Tufts football hit the road on Saturday, heading to Williamstown to take on Williams at Farley-Lamb Field. Coming off a 20–13 win over Hamilton on Oct. 19, Tufts went into the game knowing they needed to deliver against a tough Williams team to keep their NESCAC title hopes alive.
After a three-and-out for Williams, Tufts set the tone early, scoring on their opening possession with a crisp nine-play: a 54-yard drive ending with a 15-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Justin Keller, the first of his career. With the defense stalling the Ephs, the Jumbos were able to extend their lead early in the second quarter. A 41-yard connection from senior quarterback Michael Berluti to senior wide receiver Cade Moore brought Tufts to the 2-yard line, where sophomore running back Christian Shapiro punched it in for his sixth touchdown of the season, putting Tufts ahead 14–0.
In the second quarter, Williams was poised and determined to close the gap. Running back Mario Fischetti ripped off a 46-yard run, giving the Williams offense new life. Though Tufts’ defense held firm and forced Williams to settle for a 26-yard field goal, the shift in momentum was real. Williams struck again just before the half, as quarterback Owen McHugh scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 14–10. In the ensuing possession, Berluti threw a pick on the first play, giving Williams a shot to steal the lead. But just when it looked like the Jumbos were on their heels, defensive back Ty Richardson came up with a clutch interception in the end zone to keep the Jumbos on top at the break.
The Jumbos controlled the pace to open the second half, eating up over seven minutes of clock on a 13-play drive. Williams’ defense held in the red zone, but junior kicker Vaughn Seelicke knocked a 22-yard field goal through the uprights, extending Tufts’ lead to 17–10.
Williams struggled to regain their footing in the third quarter. One of their best chances came after recovering a muffed punt deep in Tufts territory, but they squandered the opportunity when McHugh’s pass was intercepted by senior defensive back Louis Timmins in the end zone. McHugh’s three interceptions on the day were a key factor in stalling the Ephs’ offense.
However, Williams came out swinging in the fourth quarter. McHugh connected with wide receiver Cameron Lee on a 3-yard touchdown pass to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Tufts didn’t flinch. With the game deadlocked at 17–17, the Jumbos responded with a critical nine-play, 72-yard drive, leaning on Shapiro’s running to move the chains. Berluti finished the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Moore, putting Tufts back in the driver’s seat with just over three minutes left.
The Jumbos’ defense came through again on Ephs’ next drive. Junior linebacker Jeff Xu stepped in front of a pass intended for Lee, picking off McHugh and returning it to the Williams’ 13-yard line. This clutch play forced the Ephs to burn their remaining timeouts as the Jumbos ran down the clock and added a 32-yard field goal from Seelicke to make it a two-possession game.
Williams still refused to go quietly, marching downfield in under a minute to score on a 22-yard pass from McHugh to quarterback Luke Bobo. With just 1:20 left, the Ephs attempted an onside kick, but Richardson recovered the ball for Tufts, allowing the Jumbos to run out the clock and seal the win, 27–24.
Shapiro led the way for the Jumbos with a career-high 131 rushing yards on 23 carries. “Nothing happens without the big boys up front,” Shapiro said, reflecting on his performance in an email to the Daily. “When the guys up front perform like they did this weekend, it makes it easy for me to do my job.” His consistent gains helped Tufts control the pace, extend drives and wear down the Williams defense.
Berluti was effective, contributing 146 passing yards and 62 on the ground. Moore hauled in six catches for 106 yards. On the defensive side, the Jumbos snagged four interceptions: Richardson, Xu, Timmins and senior defensive back Henry Ferrelli all notched picks.
With two games remaining, Tufts (5–2) sits one win behind in the NESCAC standings of leaders Trinity and Wesleyan, keeping their hopes for the conference title alive. “Going 7-2 is something that this program hasn’t seen for a long time,” Shapiro wrote in an email to the Daily, emphasizing the team’s determination for the top spot in NESCAC. Going 1-0 against Colby is the first step in that process. All week we talk about focusing on “us” and realizing that we are the only team that can stop ourselves from reaching our goals.”
The Jumbos will head to Waterville, Maine on Saturday for a matchup against the Mules, aiming to extend their three-game winning streak and remain in the fight for the NESCAC crown.
