MEDFORD, MA (October 29, 2024) -- The Tufts University football team will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday, heading to Maine for the final 2024 road game of the season in Waterville against Colby College. The Jumbos are coming off their third straight victory on Saturday, knocking off Williams College 27-24 in Williamstown. Tufts took a 14-0 lead in the contest at Williams, and recovered a late onside kick to secure the win after posting four interceptions in the victory. Tufts has now won three straight this season, and have tallied a three-game winning streak in each of the last four seasons. Colby College is coming off a hard-fought 16-13 road win at Hamilton College, as Miles Drake hooked up with Keon Smart late in the game for the game-winning touchdown. The Mules are 3-4 on the year, but have won three of their last four with the lone loss coming in overtime at Wesleyan University on October 12.
Game Details
Opponent: at Colby College (3-4, 3-4 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Waterville, Maine. –
Seaverns Field at Harold Alfond Stadium -
Directions
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Low 50s, Chance of Rain: 0%, Wind: W 5-10 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Mules vs. Jumbos All-Time
The Jumbos coming into the game on Saturday with the second-longest win streak for in the series' history, having knocked off Colby nine straight games dating back to 2014. In those wins, Tufts has averaged 34.4 points per game during the win streak, including last year's 38-0 win by the Jumbos in Somerville. In that contest,
Aundre Smith rushed for two touchdowns and 96 yards, while
Michael Berluti added two touchdowns and the defensive unit allowed just 28 passing yards in the win.
Ed Iuteri had four tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass break-up in the victory. The two teams have been playing since 1909, with Tufts holding a 43-18-1 all-time record against the Mules.
A Look At The Jumbos (5-2, 5-2 NESCAC)
Tufts is coming off a tough 27-24 victory over Williams, as the Tufts defense picked off four passes by the Ephs, marking the first time since 2017 Tufts has posted four interceptions in one game. Tufts saw sophomore signal caller
Justin Keller score on his first-ever play, a 15-yard scamper to make it 7-0 in the first quarter while
Christian Shapiro also posted his sixth rushing touchdown of the season to make it 14-0. In the game, junior
Vaughn Seelicke became the program's leader in virtually every kicking category, as he made two more field goals to up his season total to 13 and his career mark to 24.
Cade Moore also pulled in another touchdown grab, and his 11 touchdown receptions ranks him tied for eighth at Tufts all-time.
The Jumbos offensive unit comes into the weekend ranked No. 4 through seven games in scoring offense, posting 24.7 points per game. The 13 made field goals tops the NESCAC, while the Jumbos 382.9 yards of total offense is also second in the league behind just Trinity College's 407.3 yards a contest. Tufts is rushing for 146.4 yards a game, averaging 4.2 yards per tote, while ranking No. 2 in the league in passing with 236.4 per game. Sophomore
Christian Shapiro ranks No. 4 in the conference in yards with 504 through seven games, averaging 4.0 yards per game after posting a career-high 131 yards against Williams last week. Senior quarterback
Michael Berluti is 10th in the conference in rushing as well with 253 yards on the ground while his four touchdowns are tied for sixth in the NESCAC. Berluti has tossed for 1633 yards through the air on the season, and would become the first-ever Jumbo with 10,000 yards of total offense with 237 yards this week. His 295.8 yards per game is 12th in all of NCAA Football among career leaders, just ahead of Colorado University's Shadeur Sanders and his 279.8 yards.
Cade Moore ranks No. 4 in the NESCAC in receiving this season with 507 yards on 37 catches, averaging 13.7 yards per catch. Sophomore
Matt Rios continues to be a big play threat with 303 yards on 15 grabs.
Defensively, Tufts is fifth in the league in total yards allowed with 307.6 yards per game, holding teams to 183.9 yards passing per game.
Jameer Alves has posted 41 total tackles on the season with three pass break-ups, while
Henry Ferrelli has 38 tackles, one interception and a pass break-up.
Jeff Xu has posted 33 stops as well, and
Will Duncanson has 1.5 sacks and two interceptions on the campaign.
The Jumbos have started quick in most of their games this season, scoring on the first drive of the game in six of the seven games this year. Tufts is 3-0 on the season when now allowing a sack in a game, and are also 5-0 on the year when posting a third-down conversion rate of 28 percent or higher. Tufts has converted at 50 percent on third downs the last three games, and has held opposition to under 32 percent during the same span. Tufts has also posted a higher average yards per play rate in six of seven games this season, bested only last week by Williams (5.15/6.11).
Tufts is still in the NESCAC football title race, as the Jumbos could share the title with two wins in the final two games and Wesleyan loss in Week 8 followed by a Wesleyan win in Week 9.
Head coach
Jay Civetti comes into Saturday's game looking to get to .500 for his career, as he sits at 54-55 as the head coach of the Jumbos over the last 13 years.
A Look At The Mules (3-4, 3-4 NESCAC)
After a 0-3 start, Colby has turned the season around, winning three of the last four contests. In that stretch, Colby has taken down Bates, Amherst, and Hamilton, who they came back to beat 16-13 last weekend after trailing 13-6 at halftime. Colby's only loss during that four-game stretch came on the road, in overtime, against first-place Wesleyan. In their victory over Hamilton last week, Colby tallied 288 yards of total offense, with 182 yards in the air and 106 yards on the ground. Miles Drake completed 60% of his pass attempts (23 for 38) and threw for 1 touchdown while running back Keon Smart rushed for 103 yards. Defensively, Drew Ramos and Julian Young led the way for the Mules with 8 tackles each. They also forced two turnovers, coming on interceptions by Nicholas Cox and Trevor Smith.
Coming into their match-up with the Jumbos, Colby has been middle-of-the-pack in most offensive categories. Their 20.1 points per game puts them at 6th in the NESCAC while their 321 yards of total offense per game ranks fifth. They have relied more heavily on their passing game than on running, throwing for 1416 yards and rushing for 476 yards. The Mules' offense has also been efficient in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 21 of their 26 red zone trips. However, something that has plagued Colby has been their penalties. With 39 penalties they have committed the most in the NESCAC. It has cost them 356 yards in total, and 51 yards per game.
Throughout the season, Colby's offense has relied on the arm of Miles Drake who has thrown for 1337 of the Mules' 1416 passing yards. His season is highlighted by a 236-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Amherst 2 weeks ago. His main targets have been Jack Nye and Jack Sawyer, who have each recorded 50 yards per game. Meanwhile, Atticus Duncan has been the main scorer, hauling in 4 touchdowns to pace the team. The rushing attack has been led by Keon Smart, who has averaged 81 rushing yards per game, the second-highest mark in the NESCAC.
Defensively, Julian Young has been far and away the leading tackler, recording 59 on the season. Young is just one tackle shy of the NESCAC leader, Ryan Rozich of Bates, who has 60 tackles. Meanwhile, Jack Mullen and Sebastien Romain have led the blitz, with Mullen tallying 7.5 sacks and Romain tallying 6. Those marks are good for second and fourth, respectfully, in the NESCAC. As a unit, the Colby defense has held opponents to 281 yards per game, good for 3rd in the NESCAC. However, Colby has struggled in the red zone, allowing opponents to reach the end zone on 19 of their 22 trips.
Head coach Jack Cosgrove is in his 7th season at Colby. Before Colby, he was the winningest head coach at the University of Maine, where he coached for 23 years.
NESCAC Week 8 Schedule
Hamilton at Middlebury (12:30 p.m.)
Trinity at Amherst (1:00 p.m.)
Tufts at Colby (1:00 p.m.)
Williams at Wesleyan (1:00 p.m.)
Bowdoin at Bates (5 p.m.)
Up Next
The Tufts football team will honor its seniors next Saturday, November 9 inside Ellis Oval, hosting Middlebury College at 12:30 p.m. in the 2024 season finale.
--JUMBOS--
