second in assisted tackles with 15. Luke Pickard leads Trinity with two sacks while Ma-Lyke Davis leads the NESCAC in passes defended with four break-ups and an interception. Trinity is tied with Tufts with a league-high six picks through three games while adding nine sacks. Trinity is third in the NESCAC in third down conversion rate at 39.4 percent, while holding teams to 32.5 percent against, fifth-best in the conference.
Trinity has been one of the most penalized teams in the conference, averaging 47.3 yards of penalties per game, second-most on the season.
Head coach Jeff Devanney is in his 18th year as the head coach of Trinity, posting a 124-21 record during his tenure. His .855 winning percentage is second in the nation among active coaches, second to just Geoff Dart of Mount Union University (.938).
NESCAC Week 4 Schedule
Wesleyan at Hamilton – 1:00 p.m.
Bowdoin at Williams – 1:00 p.m.
Middlebury at Amherst – 2:00 p.m.
Bates at Colby – 7:00 p.m.
Up Next
Tufts will be on the road at Bates College next weekend, Saturday, October 12 in Lewiston, Maine for a 6 p.m. kick-off with the Bobcats.
--JUMBOS--
