MEDFORD, MA (September 24, 2024) -- The Tufts University football team will look to rebound from its first defeat of the 2024 season last Saturday at Wesleyan University, as the Jumbos play their second home game of the season this Saturday against Amherst College at 1 p.m. in more league action. The Jumbos fell 20-9 to the host Cardinals in Middletown, CT, as junior
Vaughn Seelicke connected on three field goals during the game but the Jumbos failed to reach the end zone for the first time since October 25, 2014 against Amherst. Tufts did outgain the Cardinals in the contest but three turnovers and a blocked punt were the difference.
Game Details
Opponent: vs. Amherst College (2-0, 2-0 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Somerville, Mass. –
Ellis Oval -
Directions
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Low 60s, Chance of Rain: 20%, Wind: NE 10-15 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Mammoths vs. Jumbos All-Time
The series has fallen in the favor of Amherst College dating back to 1954, as the Mammoths hold a 45-21-2 series edge against the Jumbos. Last year, Tufts ended a five-game win streak by Amherst as the Jumbos went into Western Massachusetts and knocked off Amherst 34-14. In that game,
Michael Berluti threw for three touchdowns, rushed for another score and
Vaughn Seelicke nailed two field goals in the win. Tufts allowed only nine first downs to the Mammoths in 2023, while allowing just 92 yards through the air and 171 total yards.
The Jumbos are looking to win back-to-back games against the Mammoths for the first time since 2003-04, while Tufts is in search of their first home win in the series since a 29-10 win back in 2007. Five of the last six games have been decided by 10 or less points, with last year's 20-point win by the Jumbos the lone exception.
A Look At The Jumbos (1-1, 1-1 NESCAC)
The Jumbos look to get back in the win column this weekend after Saturday's defeat at Wesleyan, but recent history could be on Tufts' side. Over the last three seasons, Tufts is 4-1 following a loss including a 3-0 mark over the last two campaigns. Despite the loss in Middletown last weekend, Tufts did play well on defense allowing just 287 yards of offense and only 152 yards through the air. Wesleyan scored a 75-yard touchdown on their first play of the game, but then passed for just 77 yards the rest of the game as the secondary allowed just seven completions on 26 attempts.
Michael Berluti threw for 246 yards in the game, but the Jumbos converted on only four of 17 third-downs in the loss.
Red zone efficiency will be key for the Jumbos coming into Saturday, but Tufts is moving the ball well as it is averaging a league-high 387 yards oer game including a NESCAC leading 283.5 yards per game through the air. Tufts would like to get the running game chugging this weekend, as it has averaged 3.2 yards per carry on the season while the 103.5 yards per game is seventh in the conference after two weeks. Over the last two weeks, Tufts has had more red zone chances than any other team in the NESCAC with eight, and has scored on seven of the eight trips but only two of the seven scores have been for six.
The defensive unit is near the top of many of the statistical categories, including defensive efficiency with an 87.1 rate. Tufts has allowed just 140 yards passing per game, third in the NESCAC, while holding teams to just 12.5 first downs per game. The Jumbos opponent third-down conversion rate of 17.9 percent against is first in the NESCAC and seventh-best in Division III football.
Individually, Berluti ranks first in the NESCAC in total offense with 298.5 yards of offense, which is also 24th in the country. He also became the first 7000-yard passer in program history on Saturday. Sophomore
Matt Rios is third in the NESCAC in receiving yards with 181, and
Cade Moore ranks eighth in the conference with 56.0 yards per game. Sophomore
Christian Shapiro is eighth in the league in rushing with 99 yards through two games, and
Matt Greco and
Henry Fleckner each have five grabs apiece. First-year
Keller Rogers saw his first big impact play on Saturday as well, as he hauled in his first collegiate pass with a 45-yard, fourth-quarter reception at Wesleyan. Seelicke leads the NESCAC in field goals with his five, as he also connected on a
Senior
Dom DeCrescenzo leads the team in total tackles with 13 so far this year, and defensive backs
Louis Timmins and
Ty Richardson each have three passes broken up. Head coach
Jay Civetti won his 50th career game as the head coach of the Jumbos on Homecoming with a 23-21 win over Bowdoin, and he now fifth all-time in wins at Tufts. He trails Charles Whelan (1903-07, 1912-16, 1919) for fourth place by three games at 53.
A Look At The Mammoths (2-0, 2-0 NESCAC)
Amherst is coming into the weekend off back-to-back wins against Bates College in the opener 19-7 as well as a 21-7 win at Hamilton College last weekend. Against Bates, Amherst rallied from down 7-3 in the second quarter to score the last 17 points thanks to a pair of touchdown scampers by Mason Morrow and a Matt Kelley 34-yard field goa. Last week against Hamilton, the Mammoths once again came back from an early deficit, as Amherst tallied the final 21 points of the game. Morrow hit Owen Gaydos and Sam Gerber for touchdown scores, while Demetrius Smith also posted a 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The Mammoths are off to their first 2-0 start since the 2019 season, thanks in part to their very strong defensive unit which is allowing just 191 yards of offense per game through a pair of games. Amherst has surrendered just 3.1 yards per play over the opening two contests, best in the NESCAC, and also has allowed a league-low 230 yards through the air as well as a NESCAC-best 76 yards per game rushing. Offensively, Amherst is eighth in the conference in total offense with 252.0 yards per game but the offensive efficiency ranking has Amherst fourth with a 122.2 rate thanks to a 63.2 percent completion rate and just two turnovers all season.
Morrow is seventh in the conference in passing as he has gone 36-57 with two scores and 346 yards over his first two games. Gaydos has nine grabs on the year for 75 yards and a score, while Keith Delaney has seven catches for 73 yards as well. Michael Quartermain has pulled down six catches as well on the season. Zachary Curtin has rushed for a team-high 53 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per game on seven attempts, while Smith has also gained 45 yards on the ground. The Mammoths are converting just 12 percent of their first downs this season (3-25), but have scored on six of their seven red-zone trips including tallying four touchdowns. Amherst has also yet to allow a sack on the season.
Defensively, Luke Harmon is fifth in the conference in tackles with 16 while adding two tackles for loss and two interceptions. Ty Kazanowsky also has 13 stops and a sack, while Anthony Leneghan has posted 10 tackles and a forced fumble so far this year.
Head coach EJ Mills is in his 27th season at Amherst, posting 153 wins over his tenure with the Mammoths. His win total ranks him 10th in Division III among current head coaches, while his win percentage of .708 is 20th in Division III.
NESCAC Week 3 Schedule
Amherst at Tufts - 1 p.m.
Bates at Wesleyan - 1 p.m.
Hamilton at Bowdion - 1 p.m.
Colby at Middlebury - 1 p.m.
Williams at Trinity - 1:30 p.m.
Up Next
The Jumbos will be right back at home next Saturday, October 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Ellis Oval, entertaining the Bantams of Trinity College.
--JUMBOS--
