Football Finishes Home Slate Saturday on Senior Day Versus Colby

MEDFORD, MA (October 28, 2025) -- The Tufts University football squad, winner's in its last two including a decisive 41-20 home win last weekend over Williams College, will host Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Ellis Oval at 1 p.m. against Colby College in a pivotal New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tie. The Jumbos posted a season-high 482 yards against Williams, thanks to a career-high 335 yards passing from sophomore quarterback Hudson Weidman, while forcing two late turnovers by the Ephs in securing the home victory. Colby is coming off back-to-back wins as well, topping Amherst College 13-9 and Hamilton College 17-10 the last two weeks. The Mules are allowing just 17.1 points per game, third-best in the NESCAC, whie looking to finish over .500 for the first time since 2005.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Colby College (4-3, 4-3 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 1, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Somerville, Mass. – Ellis Oval - Directions 
Weather: Clear, Low 50s, Chance of Rain: 5%, Wind: W 15-20 MPH
Live Coverage: LIVE STATS – LIVE VIDEO

Jumbos vs. Mules All-Time
The series between the Jumbos and Mules goes all the way back to 1909, a 10-0 win for Colby. Following that victory for Colby, Tufts would dominate the series for the next 30 years, and the Jumbos have gone 44-18-1 all-time in the series, including winning the last 10 contests dating back to 2013. Prior to that, the Mules had won the previous five match-ups after the team's split the 10 prior to the two long stretches. Last season, Tufts knocked off Colby in Waterville 28-21 as Christian Shapiro rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the win for Tufts. Points have come easy for Tufts in the series over the last 10 years, scoring at least 26 points in all 10 wins over that stretch. In a weird scheduling quirk, Tufts and Colby have played the first Saturday in November every year since 1992. 

A Look At The Jumbos (4-3, 4-3 NESCAC)
Tufts enters its matchup with Colby at 4-3 overall, producing 170 total points while allowing 174, a scoring margin nearly even through seven contests. The Jumbos average 24.29 points per game compared to opponents at 24.86, highlighting how often their games have been decided by narrow statistical differences.

The offense has generated 343.6 yards per game with a balanced approach: 138.9 rushing and 204.7 passing. Tufts is averaging 5.4 yards per play while limiting opponents to 5.7, but the Jumbos hold a slight edge in total yardage per game (343.6 to 336.9). They've converted 46.46% of third downs while holding opponents to 41.98%. Tufts is currently fourth in total scoring offense, while ranking third in rushing offense and sixth in passing. 

Quarterback Hudson Weidman has led a productive passing attack in his five appearances, completing 67.65% of his throws for 913 yards, nine touchdowns, and only one interception. Justin Keller has added 495 passing yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Tufts holds a 62.69% completion rate with 11 passing touchdowns and 7.13 yards per attempt.

Christian Shapiro headlines the rushing unit with 470 yards and seven touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry. Keller and Hudson Weidman supplement the run game with 173 and 180 rushing yards respectively. Tufts has totaled 10 rushing touchdowns, though opponents have been slightly more efficient on the ground at 4.6 yards per rush and 14 touchdowns allowed.

Henry Fleckner is the top receiving target with 359 yards, while Keller Rogers has produced explosive gains with a 41.0 yards-per-catch average and three touchdowns. Matt Rios adds 203 yards and 3 scores, and running back Shapiro contributes 23 receptions. Tufts has recorded 11 receiving touchdowns from seven different players, indicating depth in distribution. Sophomore Granville Anderson II is coming off his first career 100-yard receiving game for the Jumbos, making two explosive plays against Williams last weekend.

Tufts has generated 603 all-purpose yards from Shapiro and 578 from Rogers, who also leads the team in kick return production with 355 yards and a 27.31-yard average. Overall, the Jumbos hold a significant advantage in return game efficiency, averaging 22.88 yards per kickoff return compared to 17.64 by opponents. Roger's return average tops the NESCAC coming into Week 8.

Defensively, Tufts has secured seven interceptions and allowed five. Cameron Pineda leads the team with three picks and a 64-yard return touchdown. The defensive front has posted 8.5 sacks, led by Suleiman Abuaqel with 4.0. Johnny Ferrelli's 44 total tackles pace the unit, while Ryan Horigan and Riley Yaker add 31 and 30 tackles, respectively.

In field position and special teams, Tufts maintains strong kicking metrics. Vaughn Seelicke is 5-for-6 on field goals including a long of 41, and is just three points shy of the all-time scoring record at Tufts of 210 set by Chance Brady from 2013-16. Punter Andrew Leigh averages 35.31 yards per kick with nine downed inside the 20-yard line. Tufts also holds a notable advantage in net kickoff yardage at 44.29 per attempt.

One key situational area of strength is time of possession, where Tufts controls the ball for 31:05 per game compared to opponents at 28:55. The Jumbos have scored on 19 of 24 red-zone trips with 15 touchdowns, though defensively they have allowed touchdowns on 17 of 22 opponent trips. Tufts ranks fourth in third-down percentage in the NESCAC, while its time of possession rate is tied for third in the NESCAC. 

Tufts head coach Jay Civetti is currently tied for the most wins in program history with 60, and with one more he would become the winningest coach ever at Tufts eclipsing Lewis Manley, head coach from 1930-45. The Jumbos will also celebrate 25 seniors on Saturday for Senior Day, as this class has 23 career wins coming into the week, which is three behind the all-time record for a senior class fom 1895 with 26. Only four senior classes all-time have gotten to 25 wins, the latest coming in 2018. 

A Look At The Mules (4-3, 4-3 NESCAC)
Colby enters the match-up at 4-3, scoring 80 total points while allowing 120 through seven games. The Mules average 11.43 points per game while opponents score 17.14, which places Colby in lower-scoring contests throughout the season. Colby's offense ranks ninth in the NESCAC, though its scoring defense is third in the league. 

The offense produces 192.4 yards per game, split between 86.4 rushing and 106.0 passing. Colby averages 3.5 yards per play compared to opponents at 5.0. First-down production has been limited, with 88 gained compared to 129 allowed. The Mules convert 30.69% of third downs, ninth in the NESCAC, while opponents convert 44.12% which is the ninth-highest rate as well in the NESCAC. 

Quarterback Miles Drake has led most of the passing game, completing 53.24% of his passes for 669 yards with one touchdown and 9 interceptions. Patrick Miller has played in three games, adding 73 yards and a touchdown at a 62.5% completion rate. Overall, the team has thrown two passing touchdowns with nine interceptions at 4.55 yards per attempt.

The rushing attack is paced by Antone Moreis with 262 yards and four touchdowns at 3.2 yards per carry. Ryan Singhal contributes 113 rushing yards at 4.0 per attempt, while Drake adds 62 net rushing yards but with 157 yards lost from sacks and negative plays. The team has recorded six rushing touchdowns.

Jack Nye leads Colby in receiving with 303 yards and one touchdown on 27 receptions. Cormac Wright adds 107 yards, and Henry Emswiler has 80 yards including a score. Colby averages 8.34 yards per reception, and nine different players have recorded at least one catch.

Nye also leads the team in all-purpose yards with 324, followed by Moreis with 283. The return game has been efficient, averaging 22.11 yards per kickoff return, highlighted by Olasubomi Soyoye's 30.00 average. Punt return production is led by Wright with 25 yards on nine attempts.

Defensively, Colby has forced eight interceptions. Ameer White leads with three picks and 29 return yards, while Montrail Holmes has returned a takeaway for a touchdown. The defense has produced 14 sacks, with Joshua Iyonsi and Jack Mullen each recording 3.0. Declan McNamara leads the team with 57 total tackles.

Special teams performance includes a 4-for-5 field goal mark from the kicking unit, featuring a long of 37. Colby punter Eli Soehren averages 40.48 yards per attempt with 16 fair catches forced and 13 punts placed inside the 20, providing favorable field-position support.

Time of possession is a key challenge for the Mules, holding the ball for only 26:12 per game while opponents average 33:48. Colby has scored on 11 of 14 red-zone trips but only 7 have resulted in touchdowns. Opponents have scored 12 touchdowns on 23 red-zone chances. Colby's time of possession is 10th in the NESCAC, but the stubborn Mules have held teams to 10 or less points in four games this season.

Colby is allowing 7.7 points in wins this year, while the defense has surrendered 38, 27 and 24 in losses to Williams, Middlebury and Wesleyan, respectively. The middle quarters have given Colby the most trouble, as teams are outscoring the Mules 71-23 in the second and third frames.

Head coach Jack Cosgrove is 24-37 at Colby in his eight year. 

NESCAC Week 8 Schedule
Middlebury at Hamilton - 12:30 PM
Wesleyan at Williams - 1:00 PM
Bates at Bowdoin - 1:00 PM
Colby at Tufts - 1:00 PM
Amherst at Trinity - 1:00 PM