LEWISTON, Maine -- The visiting Tufts University Jumbos used a big second quarter to take command of the game on their way to a 45-22 victory over the Bates football team Saturday night at Garcelon Field.
Christian Shapiro paced the Jumbos (3-2) with 26 carries for 107 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Berluti tallied one touchdown pass, one touchdown run, and one touchdown catch in the contest while completing 15-21 passes for 138 yards.
With the score tied at seven, Tufts took the lead for good early in the second quarter, as they went 76 yards on seven plays. An 11-yard completion from Berluti to Jack Elliott plus a 15-yard facemask penalty on Bates put the ball in Bobcat territory at the 37. Berluti scrambled for 11 yards to the Bates 26 and followed that up by finding Henry Fleckner for 24 yards to the Bates two. On second and goal, Shapiro punched it in for the go-ahead score.
Poor special teams play hurt Bates in the second quarter, as the Jumbos took advantage of outstanding field position to score two more touchdowns. Down 14-7, the Bobcats (1-4) got to the Tufts 48. But a surprise punt attempt by the quarterback got tipped by Max Nunnally and the Jumbos got the ball back at their own 43. They went 57 yards on nine plays and capped off the drive with a trick play, as wide receiver Henry Fleckner passsed the ball to Berlutti for a 22-yard touchdown.
The Bobcats went three-and-out on their next drive, and the ensuing punt only went 14 yards, giving Tufts the ball at the Bates 45. Berluti found Cade Moore for gains of 12 and 17 yards. Bates forced a fourth and two from the eight, but Berluti found Moore again, this time for five yards and a first down. On second and goal from three, Berluti ran it in for the touchdown, as Tufts went up 28-7 after the extra point.
Up by 21 at halftime, the visitors extended their lead to 24 points by winning the field position battle early in the third quarter. Ty Richardson snagged an interception to begin the quarter for Tufts, giving the Jumbos the ball at their own 43. They went three-and-out, but a 49-yard punt from Andrew Leigh pinned the Bobcats at their own three. The Bobcats were unable to get a first down, and Tufts got the ball back after the punt at the 50. Helped by another facemask penalty, the Jumbos moved the ball down to the Bates 12 before being forced to kick a 30-yard field goal. Vaughn Seelicke made the kick to put the Jumbos up 31-7 with 7:48 left in the third quarter.
The Bobcats finally got the offense going again, going 64 yards on 11 plays on their next drive. First-year Marquez Narvaez-Estrada (Montgomery Village, Md.) returned the kick-off 32 yards to the Bates 36. Bates got the ball to the 50 thanks in part to a holding penalty against Tufts. Then sophomore quarterback Seneca Moore (Lansing, Mich.) connected with senior captain Steven Guerrette (Bow, N.H.) for 17 yards to the Jumbo 33. Moore ripped off three straight runs to get the ball down to the Tufts nine. On third and five from the Tufts 12, senior captain quarterback Colton Bosselait (Westminster, Mass.) hit junior Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) for a nine-yard gain to the Tufts three. On second and goal, sophomore Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) muscled his way into the end zone for his NESCAC-leading sixth rushing touchdown of the season. Lynskey followed that up by running it in for the two-point conversion, trimming the deficit to 31-15 with 2:01 left in the third quarter.
Tufts had the answer though, as they converted a key third down early in the fourth quarter, and marched down the field from there. On third and two from the Bates nine, Berluti connected with Moore for a touchdown, putting the Jumbos back up by three scores at 38-15 with 10:27 left in regulation.
The Bobcats got back to within 16 on their next drive, with the big play a 57-yard pass from Bosselait to first-year Quinn Carver (Dorchester, Mass.) to get the ball to the Tufts 13. On third and eight from the 11, Bosselait hit Beltran for a touchdown, trimming the deficit to 38-22 after sophomore Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point.
Bates forced a punt on the next Tufts possession, but they got the ball back at their own 13 still down two scores with just 4:29 left in regulation. They went four-and-out, giving Tufts the ball deep in Bobcat territory. Another Shapiro rushing touchdown capped off the scoring in the contest.
The game stood tied at seven through one quarter of action. Tufts scored first, going 62 yards on 10 plays on their opening drive. Shapiro's first rushing TD of the contest, gave the Jumbos a 7-0 lead after the extra point. Bates went three-and-out on their opening drive, but the defense came up with a big play to give the Bobcats another chance. Khallid Calhoun burst through the line for a 14-yard gain, but fifth-year senior Johnny Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) stripped the ball and sophomore Camden Zambrowicz (Sandown, N.H.) recovered the fumble to give Bates the ball back at their own 30.
Bates proceeded to go 70 yards on 12 plays, with Lynskey converting a first down on fourth and three from the Tufts 47 and Bosselait finding Beltran for 23 yards to get the ball into the red zone. A 10-yard rush from Beltran got the ball to the five, and on third and goal from the one, Bosselait punched it in, as Bates tied the game at seven on the Ruiz extra point.
But the big second quarter from the Jumbos gave them complete control of the game the rest of the way.
Tufts tallied 28 first downs in the game to just 15 for Bates. They out-rushed Bates 211-162 and passed for 160 yards to just 117 for Bates. The Jumbos only punted twice, and pinned the Bobcats inside their own 20 both times.
The Jumbos finished 6-10 on third down to only 4-11 for the Bobcats.
Henry Ferrelli led the Jumbos on defense, tallying seven total tackles, including five solo stops. Sophomores Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) and Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) paced Bates with 10 total tackles apiece.
Lynskey finished with 74 rushing yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Beltran ran the ball six times for 36 yards and caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. The Jumbos averaged 4,9 yards per carry while Bates averaged 4.2 yards per carry. The Bobcats only completed 5-14 passes while Tufts completed 16-22 passes on the evening.
Bates looks to bounce back next Saturday when the Bobcats visit Williams for a 1 p.m. kick.
Bates football can't slow down Tufts in 45-22 loss
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241012_e0zt.xml
2024
Tufts
45
Bates
22
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts (3-2) | 7 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 45 |
| Bates (1-4) | 7 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
Oct 12, 2024