Football dominates Hamilton in season-opening rout

In their opening game of the season, the Jumbos earned a decisive 29–2 win over the Hamilton Continentals. The resounding road victory announced Tufts as a team hungry to improve on last season's 5–4 record, and the result marks its largest margin of victory since its 31–3 trashing of Bowdoin on Oct. 7, 2017.

Senior quarterback and co-captain Ryan McDonald led Tufts in both passing yards (99) and rushing yards (98) and became just the sixth player ever in program history to score four rushing touchdowns in a game. Tufts dominated the ground game, totaling 207 rushing yards compared to Hamilton’s -11.

On the defensive side, the Jumbos played a near-perfect game. They did not allow the Continentals' offense to score a single point — the hosts' only points came on a safety. Junior linebacker Greg Holt led the game with eight tackles, including two sacks for a loss at six yards.

The Jumbos led from the start, scoring on three of their first five possessions. In the same stretch, the Continentals managed to gain just one yard from scrimmage. On its first defensive possession, Tufts forced a Hamilton punt from the one-yard line, which senior defensive back Tim Preston returned 18 yards to Hamilton's 25-yard line.The offense took advantage of the favorable field position, as sophomore kicker Matt Alswanger converted a 33-yard field goal to open Tufts’ scoring account for the 2018 season.

Both teams' subsequent drives resulted in punts, but Tufts’ special teams unit made a key contribution with with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter.Junior defensive back Mark Mastrog forced a Hamilton fumble on punt coverage, gifting Tufts the ball at the hosts' 21-yard line.The Jumbos' offense capitalized again, with McDonald running 18 yards on third-and-7 for the first of his four rushing touchdowns. After missing the extra point, Tufts held a 9–0 lead.

The Jumbos' defense continued to shine, forcing a three-and-out on Hamilton's next possession. On the ensuing offensive possession, Tufts strung together a number of big plays to complete a successful drive that bridged the first and second quarters. First, McDonald completed a 30-yard pass to senior wide receiver Frank Roche, setting up Tufts at the Hamilton 34-yard line.Another crucial play in the drive came on fourth-and-2 at the 14-yard line, with McDonald completing a six-yard pass to senior fullback Pierce Lukas to keep the Jumbos' drive alive. Two plays later, McDonald ran in for another touchdown, which gave Tufts a 15–0 lead after another missed extra point.

The Continentals seemed to finally break out of their slump midway through the second quarter, when junior quarterback and co-captain Kenny Gray completed a 54-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Will Budington on third-and-21 from their own 1-yard line. However, Tufts stifled the Hamilton offense for the remainder of the drive, forcing another punt. The Continentals' defense responded, forcing punts on the Jumbos' next two possessions.

"Looking back on when the offense stalled, it’s really just working on our efficiency and getting yards on every down,” McDonald said. "We want to avoid negative plays and just keep moving forward because once you starting moving back, it’s hard to get going in the right direction on any drive."

Whereas Tufts' offense struggled to match Hamilton's adjustments, the defense continued its dominance, as Preston and junior linebacker Tylor Scales both recorded interceptions late in the first half. This allowed Tufts to go into the break with a comfortable lead, while limiting Hamilton to just three first downs and 59 total yards. 

McDonald praised his teammates when asked about his strong performance.

“It was really just the other guys doing their jobs,” he said. “We take on the [New England] Patriots’ saying: ‘Do your job.’ When all of the guys on the field are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, it creates openings for me if the defense doesn’t account for it. So it really comes down to the other 10 guys on the field doing exactly what they’re supposed to do and being exactly where they’re supposed to be.”

Early in the second half, the Continentals advanced to the Jumbos' 27-yard line.However, Tufts senior defensive back and co-captain Alex LaPiana snatched an interception, giving the offense the ball at its own five-yard line. With Tufts backed up deep in its own territory, Hamilton's defense scored the team’s only points of the game, with senior defensive end Alex Ganter sacking McDonald in the end zone. The safety narrowed the Jumbos' lead to 15–2.

Tufts responded on its next offensive possession, as sophomore running back Mike Pedrini ripped off a 28-yard run on the first play. McDonald finished off the drive by rushing 32 yards for his third touchdown of the game. After a successful extra point, the Jumbos took a commanding 22–2 lead at the four-minute mark of the third quarter.

The Tufts defense made another big play late in the third quarter, as senior defensive lineman Nmesoma Nwafor sacked Gray for a 10-yard loss and pinned Hamilton at its own five-yard line. After starting their ensuing drive on the Continentals' 40-yard line, the Jumbos' offense converted again. McDonald rushed nine yards for his fourth and final touchdown of the game with 13:20 left.

Coach Jay Civetti was impressed with his team’s effort in the decisive win.

“Obviously it feels great to be 1–0. Anytime you win a game it’s a great feeling,” he said. “Going on the road Game 1 in an overnight and playing a complete team game like we did speaks to the leadership of our seniors and the poise that they have. They set a high standard of attention to detail for their teammates and themselves.”

On the heels of a dominant season-opening victory, Tufts will bring momentum into its first home game of the 2018 season, against Wesleyan on Sept. 22.

Civetti recognizes the dangers of being overconfident and looks forward to the significant challenge Wesleyan presents, noting the improvements necessary to ensure that the team is in the best possible place to move to 2–0.

“We have to be better and more dynamic in the passing game,” he said. “Wesleyan is going to challenge us in the run significantly, and while we pride ourselves on being able to run the ball, we’ve got to be able to throw it. Wesleyan’s got a very strong front seven and a really talented secondary — that’s probably the best defense in the league. We just need to stick to the game plan, trust our training and take it one play at a time.”