Hartford, Conn. – Freshman RB Evan Bunker
(Topsfield, Mass.) rushed for 158 yards on 32 carries and
a touchdown to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 27-7 victory
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. 8 in New England, wins
its second straight game and its 37th consecutive triumph at
home. The Bantams remain flawless in their 37 games played on
the artificial turf at Jessee/Miller Field and have won three
straight games against the Jumbos.
Trinity rushed for 327 yards and held the ball for 42:23 of the
game, while the Bantam defense held Tufts to 203 total yards, 42
rushing yards, 12 pass completions in 42 attempts. Tufts was
forced to punt nine times and averaged just 26.2 yards per attempt
on a windy day, and the Jumbos were 3-for-16 on third down
conversions. Trinity won despite being picked off three
times, losing a fumble, and having an extra-point blocked, scoring
the game's first touchdown on a blocked punt by sophomore
Nick
Campbell (New Albany, Ohio) and 23-yard return to
paydirt by freshman Brendan Bader
(Brookfield, Conn.) with 7:28 left in the first
quarter.
After the touchdown and a blocked PAT by Jumbo junior
tri-captain DE Donnie Simmons (Houston, Texas),
Trinity took a 13-0 lead with 3:27 left in the opening stanza on a
seven-play, 70-yard drive that saw Bunker run three times for 39
yards and finished with a 14-yard scoring pass from senior QB
Craig Drusbosky
(Orange, Conn.) to senior TE Chris Hunt (Westford,
Mass.). Tufts got on the board early in the second
quarter, taking advantage of a Trinity fumble on a bad snap that
was recovered at the Trinity 44-yard line by senior DT Alex
Gresham (Milton, Mass.), on a 44-yard pass down the right
sideline by senior tri-captain QB Anthony Fucillo
(Winthrop, Mass.) to classmate Greg Stewart
(Wilmington, Mass.) at the 10:48 mark. The Jumbos
kept themselves within a score the rest of the half, foiling a fake
field goal try by the Bantams with an interception by sophomore CB
Austin Crittenden (Deerfield, Ill.), and stopping
another drive on a pick by junior SS Nick Falk (Riverside,
Ill.). Trinity controlled the ball in the second
half with over 23 minutes of possession and just two completions
allowed in 14 pass attempts by the Jumbos. The Bantams took a
20-7 lead on their first possession of the third quarter on a
one-yard plunge by Bunker, and closed out the scoring with a
one-yard dive into the end zone by fellow rookie RB Delonte
Wellington (Bowie, Md.) with 8:05 left in the game.
Junior ILB Walter Fallas
(Everett, Mass.) paced the Trinity defense with 12
tackles, one sack, and two pass breakups, while Crittenden led
Tufts with 12 tackles. Bantam senior CB Harry Melendez
(Holyoke, Mass.) intercepted a pass for the third game in
a row, and Simmons added nine tackles and a sack for the
Jumbos. Drusbosky completed four passes in 10 attempts for 52
yards, while Fucillo was 12-for-42 for 161 yards. Both
quarterbacks were sacked twice. Freshman QB Hedley Jennings
(Charlotte, N.C.) added 61 yards on the ground on nine
carries, and Wellington had 15 rushes for 50 yards. Tufts
senior tri-captain RB Pat Bailey (Beverly, Mass.)
rushed 10 times for 32 yards and caught five passes for 60
yards.
Hartford Courant article
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