The Jumbos were confident walking into their first overnight travel game of the season for a game against the Hamilton Continentals in upstate New York on Saturday. The game started with a solid drive for Tufts, as senior wide receiver Jaden Richardson and junior running back Chartellis Reece grabbed first downs. Reece ran left into the endzone to cap off the 75 yard drive, making the score 6–0. Sophomore kicker Vaughn Seelicke made it 7–0. Continentals’ first-year quarterback Luke Kurzum then stepped onto the field, throwing to first-year wide receiver Chester Boynton for a 36 yard gain. A tackle in the backfield by Javier Rios, Tufts senior defensive lineman, stopped any momentum on the Hamilton drive. With the ball back in Tufts’ hands, Reece rushed for a 37 yard gain to get to the Hamilton 22 yard line. A seven yard throw to junior wide receiver Cade Moore put the team in field goal range, but Seelicke sent it wide left, keeping the score 7–0. He went one for three on field goal attempts on Saturday, his first two misses of the season.
A pitch to Reece on the next Jumbos possession would send him sprinting down the field, and after hurdling a defender, he would gain 28 yards for the Jumbos. Moore was tackled in the backfield for a loss of two yards, and the Jumbos decided to again bring out Seelicke for a field goal attempt. He sent it through the uprights to make the score 10–0.
A long pass by the Continentals was picked off by junior defensive back Louis Timmins, putting the ball back in Jumbos’ hands. Moore snagged a catch for a 24 yard gain, before junior quarterback Michael Berluti threw to Richardson, who would reach over his defender from the back and catch the ball, before turning and sprinting to the endzone to make the score 17–0 on a 63 yard gain. During the game Berluti threw for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns, completing 19 of 36 attempts.
On the ensuing Hamilton possession, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Tufts would move the ball forward, but Kurzum threw a pass that was tipped and then intercepted by junior defensive back Henry Ferrelli to stop any momentum going into halftime.
After halftime, backup sophomore quarterback Henry Rubey was brought on for a potential Kurzum injury. He rushed for 20 yards in the next two plays. Kurzum was quickly brought back on, however, and a 13 yard rush put the Continentals in scoring range, and an eight yard pass to senior wide receiver Ezra Lombardi for a touchdown made the score 17–7. Kurzum threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns, completing 17 of 29 attempts.
Two good passes by Berluti in the next Tufts possession to Reece and Moore for a total of 26 yards put the Jumbos in field goal range, but Seelicke again sent the ball wide left to keep the score 17–7. The windy conditions at Steuben Field certainly played a role in the kicking struggles throughout the game.
Two first downs started a good Continentals possession. Rubey was sacked twice, one for a loss of 10 yards by Rios and senior linebacker Shane Reiner, and another one for a loss of eight by Rios which stopped the possession from going anywhere. A big punt by Continentals' junior punter Tighe Hoey put the Jumbos on the four-yard line. Several decent runs by Reece on the next Jumbo possession only got the Jumbos to their own 29-yard line, and out came the special teams. A Tufts punt blocked by senior wide receiver Michael Lau was knocked backward and then recovered in the endzone for a touchdown by Boynton made the score 17–13. First-year kicker Ben Waterman put it through the uprights to make it 17–14.
The blocked punt broke the Jumbo’s momentum. Five plays later, the team was forced to punt again, this time by senior defensive back Vic Garza instead of the regular punter graduate student Patrick Walsh. Two unsuccessful possessions for both teams led to the score being 17–14, with 2:04 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, and the ball was in Hamilton's hands. First-year wide receiver Jack Hoag made a 21 yard catch and then Kurzum did two long rushes in the possession, one for 16 yards and one for 31 yards. An additional facemask penalty on the Jumbos put Continentals on the Tufts 12-yard line. Waterman put it through the uprights, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
NESCAC overtime rules state that each team gets a drive to attempt to get a touchdown, starting at the opposing team's 25 yard line. Representing the Continentals, senior quarterback-turned-tailback Matt Banbury rushed for three yards before Kurzum threw to junior wide receiver Josh Harmon on a 21 yard gain. Kurzum rushed one yard for a touchdown. Waterman put it through the uprights to make it 24–17. Berluti and Reece came back to respond with 12 yard runs each, then Berluti ran into the endzone for Seelicke to make the kick, making the score 24-24.
The Tufts offense stayed on the field, and good runs by Reece and Berluti put the Jumbos on the Continentals' six yard line. A six yard pass to Richardson made the score 30–24. This touchdown was the 20th of his career, breaking the previous Tufts record of 19 touchdowns. Required to go for a two-point conversion, Berluti threw to Moore to make the score 32–24. Banbury came back to respond with two runs, one of which was for a first down. Kurzum threw to Lombardi in the endzone for a touchdown, and then Hamilton also had to go for two, and Kurzum threw to senior tight end Mark Howrigan tying the score at 32. The third and following overtime attempts were drives to go for two points. Both teams did not find the endzone on their next attempts, keeping the score 32–32. Hoag found the endzone for the Continentals, and so did Reece, tying the score at 34. Then, Banbury found the endzone for Hamilton, bringing the score to 36–34. Berluti threw an incomplete pass, and the game ended 36–34 Hamilton.
The Jumbos will look to bounce back from the loss on Senior Day at 1 p.m. against Colby on Saturday.
