MEDFORD, MA (October 2, 2025) -- Coming off its first loss of the 2025 season, the Tufts University football team will try to get back to its winning ways, as it travels to Hartford, Connecticut for a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tilt with Trinity College. Tufts suffered its first loss last weekend at Amherst College, falling 30-14 to the Mammoths in Amherst, snapping a seven-game win streak over the last two seasons.
The Jumbos fell behind 30-0 at the halftime intermission last weekend, but rallied to trim the contest to a two-score game late in the third quarter. Tufts had two drives end inside the Amherst 10-yard line but couldn't cash in, despite the Jumbo defense allowing just 40 yards of offense in the second half and no points.
Game Details
Opponent: at Trinity College (2-1, 2-1 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Hartford, CT –
Jessee/Miller Field at Tansil Muldoon Stadium -
Directions
Weather: Sunny, High 70s, Chance of Rain: 0%, Wind: WNW 0-5 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Bantams vs. Jumbos All-Time
Trinity has posted a big advantage in the all-time series with the Jumbos, posting a 47-19-1 all-time mark against Tufts. The Jumbos are looking for their first win in the series since 2019, while Tufts hasn't won in Hartford since 1998. Last year, Trinity knocked off Tufts in Somerville 42-24, outscoring the Jumbos 28-8 in the second half to take the lead for good.
The first meeting between the two squads was back in 1912.
A Look at the Jumbos (2-1, 2-1 NESCAC)
While the Jumbos dropped its first game in the last eight last weekend in Amherst, Tufts still sits in a six-way tie for the top spot in the NESCAC at 2-1. The Jumbos are playing its third road game in the first four contests this weekend, before coming home to play three of the next four at Ellis Oval. Tufts hosts Bates College on October 11 for Homecoming.
The Jumbos couldn't get much going offensively last week in the first half, which forced the Tufts' defense to log a ton of time in the opening two quarters. The Jumbos would force three punts while adding an interception in the second half, while the offense racked up nearly 250 yards of offense in the attempted rally.
For the season, Tufts defense is still among the conference's top units as it's allowed just 16 points per game which ranks second among NESCAC squads. The Jumbos defensively have allowed 257 yards of offense per game, third-fewest in the NESCAC, while ranking in the top five in both rushing and passing yardage surrendered.
Individually,
Suleiman Abuaqel ranks sixth in the league in tackles for loss with 4.5, as his two sacks in three games are seventh in the NESCAC. Senior
Nate Sousa is in the top 10 in passes defended with three this season, including one interception, and sophomore
Cameron Pineda is tied for the conference lead with two interceptions.
Offensively, the Jumbos rank seventh in points per game in the NESCAC with 16.3, while the five touchdowns scored rank eighth. The Jumbos do lead the conference in field goals made with four, and are the only team in the conference with a successful two-point conversion.
Tufts has the league's second-best rushing attack through three games, grinding out 131.3 yards a game on the ground while scoring three times rushing. The passing attack has posted 155 yards per game, while last week's passing score by
Justin Keller to
Matt Rios was Keller's first of his career.
Individually, sophomore
Christian Shapiro leads the squad with 174 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, while Keller is second on the team rushing with 141 yards. Keller is 43-for-69 this season passing for 410 yards in three starts, and sophomore
Hudson Weidman has come off the bench in two games to go 5-for-8 for 55 yards.
Junior
Matt Rios has a team-best 12 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, while
Henry Fleckner has six catches for 64 yards. Shapiro has also hauled in nine catches, and Matt Grego has seven receptions for 58 yards.
Senior
Vaughn Seelicke is 4-for-5 on field goals this season, hitting a season-long of 41 yards against Wesleyan.
Caden Lawlor is fifth in the league in net kick-off yardage at 38 yards with two touchbacks, while
Keller Rogers leads the NESCAC in kick return average with a 36.5 yard rate.
A Look At The Bantams (2-1, 2-1 NESCAC)
Trinity is coming off one of the biggest wins of the NESCAC calendar last weekend, knocking off Williams College on the road in overtime, 34-28. In the game, Trinity rallied from a pair of seven-point deficits to earn the win. In overtime and on the opening play of bonus time, junior
Ethan Krauss forced a fumble on Owen Johansen to halt the Ephs' attempt. On their first play from scrimmage in OT, Jaxon Carroll found
Darison Hooper on a corner route inside the pylon to send Trinity to the 34-28 victory.
Carroll completed 15-of-25 passes for a career-high 302 yards and a touchdown, while Tyler DiNapoli registered 148 yards all-purpose yards with team-highs in rushing yards (54) and receiving yards (94). Nolan O'Brien hauled in a game-high seven receptions for 93 yards, along with 29 yards on three carries for a career-high two rushing touchdowns.
Trinity is fifth in scoring offense this season with 23.3 points per game, while its 10 touchdowns are tied for second in the league. Trinity offensive unit ranks fourth in total offense with 335 yards per game, while its rushing attack is third with 127.3 yards per game. The Bantams are also third in the league in passing yardage per game with 207.7, as its 8.8 yards per completion are second in the NESCAC behind just Williams' 8.9.
Carroll ranks fifth in the NESCAC in passing yardage with 533 yards, tossing four touchdowns this season. DiNapoli is fifth in the NESCAC in rushing with 182 yards through three games, while Jack Tosone is also adding 42.3 yards on the ground per game.
O'Brien is one of the top playmakers in the NESCAC as his 94.7 yards per game receiving leads the conference. His 20 receptions are also tops in the league, while he has added three touchdown scores. Darison Hooper has just five catches by is averaging 25.8 yards per catch. O'Brien is also the conference's top punt returner, as his 196 yards of punt return yardage is 174 yards more than the next closest.
Max Wallace is 1-for-2 on field goal attempts this season, while Jack Sokol is fifth in total punting with a 39.7 yard average.
Head coach Jeff Devanney is in his 19th season with the Bantams, as he has gone 130-24 during his time with the tenure in Hartford.
NESCAC Week 4 Schedule
Williams at Bowdoin - 1:00 PM
Hamilton at Wesleyan - 1:00 PM
Tufts at Trinity - 1:30 PM
Amherst at Middlebury - 2:00 PM
Colby at Bates - 7:00 PM
--JUMBOS--
