Hartford, Conn. - Senior tri-captain QB Eric McGrath
(Lynn, Mass.) threw for a College-record 470 yards and
four touchdowns, including a game-tying toss to sophomore WR
Michael Galligan (Shoreham, N.Y.) with 25 seconds
remaining in regulation and the game-winning touchdown pass to
Galligan in overtime, to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a
28-27 overtime win over the visiting Tufts University Jumbos in New
England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football action
this afternoon at Jessee/Miller Field. Trinity, ranked No. 2
in New England improves to 4-0 and sits alone in first place in the
NESCAC with its sixth win in a row and its 29th consecutive win at
home, while the Jumbos, ranked No. 8 in New England, fall to 2-2
with their second loss in a row.
On 4th-and-3 in the first overtime and trailing, 27-21, McGrath
scrambled out of trouble in the backfield and found Galligan
streaking from right to left in the back of the end zone to tie the
game at 27-27. Bantam senior PK Adam Cox (Garden
City, N.Y.) calmly drilled his fourth PAT in as many tries
in the game to give Trinity the dramatic triumph. Tufts had
opened the extra frame with the ball and scored on a two-yard
scoring pass from junior Anthony Fucillo (Winthrop,
Mass.) to senior FB Kevin Anderson (Hopkinton,
Mass.), but the Jumbos fumbled the snap on their
extra-point try.
Tufts took a 21-14 lead with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter
with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that ended in a seven yard touchdown
pass from Fucillo to senior TE Mike Cassidy (South
Yarmouth, Mass.). McGrath completed a pass to senior
WR Connor Wells (Haddam, Conn.) deep into Tufts
territory on Trinity's next possession, but Wells was hit by Jumbo
sophomore DB Pat Bailey (Beverly, Mass.) and
fumbled the ball. Tufts recovered and took over with 2:02 on
the clock and, following a strong defensive stand by the Bantams,
Jumbo senior Steve Black (San Diego, Calif.)
booted a 53-yard punt to the Bantam eight-yard line. After
three incomplete passes, McGrath found junior RB Robert
Jackson (Atlanta, Ga.) on a fourth-down, short screen that
Jackson turned into a 22-yard gain to keep the Bantams alive.
McGrath completed six of his next seven passes to advance the
Bantams to the Tufts nine-yard line, including a seven-yard out to
Galligan on a 4th-and-3 to keep the drive alive. Two plays
later, McGrath hit Galligan, who finished the game with 14
receptions for 191 yards, on a nine-yard scoring strike to force
the overtime.
Both teams scored a touchdown in both the second and third
quarters, as senior RB Will Forde (Hyde Park,
Mass.) had touchdown runs of five and four yards and
McGrath threw his first two touchdown passes to junior RB
Ollie Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J.) on a 57-yard
screen play and to sophomore FB Mike Paladino (Arlington,
Mass.) on a two-yard play-action pass. Trinity
finished with 520 yards in total offense, despite being held to 50
rushing yards and 1.9 yards per carry by the Jumbo defense.
McGrath completed a College record 34 passes in 57 attempts for
470 yards, setting the previous record of 400 passing yards held by
former NFL signal carrier Joe Shield, with two interceptions.
Fucillo was 16-for-28 for 22 yards with one interception, and
senior WR Asmerom Adhanom (Randolph, Mass.) caught
seven passes for 108 yards. Forde was the top rusher in the
game with 101 yards on 31 carries. Trinity senior tri-captain
ILB Tyler Berry (East Lyme, Conn.) and Tufts
junior DB Tom Tassinari (Andover, Mass.) led their
respective teams defensively with 14 tackles apiece, while Bantam
sophomore DE Kyle Williams (Bethesda, Md.) had 10
tackles and 1.5 sacks.
box score
Hartford
Courant story
