Football falls to 1–1 in Williamstown

Coming off a huge victory against the Trinity Bantams, the Jumbo football team was unable to find the same success in Williamstown, Mass., against the Williams Ephs, losing the match by a score of 44–8.

It was a much different story for the Jumbos this week on both sides of the ball, as the offense struggled to get going and the defense had trouble containing the dynamic duo of Ephs' 2018 second-team All-NESCAC junior quarterback Bobby Maimaron and first-team All-NESCAC junior wide receiver Frank Stola.

Coach Jay Civetti spoke about the offensive leaders for Williams.

"They were awesome," Civetti said. "My hats off to Williams for doing a great job, but we have to play better."

The first drives for each team turned out to be indicative of the way the game played out for the rest of the afternoon. On just the second play after the kickoff, junior running back Mike Pedrini fumbled the football and an Ephs defender came up with the ball at the Tufts 20-yard line. The Jumbos’ lost fumble was one of two on the day and one of eight turnovers in total, including those on downs. The unfortunate turnover margin in favor of Williams was uncharacteristic of Tufts, as the Jumbos only lost four fumbles in all of last year. The Ephs jumped on the Jumbos’ mistake as Maimaron ran 17 yards untouched for the first score of the game — giving Williams a 7–0 lead just under two minutes into the game.

The Jumbos offense struggled throughout the contest as the Ephs’ sophomore kicker Andrew Schreibstein put 14 points on the board — more than the entire Tufts offense. While Tufts was able to rack up 330 yards, its inability to convert on third and fourth down along with its lack of consistency on the ground and in the air plagued them. After the initial Williams touchdown, the next two Tufts possessions resulted in only 17 yards gained.

Civetti responded when asked about Tufts' offensive performance on Saturday.

"I need to put us in better positions to be successful," Civetti said. "I think overall our execution across the board needs to be better. But it starts with me."

After forcing the Jumbos out after three plays roughly halfway into the first quarter, the Ephs took advantage of their next opportunity. On a fourth-and-1 play from the Tufts 35-yard line, Maimaron found Stola streaking down the sideline for a touchdown, the first of Stola’s four receiving touchdowns of the game. The 35-yard play also added on to Stola's eventual 233 receiving yards on the day, where he broke Williams' single-game record for both touchdowns and receiving yards.

While it seemed as though Williams would pull away at this point, Tufts came back with a quick answer. In just under two minutes, the Jumbos were led down the field by Pedrini and senior quarterback Jacob Carroll. The drive was capped by a beautifully thrown ball from 27 yards out that floated in the air until it landed in the hands of junior wide receiver OJ Armstrong, who led the Jumbos with nine receptions on the day. After a bobbled snap on the resulting point after attempt, sophomore wide receiver John Andre picked up the ball and ran in for a successful two-point conversion, cutting the Ephs’ lead to six with a score of 14–8.

However, the Jumbos were not able to add to their point total for the remainder of the game. Carroll would only remain in the game for four more drives before first-year Trevon Woodsonentered as his replacement. Woodson, who had only attempted one pass in his career prior to Saturday, finished out the game for the Jumbos under center. The New York, N.Y., native finished with 124 passing yards and 79 yards on the ground to lead the Jumbos. However, he turned the ball over twice in the opponents’ territory with an interception at the 9-yard line and a fumble at the 1-yard line as he tried to extend into the end zone.

Civetti spoke about the performance of his first-year quarterback.

"I think Tre[von Woodson] did a great job," Civetti said. "I think he managed the offense well, I think he moved the ball ... [but] he's certainly learning the position and learning our offense."

On the other side of the ball, the Jumbos struggled to contain the dual-threat Maimaron, who was under the helm for Williams. Maimaron finished the afternoon with 289 passing yards, 102 rushing yards and five total touchdowns, four of which were through the air. The four touchdowns through the air all found the hands Stola who tied the Williams career receiving touchdown record with his spectacular day.

Civetti spoke about how the Jumbos tried to shut Stola down.

"We tried some different looks," Civetti said. "We tried some different things ... I think the Williams coaching staff did a great job taking advantage of some of our weaknesses."

The forceful Williams defense was led by senior defensive back Ben Anthony who tallied five solo tackles and caught two balls thrown by Tufts quarterbacks. His two interceptions in the game add up to one-third of the total interceptions he has in his career. Beside him wreaking havoc on the Tufts offense was Williams junior linebacker TJ Rothmann, who recorded seven tackles and forced one fumble.

The Jumbos return to action at the Ellis Oval on Sept. 28 when they face the Amherst Mammoths (2–0). The task will not be any easier for the Jumbos as the Mammoths are averaging 25.5 points per game, the fourth most in the NESCAC.