Jumbos win first homecoming game since 2009

Saturday was Homecoming, and the Tufts football team took the field as victors for the first time in years -- a week after the Jumbos won their first game since 2010. The stadium was packed with eager fans hoping that the Tufts win over Hamilton was only the first of many.

And the team did not disappoint. In the Jumbos' first game of the season their defense took center stage, but in Saturday's 42-24 win over the Bates Bobcats the offense carried the team to victory.

The high-scoring affair started off slowly, with neither team being able to score on its first two possessions. The 0-0 tie was not broken until there were just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Following a key 17-yard completion from senior quarterback Jack Doll to senior wide receiver Greg Lanzillo, the Jumbos had the ball on the Bobcats' 14-yard line. Once in the red zone, the offense began to feed senior running back Zack Trause. After a nine-yard run, Trause received the ball again from Doll and sprinted up the middle for a four-yard touchdown.

But the jubilant Jumbos sideline soon became dead silent after Bobcats senior defensive lineman Lani Eversage returned the subsequent kickoff to the Tufts five-yard line. Tufts’ defense was able to make a goal line stand though, and after three straight unsuccessful rushes Bates kicked a field goal, closing Tufts' lead to just four points.

The home team went into the second quarter with a 7-3 lead, with just under 12 minutes to play and with the ball on their own 24-yard line. The drive began well for Tufts, with sophomore running back Chance Brady rushing for six yards and Doll finding an open junior wide receiver Jack Cooleen for a 17-yard gain. However, three holding penalties quickly ended what looked to be a promising drive.

“There’s aggressive mistakes and then there’s, kind of, loss of mental fortitude mistakes," coach Jay Civetti said. "In that scenario, we’ve got to continue to get better if that’s what those penalties were. There were a couple there that I know we got to do a better job with."

Following the Tufts punt, Bates scored almost immediately. Senior quarterback Matt Cannone floated the ball perfectly along the left sideline to junior wide receiver Mark Riley for a 54-yard touchdown.

Riley was Cannone’s favorite target throughout the game, as he finished with nine receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jumbos had a quick three-and-out, which led to the Bobcats capitalizing once again. Bates had great field position, and Cannone was able to lead the team down inside the red zone. The senior quarterback then hit freshman wide receiver Mickey Nichol for a six-yard touchdown, increasing the Bobcats lead to 10.

In the waning minutes of the first half Doll began to lead the Jumbos' two-minute drill. The quarterback repeatedly found sophomore wide receiver Ben Berey, who had four of his 14 catches on this drive alone. With 18 seconds to play, Doll hit his favorite target of the game for a 13-yard touchdown. After a missed extra point, the score was 17-13 at the half.

The Bobcats opened the second half with a three-and-out, which led to Doll’s best drive of the game. He completed five passes in a row to four different receivers, culminating in a 23-yard Cooleen touchdown grab on a perfectly executed stop ‘n’ go route.

Bates’ floundering continued when Cannone, being heavily rushed, elected to lob the ball down the right sideline instead of throwing it away. Junior linebacker Patrick Williams was there to make the leaping interception leading to an 18-yard field goal for Tufts.

Cannone redeemed himself on the next drive by throwing a beautiful fade to Riley in the back left corner of the end zone to put Bates up by one. Just after this touchdown, however, Trause began to take over the game for the Jumbos.

Filling in for injured sophomore wide receiver Mike Rando, Trause returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards into the endzone. He got the ball at the 18, juked to the left and shot up the home team’s sideline.

After Tufts missed its two-point conversion, Bates stalled inside its own territory and was forced to punt. Trause reeled in the ball at the 49, and was able to squeak by the entire Bobcats return defense for yet another score. The Jumbos were again unable to convert their point-after so the score was now 35-24.

“I was just filling in for Rando; he was out for that time, obviously," Trause said. "I knew we needed to make a big play; both teams on special teams did their job. They gave me some open holes and I just took it."

The game was already getting out of hand for the Bobcats, but the Jumbos put the nail in the coffin on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Doll to Cooleen. The quarterback rolled right as his receiver slanted to the right, and Doll threw a dart to the back of the end zone for the score, giving Tufts a 42-24 lead that stood until the final whistle.

“We won the game," Civetti said. "They’re a [heck] of a football team. They put themselves into positions to be able to score, and I hope there’s always an area to get better. I mean again, you know, we’re asking guys to do a lot of different things. I think it just adds to the opportunity to have a team win. Let guys step up and make plays. That’s part of the game."

The undefeated Tufts squad will look to carry its momentum into next week’s game against Bowdoin in Maine.