Tufts (4–2) outlasted the Williams Ephs (4–2) in a low-scoring 21–13 defensive battle on Farley-Lamb Field. Tufts rebounded from last week's close 23–16 loss to NESCAC-leading Trinity with the win, while Williams failed to build on the momentum from its second win in a row, a 27–26 upset over Middlebury in Vermont."I’m really proud of the way the guys bounced back after a tough loss last week," coach Jay Civetti said. "That’s probably the hardest road game out there, just because it’s a long day to drive out there. It’s three [hours] and change ... longer than any other day trip we have."Tufts held Williams to its second lowest point total of the season, well below its 27 points per game average entering the contest.Though the Jumbos were also held below their per game scoring average, the offense's three touchdowns — along with a safety — were more than enough to dispatch the Ephs.Tufts received the ball up one possession, 21–13, with 6:06 remaining in regulation. In order to burn up some time, the Jumbos put the ball on the ground with sophomore running back Jay Tyler. At 205 pounds and 6 feet 1 inch, Tyler is the largest running back on Tufts' roster. Despite Williams expecting the run, Tyler still picked up nine yards on his first two carries for a first down.At about midfield on a third-and-5 with just under four minutes to go, Tufts' drive appeared to be stuck in neutral. Enter senior wide receiver Jack Dolan, whose 36 receptions for 450 yards and five touchdowns are all team-highs. Dolan found open space between two Williams players, and junior quarterback Ryan McDonalddelivered the ball right to Dolan's chest for a 25-yard gain.
Having already burned two of its timeouts, Williams desperately needed a stop. However, McDonald used his legs to pick up a first down and later scramble in the backfield until the clock read triple zeroes.Down 21–7 in the fourth quarter, Williams needed a touchdown to come within striking distance of Tufts. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Horihan earned the Ephs a chance to score along with excellent field position when he dropped into coverage and picked off McDonald with just under 10 minutes to play.
Feeling the time pressure, Williams leaned on the arm of first-year quarterback Bobby Maimaron for seven straight plays. Maimaron completed the first four passes but wound up with a fourth-and-2 situation on Tufts' 21-yard line.First-year tight end Justin Burke had not caught a pass all day, but he picked the perfect moment for Williams, as he found space for a 16-yard reception, setting his team up with a first-and-goal situation. First-year running back TJ Dozier was stuffed twice by Tufts' dominant defensive line, but on third down a penalty against Tufts gifted Williams a new set of downs. Again, the Jumbos stuffed the Ephs at the goal line on two consecutive runs. It was on the Eph's sixth goal-line try that Dozier punched in the touchdown. First-year placekicker Min Kyu Park couldn't convert the extra point, so Williams settled in down 21–13.With 2:42 to go in the third period, Tufts started its final touchdown drive of the game. Lasting just over a minute, the drive only took three plays.McDonald found junior wide receiver Spenser Clouse on back-to-back plays for 21 and 10 yards, respectively. To finish the series, Tyler broke off the longest run of his career, 26 yards, and scored his second career touchdown. First-year placekicker Matthew Alswanger failed to convert the extra point.
"We were down by injury to our fourth tailback, which Jay [Tyler] currently is," Civetti said. "Dom Borelli’s been out for quite a while. Mike Pedrini and [Andrew] Sanders both stepped in there and they were both injured in the game. So Jay [Tyler], who’s been steadily right in the mix, we were confidently excited to be able to put him in the game."
With a roster of approximately 90 players, it's rare for some players to see playing time during their underclassmen seasons. However, Tyler was prepared to step up this weekend.
"[We’re] certainly lucky to be able to have that group of guys where you can put in a kid who hasn’t carried the ball all season ... in a high-stress situation and to be able to put a game like that away," Civetti added. "I was really proud of him and happy for him. Like I told him when he scored, ‘I’m probably the only one on the field who’s not surprised.’”Tyler credited his teammates for helping him get into the end zone.
"The [offensive] line did a great job blocking," Tyler said. "I made the right read and just cut straight up the seam and got in. I didn’t really do anything extra on that. Credit that one to the [offensive] line."Earlier in the third quarter, senior defensive lineman Micah Adickes sacked Maimaron, backing Williams up to its own 1-yard line on fourth down. Williams punted, but the punt appeared to be tipped and Dolan was able to return it back to Williams' 29-yard line.Thanks in large part to a McDonald scramble for 18 yards, Tufts made it all the way to Williams' 1-yard line. The Jumbos couldn't get across the line, though, and turned the ball over on downs.Dozier rushed for a 1-yard loss, as sophomore linebacker Greg Holt took him down for an apparent safety, but the referees ruled Dozier down at the one. On the next play a holding penalty against Williams in the end zone produced the same effect, with Tufts tacking on two, 15–7, with a safety.Each team started the game with four consecutive scoreless possessions, nearly coming to halftime locked in a 0–0 tie. But with just under four minutes to go, Tufts opened the floodgates. Tufts lined up at midfield and McDonald threw a quick slant to Dolan. The professional playmaker's after-the-catch prowess was on full display against the Ephs, as Dolan simply refused to go down. A human pinball, Dolan bounced off two would-be tacklers before a third Eph hitting him from behind propelled him into the end zone. The catch and run burned up 59 yards of field and put Tufts on the board 7–0 after Alswanger's extra point conversion."He got propelled forward by one of their players and just shot out of a cannon," Civetti said.Williams answered right back with a three-play touchdown drive of its own on the ensuing possession. The biggest play was a pass to first-year wide receiver Frank Stola that went for 42 yards. Maimaron finished the drive by connecting with Horihan for a 13-yard touchdown, and Kyu Park's kick sailed through the uprights, tying the game at 7–7.
"What really matters for the [defensive] line is that right now through six games we have 25 sacks," Adickes said. "It’s such a unit-based thing. On both of my sacks, the other defensive end, Zach Thomas, was right there pushing [the quarterback] into me. I do the same thing for him. The guys on the inside are always holding up, Doug [Harrison] and Nmesoma [Nwafor] are strong. It’s totally a group effort, I’m not just saying that."Maimaron was reigning NESCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week last week after leading the Ephs 80 yards down the field with just over two minutes left for a come from behind win against Middlebury.
This week, McDonald earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his career-high 336 passing yards, and for helping to engineer three touchdown drives in the victory.
Tufts hosts Amherst (5–1) on Saturday in a game that could potentially determine which team finishes above the other in the standings. Tufts must look to contain the league's second best offense, 33.3 points per game, led by a potent rushing attack that has scored 14 touchdowns and averages almost 200 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, Tufts will have to find a way around Amherst's league-best run defense that has allowed only 72.3 yards per game — the only team giving up fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground."They’re probably one of the best teams in the league," Civetti said. "If you look at them statistically they might be the best team in the league. They’re fantastic on defense, they’re scary on offense, and they’re as well coached in this league as you’re going to find. [Coach] E.J. Mills and his staff are phenomenal. So we’ve got our hands full this weekend."
Having already burned two of its timeouts, Williams desperately needed a stop. However, McDonald used his legs to pick up a first down and later scramble in the backfield until the clock read triple zeroes.Down 21–7 in the fourth quarter, Williams needed a touchdown to come within striking distance of Tufts. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Horihan earned the Ephs a chance to score along with excellent field position when he dropped into coverage and picked off McDonald with just under 10 minutes to play.
Feeling the time pressure, Williams leaned on the arm of first-year quarterback Bobby Maimaron for seven straight plays. Maimaron completed the first four passes but wound up with a fourth-and-2 situation on Tufts' 21-yard line.First-year tight end Justin Burke had not caught a pass all day, but he picked the perfect moment for Williams, as he found space for a 16-yard reception, setting his team up with a first-and-goal situation. First-year running back TJ Dozier was stuffed twice by Tufts' dominant defensive line, but on third down a penalty against Tufts gifted Williams a new set of downs. Again, the Jumbos stuffed the Ephs at the goal line on two consecutive runs. It was on the Eph's sixth goal-line try that Dozier punched in the touchdown. First-year placekicker Min Kyu Park couldn't convert the extra point, so Williams settled in down 21–13.With 2:42 to go in the third period, Tufts started its final touchdown drive of the game. Lasting just over a minute, the drive only took three plays.McDonald found junior wide receiver Spenser Clouse on back-to-back plays for 21 and 10 yards, respectively. To finish the series, Tyler broke off the longest run of his career, 26 yards, and scored his second career touchdown. First-year placekicker Matthew Alswanger failed to convert the extra point.
"We were down by injury to our fourth tailback, which Jay [Tyler] currently is," Civetti said. "Dom Borelli’s been out for quite a while. Mike Pedrini and [Andrew] Sanders both stepped in there and they were both injured in the game. So Jay [Tyler], who’s been steadily right in the mix, we were confidently excited to be able to put him in the game."
With a roster of approximately 90 players, it's rare for some players to see playing time during their underclassmen seasons. However, Tyler was prepared to step up this weekend.
"[We’re] certainly lucky to be able to have that group of guys where you can put in a kid who hasn’t carried the ball all season ... in a high-stress situation and to be able to put a game like that away," Civetti added. "I was really proud of him and happy for him. Like I told him when he scored, ‘I’m probably the only one on the field who’s not surprised.’”Tyler credited his teammates for helping him get into the end zone.
"The [offensive] line did a great job blocking," Tyler said. "I made the right read and just cut straight up the seam and got in. I didn’t really do anything extra on that. Credit that one to the [offensive] line."Earlier in the third quarter, senior defensive lineman Micah Adickes sacked Maimaron, backing Williams up to its own 1-yard line on fourth down. Williams punted, but the punt appeared to be tipped and Dolan was able to return it back to Williams' 29-yard line.Thanks in large part to a McDonald scramble for 18 yards, Tufts made it all the way to Williams' 1-yard line. The Jumbos couldn't get across the line, though, and turned the ball over on downs.Dozier rushed for a 1-yard loss, as sophomore linebacker Greg Holt took him down for an apparent safety, but the referees ruled Dozier down at the one. On the next play a holding penalty against Williams in the end zone produced the same effect, with Tufts tacking on two, 15–7, with a safety.Each team started the game with four consecutive scoreless possessions, nearly coming to halftime locked in a 0–0 tie. But with just under four minutes to go, Tufts opened the floodgates. Tufts lined up at midfield and McDonald threw a quick slant to Dolan. The professional playmaker's after-the-catch prowess was on full display against the Ephs, as Dolan simply refused to go down. A human pinball, Dolan bounced off two would-be tacklers before a third Eph hitting him from behind propelled him into the end zone. The catch and run burned up 59 yards of field and put Tufts on the board 7–0 after Alswanger's extra point conversion."He got propelled forward by one of their players and just shot out of a cannon," Civetti said.Williams answered right back with a three-play touchdown drive of its own on the ensuing possession. The biggest play was a pass to first-year wide receiver Frank Stola that went for 42 yards. Maimaron finished the drive by connecting with Horihan for a 13-yard touchdown, and Kyu Park's kick sailed through the uprights, tying the game at 7–7.
The Jumbos got the ball back with 2:22 left in the half, and a 27-yard connection between McDonald and Dolan, followed by a 14-yard strike to junior wide receiver Frank Roche, set up a first and goal for Tufts. McDonald ran the ball to the 2-yard line and first-year running back Mike Pedrini broke the plane to earn Tufts the lead. A botched snap bounced behind Alswanger, who quickly recovered the ball and threw a pass into the end zone that fell incomplete, saving a potential Williams recover and two-point conversion.
Though Tufts never trailed in the contest, for most of the game Williams was within striking distance and the teams were dead even until the end of the second quarter. Last year the Ephs went 0–8, so their 4–2 start to this season is a vast improvement.Williams' last four-win season was in 2012, when it went 4–4. Tufts has owned the matchup recently, as the last time Williams emerged victorious was in 2013 in the midst of Tufts' own 0–8 season.Dolan broke 100 yards receiving and Roche paced the Jumbos with seven catches. Tufts' defensive line generated pressure on Maimaron all game, sacking him four times. Tufts has sacked the opposing quarterback at least four times in five out of six games this season. Adickes earned two sacks against Williams and is second in the NESCAC with 6.5 on the season. The trio of Adickes, fellow senior defensive linemen Zach Thomas and quad-captain Doug Harrison combine for 15.5 sacks on the season. That is more than six of the 10 NESCAC teams."What really matters for the [defensive] line is that right now through six games we have 25 sacks," Adickes said. "It’s such a unit-based thing. On both of my sacks, the other defensive end, Zach Thomas, was right there pushing [the quarterback] into me. I do the same thing for him. The guys on the inside are always holding up, Doug [Harrison] and Nmesoma [Nwafor] are strong. It’s totally a group effort, I’m not just saying that."Maimaron was reigning NESCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week last week after leading the Ephs 80 yards down the field with just over two minutes left for a come from behind win against Middlebury.
This week, McDonald earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his career-high 336 passing yards, and for helping to engineer three touchdown drives in the victory.
Tufts hosts Amherst (5–1) on Saturday in a game that could potentially determine which team finishes above the other in the standings. Tufts must look to contain the league's second best offense, 33.3 points per game, led by a potent rushing attack that has scored 14 touchdowns and averages almost 200 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, Tufts will have to find a way around Amherst's league-best run defense that has allowed only 72.3 yards per game — the only team giving up fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground."They’re probably one of the best teams in the league," Civetti said. "If you look at them statistically they might be the best team in the league. They’re fantastic on defense, they’re scary on offense, and they’re as well coached in this league as you’re going to find. [Coach] E.J. Mills and his staff are phenomenal. So we’ve got our hands full this weekend."
