Tufts football fell to Amherst 24–21 in a close match on Saturday at Amherst’s Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium. This loss brought the Jumbos’ record to 0–3 with six games remaining in the season.
Despite the loss, the Jumbos dominated the Mammoths in the final stat line. Tufts finished the game with 454 total yards and 55% third-down efficiency, winning the battle for time of possession.
After an impressive opening, Tufts' drive stalled with an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-one from the Amherst 25-yard line, Amherst sophomore quarterback Brad Breckenridge opened with a 69-yard run on the Mammoths’ first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Breckenridge punched it into the end zone himself with a four-yard run, capping a three play, 75-yard drive that took just over a minute to complete. After a successful extra-point kick, Amherst led Tufts 7–0 with just over 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Jumbos responded with an impressive drive to close the first half. With a 28-yard completion from sophomore quarterback Matt Crowley and a personal foul committed by the Mammoths, the Jumbos advanced the ball to the one yard line, where junior running back Tyler Johnson tied the game at 7–7 with a touchdown.
In the second half, Tufts senior John Andre started the Jumbos off with a 23-yard punt return. Tufts used this return to break the deadlock with a six-play, 42-yard drive led by first-year quarterback Michael Berluti, who replaced the injured Crowley. The drive was capped by another Johnson touchdown. Junior kicker Patrick Walsh extended the Jumbos lead to 14–7 after a successful extra point kick.
Johnson leads the team in rushing yards with 200 and has contributed 18 points in three games. Senior cornerback and co-captain Brandyn Jones discussed the impact Johnson has had on the team so far this season.
“From the moment [Johnson] stepped on campus, we all knew what kind of player he was going to be,” Jones said. “With Mike [Pedrini] going down in Week 1, he’s been thrusted into that RB1 role and he’s handled every bit of it. With the injuries on offense, our offense leans on him and the run game and he’s doing very well. I think he’s just scratching the surface of his potential and I’m excited to see him the rest of this season and into next year.”
After the Jumbos came out of the half with a 14–7 lead, the Mammoths took control of the game. A seven-play, 53-yard drive set up a 39-yard field goal to draw the game within four points with 8:32 remaining in the third quarter. Three minutes later, Amherst struck again and took the lead on a 15-yard touchdown by Breckenridge.
The ensuing Tufts drive got off to a strong start with a 33-yard strike from Berluti to sophomore wide receiver Jaden Richardson. However, a 24-yard field goal attempt by the Jumbos was blocked and returned 71 yards by the Mammoths to the Tufts 19-yard line. After a fourth down conversion, Amherst was able to capitalize on this strong field position with Breckenridge’s third touchdown run of the day, extending their lead to 24–14.
Following turnovers from both teams and a missed Amherst field goal, Berluti led Tufts on an impressive 12-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Billy Dunn.
“Before the play, I saw Coach Civetti signal to Berluti to throw it to me,” Dunn said. “I was a little nervous because the corner was lined up perfectly to stop it, but I gave him a little fake inside and Berluti threw a perfect ball that allowed me to go get it, which is something he’s done in practice countless times.”
With the score at 24–21 after the touchdown, Tufts attempted an onside kick with three minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the game, but the Jumbos were unable to recover. The final score stayed at 24–21 Amherst, with the Tufts comeback falling just short.
“I think despite the loss, there were a lot of positives,” Dunn said. “We had a lot of young guys step up. [Crowley] played really well, [Berluti] stepped in for him and played great, [defensive lineman Ed Iuteri] had a huge game, and [Richardson] also came in and had some great catches. I’m very proud of those guys and how they responded. I think something we can improve on is scoring in the red zone. We’re going to work on finishing in the fourth quarter.”
Next week, Tufts faces Bates in a 1 p.m. matchup at home. The team hopes to get its first win of the season.
“Bates is another tough team that’s going to come in here and test us,” Jones said. “Right now we’re just looking to finish games. We’re hanging in there and fighting but just not doing enough down the stretch to seal the deal. We aren’t panicking and it’s not time to hit a total reset but we understand what we’ve done the first three weeks hasn’t been good enough so there’s an emphasis in our locker room on finishing and making the big play to change the game.”
