Tufts football secured its first win in its season opener in an away game against Bowdoin, making its mark within the NESCAC with a winning score of 13–0. The Jumbos are currently holding a 10-game win streak against the Polar Bears.
The matchup began with Tufts winning the toss and deciding to defer to Bowdoin to start the game. For the first three minutes, the Jumbos kept a strong defense against the Polar Bears by not allowing much advancement. On the fourth down, Bowdoin punted the ball to Tufts, allowing Tufts to take control of the game. Shortly after possession, senior running back Chartellis Reece ran the ball into the Polar Bears endzone, leading the Jumbos to their first touchdown.
Before the Jumbos returned the ball, senior kicker Vaughn Seelicke completed a good kick attempt leading to the score of 7–0. Bowdoin made a few plays by rushing and attempting to complete passes but were unable to get past Tufts’ defense. As the ball was kicked back to the Jumbos, the first quarter was finished with neither team putting additional points on the scoreboard.
The Jumbos came out running in the second quarter with junior running back Christian Shapiro and Reece making strong gains. Even though the Jumbos were making progress, it was not enough for a touchdown. They were, however, able to achieve some success through a field goal by Seelicke, which made the score 10–0 in Tufts’ favor.
Within the same quarter, the Polar Bears continued to struggle with getting past the Jumbos’ defense. Senior defensive back Nate Sousa intercepted a pass attempt by Bowdoin quarterback Michael Wolfendale, off of which the Polar Bears gained 10 yards.
After half-time the Jumbos had possession of the ball due to deferring the toss at the start of the game. Tufts opened the half with a drive from their own 25, highlighted by a strong pass from junior quarterback Justin Keller’s and a 29-yard strike to graduate student wide receiver Henry Fleckner. The Jumbos went on to add three more points to the score board off a 22-yard Seelicke field goal.
Toward the end of the third and in the fourth quarter, neither team added to the scoreboard. Both defenses tightened and drives stalled short of scoring range. The Jumbos ended the game with a winning score of 13–0.
“Going into the game, there was a big emphasis on establishing the run game early. The coaches told the running back room that we were going to take a heavy load this game, and we welcomed the challenge,” Shapiro wrote in a message to the Daily.
Tufts’ next game is at home against Wesleyan on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Keller mentioned that the game against Bowdoin gave the team the confidence and ability to know that they are competing at a high level. He also noted how the Jumbos were still working to do more. “We just have to find ways to get better so that we can play at our best,” Keller wrote.
Last year the Jumbos finished with a winning record of 7–2. Whether they’ll achieve the same score, or even end on strong 9–0 remains to be seen. In the end, with a strong win for the season opener without allowing the Polar Bears to score, the Jumbos can now begin to breathe and carefully evaluate and prepare for their next game against the Cardinals.
