The Jumbos stayed close to home this weekend, taking on UMass Boston at 12:30 pm on Nov. 25th. Walking into the game, the Jumbos were 4-0 and looking to maintain their undefeated streak. Meanwhile, the UMass Beacons were 1-3 and on a two game losing streak.
In what was predicted to be a potentially league champion-deciding matchup, both the Middlebury Panthers and the Tufts Jumbos were ready to rock and roll on Saturday. Middlebury started with the ball, and senior wide receiver Carter Stockwell got the Panthers moving with a 16-yard rush up the middle. The Panthers charged downfield, but a throw from senior quarterback Cole Kennon was picked off in the endzone by the Jumbos’ senior defensive back Drew Guida.
It was Senior Day at the Ellis Oval, and the Jumbos were fired up and ready to roll. The Jumbos, led by senior quarterback Matt Crowley, started with the ball. A three-and-out by the Jumbos and a third-down fumble by the Mules gave the game a slow start. Junior quarterback Michael Berluti came onto the field and got the squad rolling, putting a 12-yard pass in the hands of senior wide receiver Robbie Moret.
The Jumbos were confident walking into their first overnight travel game of the season for a game against the Hamilton Continentals in upstate New York on Saturday. The game started with a solid drive for Tufts, as senior wide receiver Jaden Richardson and junior running back Chartellis Reece grabbed first downs. Reece ran left into the endzone to cap off the 75 yard drive, making the score 6–0. Sophomore kicker Vaughn Seelicke made it 7–0. Continentals’ first-year quarterback Luke Kurzum then stepped onto the field, throwing to first-year wide receiver Chester Boynton for a 36 yard gain. A tackle in the backfield by Javier Rios, Tufts senior defensive lineman, stopped any momentum on the Hamilton drive. With the ball back in Tufts’ hands, Reece rushed for a 37 yard gain to get to the Hamilton 22 yard line. A seven yard throw to junior wide receiver Cade Moore put the team in field goal range, but Seelicke sent it wide left, keeping the score 7–0. He went one for three on field goal attempts on Saturday, his first two misses of the season.
The Tufts Jumbos are getting good at playing football in the rain. The Saturday game against Amherst featured stormy weather, just like every Saturday football game this season. Junior wide receiver Cade Moore commented on the weather they’ve had to manage.
Junior quarterback Michael Berluti has been a big part of Tufts football for almost the last three seasons. In 2021, he threw for 1,835 yards and 13 touchdowns, and ran for 326 yards and two touchdowns. In his 2022 season, starting all nine games for the Jumbos, he threw for 2,749 yards and 26 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 69.12%, which was first in the NESCAC.
Parents weekend and the Play for Pink dayhad the Tufts football team fired up, and right out of the gate, the squad was dominant. Under the lights and in front of a big crowd, junior running back Chartellis Reece started off the game for Tufts with an eight-yard carry. Junior quarterback Michael Berluti ran the ball later in the drive, gaining 24 yards and the third first down of the possession. Berluti put a 17-yard pass into the hands of junior wide receiver Cade Moore to send the Jumbos up 7–0. Sophomore kicker Vaughn Seelicke made the extra point. He went seven for seven in PATs on Saturday.
The Tufts football team was met with some unwelcome rain during their Saturday game against Bowdoin. Sophomore kicker Vaughn Seelicke described the atmosphere.
Walking into the Saturday game, both the Tufts Jumbos and the Williams Ephs held 1–1 records, looking to take a win home to move their win-loss record over .500. In the last two years, this has been a close matchup: Tufts walked away with a 35–28 win last year and fell in a 32–29 loss the year before.
Going into what would be a rainy homecoming game, the focus for the Tufts football squad was to bounce back from the 44–19 Trinity loss with a win over Bates. As the game began, it became evidently clear that they were playing well, with a combination of a jumping catch by senior receiver Jaden Richardson and then a 61-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Michael Berluti putting the Jumbos up 7–0 after their first possession. The Jumbo herd was there to show their support. “All the alumni back, the parents, the students. It’s really cool. That was really fun. We had the Jumbo out. That was awesome,” Berluti said. Junior running back Chartellis Reece also noticed. “I loved the night game. It was definitely something different and I really liked it. It was way more energy than I’ve seen in the long time that I’ve been here,” Reece said.
