Football: Trinity seizes first place in NESCAC as Tufts falls to 3–2

Trinity (5–0) defeated Tufts (3–2) by a touchdown on Saturday in a contest that featured an end zone to end zone interception returned for a touchdown followed by a blocked extra point converted for two points at the other end. The 23–16 final score hardly reflects the grinding defensive game played at Ellis Oval.

With the score tied at 16, the Bantams received a 52-yard kickoff from first-year placekicker Matthew Alswanger and returned it 20 yards to their 33-yard line.With 12:44 on the clock, Trinity decided to put the ball on the ground and keep it there. Junior running back Max Chipouras ran for 165 yards on 29 attempts during the game. On this drive alone Chipouras rushed eight times for 45 yards. His final run was a 1-yard race to the front right pylon of Tufts' end zone that sealed the contest 23–16.The game-winner was Chipouras' only touchdown of the day. A luxury for Trinity at running back, Chipouras leads the NESCAC with 111.8 rushing yards per game and seven touchdowns.

Trinity's fourth quarter touchdown drive burned 5:42 off the clock, allowing just over seven minutes for Tufts to respond. The Jumbos did not move the ball, though, and were forced to punt a little over three minutes later.Though Trinity marched down to Tufts' 26-yard line on its final drive, Tufts held them out of the end zone and forced a turnover on downs.

Trinity senior quarterback Sonny Puzzo threw an incomplete pass that hit the ground with one second remaining on the game clock but the referees originally made the call that the game was over. Both teams lined up and began shaking hands at midfield, but after Civetti spoke with the officials, they decided to allow Tufts one last play. The Jumbos ran a hook-and-ladder play, which involves short lateral passes just before being tackled to keep the ball alive, but the play quickly broke down with a fumble and a blatant forward pass. The contest ended with at least two yellow flags on the field. The teams shook hands for a second time.

Tufts evened the score at 16 on a drive that began with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Senior wide receiver Jack Dolan took the kick 41 yards out of Tufts' end zone, earning excellent starting field position. First-year running back Mike Pedrini burst through a hole up the middle and bruised through the second level of Trinity's defense for a 16-yard gain.The Jumbo drive appeared to be stalling a few plays later on third and 24, but junior quarterback Ryan McDonald tossed a perfectly placed deep ball to junior wide receiver Frank Roche, who high-pointed his defender and came down with a 40-yard gain. Pedrini sealed the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run.

"I thought Andrew [Sanders] ran well," Tufts coach Jay Civetti said. "I thought Michael [Pedrini] ran well. They’re continuing to develop as a nice one-two punch there. Mike [Pedrini] brings some physicality and Andrew [Sanders] brings some speed. I mean look, it’s a freshman and a sophomore. They’re learning their way and I think they’re doing a good job and I think we’ve got a bright future with both those guys back there."

Trailing 13–9 a few minutes earlier in the third quarter, Tufts received a touchback punt from Trinity. On what appeared to be a read-option play, McDonald and his running back miscommunicated and fumbled. Trinity recovered on Tufts' 33-yard line. The Jumbo defense held strong, however, and the Bantams were forced to kick a field goal after sophomore linebacker Tylor Scales sacked Puzzo on third down. Junior placekicker Eric Sachse's 40-yard try sailed through the uprights, bringing the score to 16–9.

The score was stuck at 7–7 early in the third quarter and Tufts marched all the way to the red zone on a drive that started at its own 20. McDonald's throw to the back right corner of the end zone was picked off by senior cornerback Dominique Seagears who then bolted up the left sideline all the way for a touchdown.

"We’ve just got to be better with the football," Civetti said. "We need to do a better job with executing, especially down in the red zone. Whether it’s where Ryan [McDonald]’s putting the ball or whether it’s [on] the receivers, once that ball is in the air, sometimes you’ve got to go play defense. [On] an underthrown ball, you’ve got to be able to switch gears and go get the ball out of the defensive player’s hands."

The runback deflated the home fans but they had reason to cheer soon enough. On the extra point attempt, a Tufts player got a hand on the ball to deflect it as the kick went up. The ball bobbled back 10 yards behind Sachse, who scrambled to fall on it. Junior defensive back Tim Preston beat Sachse to the ball, scooped it up and ran the length of the field to score a two-point conversion. A red zone pick-six and a blocked extra point into a two-point conversion is a truly rare sequence, highlighting just how much effort the two teams brought to the contest.

"I think it was Zach Thomas who had a big block there," Preston said. "I was the scoop and score guy on that play, so I picked it up and returned it to the house."

The Jumbos are no strangers to blocking kicks. Junior defensive lineman Nmesoma Nwafor prevented Trinity from scoring on a 36-yard attempt at the end of the first halfand Preston blocked a kick against Wesleyan earlier this season.

"I just think [special teams are] important to us," Civetti said. "I think we stress it. We treat it like it’s another play. The same way we attack first downs, the same way we attack field goals. Sometimes I think at least our advantage is we’ve got good kids working hard. Sometimes we scheme it up the right way."

With roughly two minutes left in the second quarter, Puzzo connected with sophomore wide receiver Koby Schofer, who was left open on the right side, for a 24-yard touchdown.The drive began on Trinity's 13-yard line and Tufts suffered two penalties throughout the drive — a personal foul and an offsides call.

The Jumbos got on the scoreboard first on their first possession of the second quarter. The Jumbos faced a third and 15 situation backed up on their own 18-yard line, but McDonald threw a strike to Roche for a 16-yard gain. A few plays later sophomore running back Andrew Sanders broke an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage and made a defender miss in the second level to break off a 19-yard run. Suddenly the Jumbos were in Bantam territory and they made the most of the opportunity. McDonald faked a handoff and split the safety and defensive back to hit Roche, who came over from the slot, for a 39-yard touchdown. Alswanger nailed the extra point attempt and Tufts went up 7–0.

"We thought we could attack the middle of the field against [Trinity]," Roche said. "And so it was just a seam route by me and Ryan [McDonald] threw a great ball ... and I just found daylight."

Roche played defensive back for the Jumbos his first two years but switched to wide receiver this summer. The transition, he said, allows him extra insight into defensive reads.

"You try and get a pre-snap read of what the defense is looking at so you can kind of adjust to them and know what to expect," Roche said. "But in terms of the adjustment personally making the switch it wasn’t too big of an adjustment. Just learning the plays and learning the playbook."

Neither the Jumbos nor the Bantams scored in the first period, as both teams locked up on defense. The ball mostly hovered around midfield as neither team even made it as far as the opponent's red zone.

Trinity's offensive line is a strength as the team averages the second most rushing yards per game in the NESCAC. Senior offensive lineman Chris Simmons is a returning All-NESCAC first teamer for Trinity and a recipient of the 2017 National Strength and Conditioning Association Athlete of the YearAward.

"You’re always aware of where [Simmons] is," Civetti said. "Trinity probably could have had five All-league players to be honest with you. Simmons obviously does a great job. He’s a great person, great kid. We didn’t necessarily game anything specific [for him]. They’re good at all those positions so our scheme did not necessarily revolve around him."

Despite Trinity's offensive line strength, Tufts was accredited with six sacks against Puzzo. In reality Puzzo was hit far more often than that as the front seven generated consistent pressure on the quarterback. Senior linebacker Zach Thomas is tied for the NESCAC sack lead, as he earned his fifth takedown against Trinity.  Senior defensive linemen Micah Adickes and quad-captain Doug Harrison registered a sack and a half and a sack respectively, and they currently share fourth place in the NESCAC sack standings. The Tufts defense as a whole leads the NESCAC with 21 sacks to second place Wesleyan's 17.

"I think Micah Adickes in particular had a great game," Civetti said. "Doug [Harrison] I think made some big stops. Zach Thomas did a great job pressuring. The four of those guys up front did as much as they can. We continue to talk as a staff and kind of evaluate the overall appearance of it, but from my vantage point, from what I saw of it, I think those guys pressed as hard as they could."

The Jumbos gave up 85 yards on eight penalties compared with 43 yards on four penalties for the Bantams; this has been a recurring issue for Tufts, as the Jumbos are the most penalized team in the NESCAC.

Both Preston and Roche tabbed junior defensive back Alex LaPiana as someone who played well on Saturday.

"They were definitely coming after him, throwing the ball at him, and he stood up to the attack," Roche said. "He made a few plays on defense and punting the ball. He did a great job pinning them deep and giving them tough field position to work with."

Tufts now looks to an away game against Williams (4–1) while Trinity returns home to host Bowdoin (0–5).

"Coach Civetti has a 24-hour rule," Preston said. "We’ve just got to forget about Saturday and move on. We’ve got a big game coming up against Williams so everyone’s already watching film and getting prepared for that. They’ve got a young team, a lot of talent, so it should be fun."