Tufts football beat Hamilton College 42–28 in their first home game of the season on Saturday. The team last played Hamilton in 2025 and won the game 38–28.
This year’s team includes many returning players, including senior running back Christian Shapiro, who played in all of the Jumbos’ nine games last year and scored three touchdowns in the team’s game against Hamilton. Building on his previous year’s performance, Shapiro scored four touchdowns against Hamilton this year. Returning after winning the 2025 All-NESCAC Second Team Special Teams award is junior wide receiver Keller Rogers. Rogers played in eight of the team’s games his freshman year and nine of the team’s games last year.
According to Rogers, Tufts football has begun a “completely new wave” when it comes to their performance and strategy.
“If you look at our new strength coach, Kevin Maxen, he’s completely shifted the program and our weight room and the way we handle ourselves on the field and practice,” Rogers said. “We’re coming different this year. We are a whole new team.”
The game began with Tufts winning the toss and deferring to Hamilton to start the game. Hamilton punted on its opening possession, but Tufts’ ensuing drive also stalled. On the Jumbos’ punt, the Continentals muffed the return, and the Jumbos recovered at the Continentals’ 23-yard line. Six plays later, junior quarterback Hudson Weidman connected with junior wide receiver Granville Anderson II for an 11-yard touchdown.
Anderson’s touchdown was momentous for both the team and himself, as this was the first touchdown of his career.
Following the touchdown, senior kicker Caden Lawlor missed the point-after attempt. The team finished the first quarter 6–0.
The football team spent preseason on campus starting Aug. 25. For Weidman, preseason allowed the team to bond without any interruptions.
“There’s no outside distractions, and you’re basically spending the entire day together,” he said. “Letting the new guys and the younger guys understand what the culture is and the way that we do things is a huge part of the preseason for us, because we really want to be a tight-knit group for game one. We did a really good job of that this year.”
At the start of the second quarter, Shapiro took the ball 17 yards for a rushing touchdown, scoring the Jumbos’ second touchdown of the game.
Later in the second quarter, Hamilton senior quarterback Luke Kurzum made a 31-yard pass to junior wide receiver Matthew Kearns, who scored the team’s first touchdown of the season. Kearns’ touchdown brought the score to 13–7, with the Jumbos still in the lead.
Shapiro scored his second touchdown of the game on a two-yard run, before Tufts converted the two-point attempt to extend its lead to 21–7.
However, Hamilton returned and scored their second touchdown of the game. The Jumbos went into halftime with a score of 21–14 in their favor.
During halftime, the men’s lacrosse team and women’s rowing team walked out onto the field for an acknowledgment period. Both teams won the NCAA Division III national championships in the 2026 season.
After halftime, the Jumbos started with possession due to deferring to the Continentals in the first half. With eight minutes left of the third quarter, Shapiro scored his third touchdown of the game, bringing Tufts’ score to 28 with a successful point-after.
Following the Jumbos’ possession, the Continentals scored a quick touchdown, traveling 75 yards in under three minutes to bring their score to 21 points.
Tufts’ offense continued its momentum late in the third quarter, when Rogers turned a short completion into a 63-yard touchdown, extending the Jumbos’ lead to 35–21. The score held through the end of the third quarter.
Rogers said the team went through rigorous conditioning to prepare for the game.
“Yesterday was a big statement game for us coming off of a losing season last year,” Rogers said. “All preseason, we’ve worked our butts off. We’ve really shown a new era of Tufts football.”
Continuing his strong performance, Rogers hauled in a pass from Weidman for a 57-yard gain. Later in the drive, Shapiro brought home his fourth touchdown of the game, bringing the Jumbos’ total to 42 points.
Hamilton found the end zone once more late in the fourth quarter, but the score proved to be too little, too late. Tufts held on to secure a 42–28 victory.
Despite winning the game, Weidman said the team’s performance could use some work.
“First game of the year, it wasn’t pretty,” Weidman said. “A lot of mistakes were made, [but] we still won the game by 14 points, and we scored a lot of points on offense. The defense had a couple turnovers, so it’s a good building block.”
Rogers said the team’s performance is proof of their talent and strength for the upcoming season.
“Since I’ve been here, I can’t remember the last time we put up 42 points in a season opener,” he said. “ The talent that we have on our team right now, when it comes to the offense, when it comes to the defense, I think is elite. I don’t think anyone can mess with us.”
Returning as a starter for his second year, Weidman said that the atmosphere of the game helped bring more enthusiasm for the players.
“Not a lot of the teams in the NESCAC get huge crowds,” Weidman said. “I think we probably get the biggest crowds. So, just in terms of [the] energy standpoint, having people [there], and it’s loud and the music’s playing, [it] definitely fires you up.”
Similarly, Rogers said the win felt more special since it was a home game.
“It means so much more to win on Homecoming, to put up 42 points,” Rogers said. “It’s a lot of points in front of a lot of alumni, in front of a lot of fans.”
Looking ahead, Rogers is dedicated to performing the best he can and taking the team to the championship.
“I wouldn’t want to go into a football season thinking, ‘I just want to have a winning season this year,’” Rogers said. “I want to go into the season thinking that we’re gonna win the national championship, and I think that’s the mentality that we’re all shooting for. I don’t want to be satisfied with anything less.”
