After a disappointing loss last week against the Wesleyan University Cardinals, Tufts football faced the undefeated Amherst College Mammoths on Saturday. The Mammoths had won their first two games of the season with impressive defensive performances, limiting Hamilton and Bates to seven points each.
To begin the game, the Mammoths won the toss but deferred to the Jumbos, who chose to receive. Tufts started with the ball on their 15-yard line. In two runs and two passes, the Jumbos were set up at their 34-yard line. On third down, senior quarterback Michael Berluti threw a 13-yard pass intercepted by the Mammoths’ defensive back Luke Harmon.
After a 2-yard run by the Mammoths to start their drive, quarterback Mason Morrow completed a short pass for a 12-yard gain. On the next play, junior linebacker Trevor Hillier got into the backfield to pressure Morrow, who scrambled and threw an interception to senior linebacker Will Duncanson.
The Jumbos started their next drive on their 33-yard line by running for a short 3-yard gain. A few more plays into the drive, after a penalty on the Mammoths and an 8-yard completion, Berluti dropped back to pass once again, completing an 11-yard throw to senior tight end Jack Elliott. Elliott ran the ball for an extra 20 yards after the catch to get into the red zone, after which the drive stalled out. Junior kicker Vaughn Seelicke made a 30-yard field goal to end the drive and put the game’s first points on the board.
The next drives for the Jumbos and the Mammoths each ended in 17 total yards gained before punting, and then the Mammoths punted once again after a quick three and out.
The first quarter came to an end on a short run by sophomore running back Christian Shapiro. To begin the second quarter, Berluti completed a deep 40-yard pass to sophomore receiver Matt Rios at the Mammoths’ 8-yard line. After a short run by Shapiro, Berluti was able to punch the ball into the endzone on a 5-yard run, and the PAT attempt by Seelicke was good.
The Mammoths began their drive looking to score their first points, and in 10 plays and 37 yards, it was fourth down with two yards to go. On the Jumbos’ 38-yard line, Morrow dropped back to pass but his attempt was broken up by senior defensive back Jameer Alves, causing a turnover on downs.
The Jumbos took the momentum from the turnover to march down the field in a powerful fashion. Berluti showed off, throwing for 34 yards and running for 25 yards and a touchdown to end the drive. The Jumbos then went for a 2-point conversion, which was successfully run in by senior quarterback Luke Leongas.
On the next drive for the Mammoths, they were once again held to a three and out. The Jumbos’ offense took time down into the last minute of the half at which point Seelicke missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.
For the third time, the Mammoths were held to a three and out and punted the ball back to the Jumbos, who ran the time out in the first half of the game.
To begin the second half, the Mammoths were stunted again by the Jumbos’ defense in three plays, with graduate student defensive lineman Javier Rios and Duncanson combining for a sack on third down.
During the next drive, Shapiro ran for 22 yards on three runs and Berluti passed for 18 yards on his first two attempts, while also rushing for six. A few plays later, Berluti passed to Cade Moore for a 20-yard touchdown. Seelicke’s PAT attempt was good, giving the Jumbos a 25–0 lead.
The next drive for the Mammoths ended in three plays again; however, the Jumbos gave the ball right back by fumbling on third down. The Mammoths began their drive with hopes of a late comeback dwindling, resulting in a 23-yard pass for their first first down since the second quarter, but on the next play, Duncanson got his second interception of the game.
After a Jumbos punt, the Mammoths substituted in backup quarterback John Collier. Collier led the Mammoths down the field, just outside of the red zone. But Collier was tackled for a 5-yard loss by senior defensive lineman Jalen Hill and intercepted on the next play by sophomore defensive back Ty Richardson.
The Jumbos got the ball back with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which they impressively used up in 17 rush plays in a row, ending the game and winning 25–0.
In this dominant win for the Jumbos, Berluti passed for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns. The Jumbos ran for 197 yards, led by running back Shapiro with 85 yards. The Jumbos had 427 total yards while holding the Mammoths to 119. Ultimately, the Jumbos dominated in almost every statistical category.
After the game, senior defensive lineman and team captain Dom DeCrescenzo discussed the Jumbos’ dominance on the defensive side of the ball.
“This was [Coach Civetti’s] first home win against Amherst ever in his career,” DeCrescenzo said. “I told the guys at halftime, let’s get this done for him. … He bleeds brown and blue.”
To get the win, Decrescenzo emphasized the importance of practice. “I think what we face in practice is the best we’ve seen in the NESCAC. And I believe that wholeheartedly,” he explained, “Let’s just do the same thing that we do in a practice that we do in games.”
The Jumbos will host the undefeated Trinity College Bantams on Oct. 5.
The Jumbos face off against the Amherst Mammoths on Sept. 28.
