There was no looking back for the Jumbos after a first quarter 59-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Casey D'Annolfo to sophomore J.B. Bruno. Tufts tallied its second consecutive win on the season with a lopsided 34-7 victory over Bates on Saturday. The win was the 20th straight over the Bobcats since 1986.
"We played well and with a lot of excitement that I haven't seen in a while," D'Annolfo said. "Our offense and defense were feeding off each other all day, and hopefully this momentum will help us in our next few games against some tough teams."
Tufts put points on the board early on two long passing plays to Bruno and junior Brian VonAncken in the first half. VonAncken's 43-yard touchdown reception, the first of his record-setting three on the day, put the Jumbos up 13-0.
The defense managed to hold Bates at bay, keeping the Bobcats out of Tufts territory until the second quarter. Bates junior Dylan McNamara caught a five-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Brandon Colon that put the Bobcats within six before the half.
In the third quarter, with the Jumbos on top 20-7, Bates surged to the Tufts five-yard line. However, key defensive stops on third and fourth down prevented Bates from capitalizing. Tufts junior defensive back Brett Holm halted Bobcat running back Eric Obeng to kill the drive.
The Jumbos closed the door on Bates with two back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter, extending the score to the final 34-7. Key catches from junior Steve Menty on the drive led to a three-yard pass to VonAncken in the end zone. Tufts turned a forced fumble by sophomore Gary Heffernan on the ensuing kickoff into a second touchdown. The Jumbos recovered the ball on the Bates 22-yard line and D'Annolfo connected with VonAncken in the end zone on the first play, giving the junior two touchdowns in just twelve seconds.
After coming off a somewhat mediocre performance last weekend, Tufts put up a strong offensive game in its second week of action, posting its highest scoring output in two years. The Jumbos capitalized on their passing game and field position opportunities when it counted, finishing the day with 407 total yards. Solid play from the offensive line, coupled with a new game plan, made the difference for Tufts.
"We had a different game plan," D'Annolfo said. "We tried to exploit a lot of their coverages. The offensive line did a great job all game. I had plenty of time to throw."
D'Annolfo also rebounded from a rough game last week against Wesleyan, completing 16 of 23 for 255 yards and four touchdown passes. NESCAC named D'Annolfo the Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's game.
Perhaps the biggest story on offense, however, was VonAncken, who was a target for D'Annolfo all game, posting five catches for 100 yards and three touchdown receptions.
"[VonAncken] is one of our faster guys," D'Annolfo said. "Every time he was in one-on-one coverage, I was looking for him. We knew their secondary guys couldn't cover him one-on-one, and he was just in the right place at the right time. I was looking out for him all game."
Tufts also faired well on the ground. Making his collegiate football debut was freshman running back William Forde, who rushed for 55 yards on seven carries and posted a 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Tufts played strong on defense and special teams, preventing the Bobcats from developing their offensive game and gaining field position. Bates finished the day with 183 total yards, with Colon going nine for 26 with one interception. Junior defensive end Chris Decembrele had a strong showing, tallying 11 tackles on the day.
