MEDFORD, MA (October 24, 2024) -- The Tufts University football team, winners of two straight, will look to keep the winning ways going as the Jumbos travel to Williamstown, MA for a tussle with Williams College Saturday afternoon in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action. The Jumbos have posted back-to-back wins for the first time in 2024 the last two weeks, as Tufts topped Bates College 45-22 in Lewiston, ME back on October 12 before knocking off Hamilton College 20-13 last weekend. Tufts got a big stop on fourth down late in the fourth quarter, and was able to pick up a pair of first downs to clinch the victory. Senior quarterback
Michael Berluti Berluti finished 23-for-31 for 274 yards and two touchdowns (1 rushing), while also rushing for 43 yards.
Cade Moore pulled in five balls for 44 yards and
Henry Fleckner,
CJ Burton and
Matt Greco each had four catches. Rios pulled in a team-high 64 yards on three receptions including his score.
Williams College is also 4-2 on the season after knocking off Bates last Saturday at home 24-21, fighting off a late charge from Bates in the fourth quarter. Williams rushed for three scores in the game, while Ivan Shuran hit a 47-yard field goal in the win.
Game Details
Opponent: at Williams College (4-2, 4-2 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Williamstown, Mass. –
Farley-Lamb Field -
Directions
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Mid 50s, Chance of Rain: 25%, Wind: W 15-20 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Ephs vs. Jumbos All-Time
The Jumbos and Williams have one of the oldest histories in all of NCAA football, as the two teams first met on the gridiron back in 1885. Williams holds a 56-29-7 all-time record against the Jumbos since that first win by the Ephs back in 1885. Over the last 10 years, Tufts has had some success against Williams, going 7-2 during that span including winning three of the last four games in Williamstown. Over the last 10 match-ups, points have come easy for both teams, as the game has posted 45 or more points in six of the last eight contests. Last season, Tufts knocked off the Ephs 28-10 in Somerville, MA as
Jaden Richardson scored three times while the Jumbos racked up 514 yards of offense. Tufts allowed just five completions on the day as well, while holding Williams to 75 yards passing in the game.
Two years ago, Tufts defeated Williams 35-28 on the road thanks to four touchdown passes from
Michael Berluti and a crucial blocked field goal return for a touchdown by Victor Garza at the end of the opening half.
A Look At The Jumbos (4-2, 4-2 NESCAC)
The Jumbos are coming off a win against winless Hamilton, but the Continentals were able to make it a game in the second quarter after Tufts led 17-6 at the end of the first half. Sophomore
Matt Rios scored on the third play from scrimmage from 46 yards out, and Berluti also scored on a five-yard touchdown rush for the two scores of the day for Tufts.
Vaughn Seelicke had a strong game with two field goal makes, and now has 11 for the season which ties the single-season record for makes in a year. He also became the career leader in field goal makes with 24 after his two last weekend. Seelicke is also third among active Division III kickers with his 1.04 makes per game.
Speaking of active Division III leaders, senior quarterback
Michael Berluti has already set pretty much every passing record at Tufts and is just 445 yards away from 10,000 yards of total offense in his career. He currently ranks No. 6 in that category among active Division III leaders, and is 10th in all of NCAA football in total offense per game with 298.6 per contest. The senior is also one of just 15 players in Division III with 4000 yards passing and 1000 yards rushing his career, where he ranks No. 3 behind just Luke Lehnan of North Central College and Zak Boyes of Cortland. Lehnan was the Division III National Player of the Year in 2023, while Boyes defeated Lehnan in the national title game in 2023. Berluti has thrown for 1487 yards and six scores in 2024, rushing for four more on the ground.
As a squad, Tufts leads the NESCAC in sacks allowed this year with just 0.83 per game, ranking 25th nationally in that stat. Tufts is also sixth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed per game (2.83), and also has been one of the most disciplined teams all season with just 20 penalties on the year. That ranks fifth nationally. Coming into the weekend, the Jumbos are fourth in the league in scoring offense with 24.3 points per game, ranking No. 3 in scoring defense with 19.7 points per game. In terms of yardage, Tufts is second to just Trinity in total offense with 385.7 yards per game while holding teams to 292 yards per outing. Tufts is fifth in rushing defense and third in passing defense and ranks No. 4 in the NESCAC in defensive efficiency.
Sophomore
Christian Shapiro leads the Jumbos in rushing with 373 yards on the year, scoring five times while averaging 62.2 yards per game. Senior
Cade Moore is fourth in the league in yardage with 66.8 yards per game, posting 401 yards on the year, while Rios is 10th in the league with 294 yards on just 14 grabs. Rios is second in the NESCAC in yards per catch with 21.0 per grab, behind only his teammate in first-year
Keller Rogers and his 23.8 yards per grab. Senior tight end
Jack Elliott also has pulled in nine balls for 173 yards on the season, while
Henry Fleckner and
CJ Burton had combined for 33 catches on the season. Senior
Aundre Smith continues to be a threat in the return game, leading the NESCAC in kick return average at 26.4 per attempt, and sophomore punter
Andrew Leigh is fifth in the league in punting average and is one of just three punters without a touchback in 2024.
Defensively,
Jameer Alves is 12th in the conference in stops this season with 35 while
Henry Ferrelli also has 33 to rank No. 17 in the NESCAC.
Ty Richardson is still tied for the NESCAC lead in picks with four, as he has helped a defensive unit allow just 15.5 first downs per game, second-fewest in the NESCAC.
Tufts head coach comes into the weekend 53-55 in his career at Tufts over 13 seasons, and is now tied for fourth-most wins at Tufts all-time after last week's victory over Hamilton.
A Look At The Ephs (4-2, 4-2 NESCAC)
Williams has looked strong this season, especially at home on Farley-Lamb Field where the Ephs have gone 3-0 this season. The only two losses of the campaign for Williams have come on the road at two of the three conference leaders, falling 45-14 at Trinity College on September 28 before losing in overtime at Middlebury College two weeks ago, 32-29. Last week, Williams piled up just 265 yards of total offense but scored 17 points in the second quarter which was the difference in the game. Owen McHugh was 21-of-32 for 141 yards passing, rushing for 56 yards as well on the ground, while Mario Fischetti rushed for 40 yards as well. Jack Kennedy pulled in eight balls for Williams, while Holden Gering had seven tackles and two passes defended.
Williams comes into Saturday's game with the NESCAC's second-highest scoring offensive unit, tallying 27.8 points per game this year. Williams is posting 369.2 yards per game, while ranking second in the NESCAC in rushing with 1,025 yard on the ground. The Ephs' offensive efficiency ranking is No. 2 in the conference mostly because of the fact that Williams has scored on every red zone opportunity it has had in 2024, going a perfect 19-for-19 this year. Fischetti enters Week 7 ranked second in the NESCAC in rushing with 482 yards on the year, averaging a league-high 6.3 yards per carry while scoring five times. Jon Oris has gained 213 yards on 56 attempts this year, and McHugh also has 162 yards on the ground.
The Ephs have relied on McHugh as the lone quarterback this season, as he has gone 102-for-151 for 1182 yards and 10 touchdowns, tossing four interceptions as well. Kennedy has a team-high 24 receptions for 261 yards and one touchdown, and Cameron Lee also has 14 grabs for 238 yards and two scores.
On defense, Ethan Scott is the leader of the defense as he has posted nine total tackles for loss on the year, third-most in the NESCAC. Anthony Scala has three sacks to pace the Ephs, and Gering is sixth in the conference in passes defended with nine. Williams is allowing 23.0 points per game on defense, while allowing the fourth-most yards per game at 331.7. Ivan Shuran is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals this year for the Ephs, while punter Leonardo Maiuolo is averaging 41.6 yards per punt including 12 inside the 20.
Head coach Mark Raymond is in his 14th year at Williams College, going 37-31 over that time in Williamstown including a 9-0 season back in 2021.
NESCAC Week 7 Schedule
Colby at Hamilton (Noon)
Middlebury at Bates (1 p.m.)
Wesleyan at Amherst (1 p.m.)
Tufts at Williams (1:30 p.m.)
Bowdoin at Trinity (1:30 p.m.)
Up Next
Tufts finishes its road slate for the 2024 season November 2, heading to Waterville, Maine to battle Colby College in NESCAC action at 1 p.m.
--JUMBOS--
