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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tufts football falls to Williams in back-and-forth overtime battle

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Williams College took a 32-29 victory against Tufts at the newly renovated Ellis Oval on Saturday, September 25.

Tufts football welcomed fans back to Ellis Oval for the first time on their new turf field on Saturday where they hosted the Williams College Ephs. The new synthetic turf field was recently installed as part of a $2.7 million renovation project. After a tightly fought battle, the Jumbos ultimately fell to the Ephs 32–29 in overtime, bringing their record to 0–2 on the season.

Just over three minutes into the game, junior starting quarterback Trevon Woodson and the Jumbos’ offense opened up the scoring with a one-handed grab on the left side of the endzone by junior tight end Joshua Meriwether. The 10-yard touchdown reception was the first reception of Meriwether’s college career. After a blocked extra point, Tufts led Williams 6–0.

The Jumbos’ defense made a key stop on the Ephs’ first offensive position of the game; however, the Ephs' next possession ended with their quarterback rushing 10 yards into the uncovered left side of the Tufts endzone. After a made extra point, the Ephs took the lead 7–6. On their next drive, Woodson and sophomore running back Tyler Johnson were the only two players to touch the ball on eight straight plays, resulting in 62 total yards gained. At the end of the first quarter, Johnson already had over 100 yards from scrimmage.

A key three-and-out forced by the Jumbos' defense on the Ephs’ next drive gave Woodson another chance to reclaim the lead. He pounced on this opportunity, completing a 20-yard pass to junior wide receiver Philip Lutz down to the Williams 12-yard line. On the next play, graduate wide receiver OJ Armstrong made a leaping grab in the middle of the end zone, even managing to absorb a hit from a defender and stay on his feet for the touchdown. After another missed extra point, Tufts led 12–7.

Strokes of good and bad fortune struck for Tufts before the end of the first half. First, senior CB Brandyn Jones made a great defensive play to punch away a pass, which forced a turnover on downs. On the next drive, Woodson was injured on a seven-yard rush on third-and-13 and would not return to the game. To begin the second half, first-year quarterback Matt Crowley stepped in and the Jumbos responded to their first half kicking woes by assigning junior punter Patrick Walsh to field goal and extra point duties for the first time in his collegiate career.

After the Ephs took the lead 16–12, a 46-yard touchdown pass from Crowley to Lutz and Walsh’s extra point made the score 19–16 in favor of Tufts. Tufts and Williams exchanged touchdowns, bringing the score to 26–23. The Jumbos came off a one-yard rushing touchdown up the middle by Johnson, bringing his game to 59 receiving yards to 114 rushing yards and a touchdown, earning him Tufts Athlete of the Week honors.

“[Getting my first start was] nothing I wasn’t prepared for," Johnson said. "I was really just nervous because it was a game and that’s just how I naturally am, but it never crossed my mind that ‘the start’ mindset was a big deal to me. I just go out there and I just act like it’s practice. I do what I do all week and just execute ... I was appreciative of the moment, just to be in there, and I was just thankful to play.”

The Ephs' kicker nailed a 33-yard field goal to tie the game at 26 apiece with 43 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime. The Jumbos’ offense began the period at the Ephs’ 25-yard line. After gaining only two yards on the possession, they had to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Walsh, who made all of his kicks on his kicking debut. The Ephs’ offense took over trailing 29–26, but connected on the first play and took the game with a four-yard touchdown rush.

“A great game today down at the Oval, our kids played incredibly well," head coach Jay Civetti said. "Incredibly resilient to bounce back after a tough loss like last week down at Trinity. I was really impressed with the leadership and play of our group."

Jones, who tied for the team lead in tackles in the game, also commented on the improved defensive play.

“This week I feel like the defense had a much more focused game plan ... I think the defense took the performance that we had Week 1 kind of personally, re-attacked last week, focused in, did the things we had to correct, just wanted to succeed and be a better defense than we were in Week 1, and I think we came out and did that for the most part," Jones said.

The Jumbos will travel to Amherst College to take on the Mammoths on Saturday at 1 p.m.