Hartford, Conn., October 14, 2015 - The Trinity College football team, which won, 29-4, against Hamilton last weekend to remain unbeaten in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) at 3-0, will visit the Tufts University Jumbos on Saturday, October 17 at 1:30 p.m. Head Coach Jeff Devanney (10th season) and the Bantams lead the all-time series against Tufts, 39-18-1, and have won the last seven meetings between the schools. Trinity is ranked No. 4 in the New England Division III Football Poll, while the Jumbos are No. 7. The Bantams and the Jumbos are tied with Amherst for first place in the league after three weeks.
Game Notes
First-year RB Max Chipouras (Longmeadow, Mass.) rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns to lead Trinity to its 21st victory in a row over Hamilton on Saturday. Chipouras scored twice on one-yard runs and a third time from two yards away after junior Darrien Myers (North Andover, Mass.) had set up the drive with a 65-yard kickoff return. Trinity first-year Eric Sachse (Jefferson, Mass.) added a 29-yard field goal and sophomore RB Ethan Suraci (North Haven, Conn.) scored the final Bantam points on a one-yard run. Trinity outgained the Continentals, 410-254, as sophomore QB Sonny Puzzo (West Caldwell, N.J.) threw for 272 yards on 16 completions and 30 attempts and the Bantams rushed for 138 more to offset two interceptions, a lost fumble, a blocked PAT, a safety, and 80 yards in penalties. Senior captain WR Ian Dugger (West Hartford, Conn.) and Myers caught five passes each, for 80 and 79 yards, respectively, while sophomore Bryan Vieira (Hull, Mass.) added two grabs for 69 yards. Defensively, sophomore LB Liam Kenneally (Reading, Mass.) made a team-high six tackles, while junior NT Matt D'Andrea (Darien, Conn.) had four tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery, first-year LB Shane Libby (Scituate, Mass.) contributed four tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass breakup, and senior DB Paul McCarthy (North Attleboro, Mass.) picked off his fourth pass in three games for the Bantams.
Trinity tops the NESCAC rankings in scoring defense (1.3 ppg), with the four points against actually scored against the offense on a safety and a defensive PAT, pass defense 130.0 ypg), rushing defense (66.3 ypg), total defense (196.3 ypg), pass efficiency defense (64.7 QB rating), and pass efficiency offense (139.3 QB rating). McCarthy has twice as many interceptions as any other NESCAC defender, while Libby is tied for third in sacks with 2.5 and D'Andrea is tied for fifth with a pair. Puzzo tops the league in pass efficiency at 140.7 and ranks third in total offense with 238.3 ypg, while Vieira is third in receiving yards with 256 on just 10 grabs, and Chipouras is sixth in rushing with 187 yards. Senior tri-captain Kyle Pulek (Cheshire, Conn.) is second in the NESCAC at 40.8 yards per punt and Myers ranks second in all-purpose yards with 403 via runs, receptions, and returns.
The Tufts University football squad, under the direction of Head Coach Jay Civetti (5th season), a former Trinity offensive lineman, is off to its first 3-0 start since 2007 and has won five straight home games. Last Saturday, the Jumbos pounded Bowdoin, 43-24, totaling 449 yards along the way. Tufts has benefited from a +1.33 turnover margin, leading only the Bantams (+1.0) in that category. Junior RB Chance Brady (Springfield, Mass.) is the league's top rusher with 289 yards and five touchdowns, while classmate Alex Snyder (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has thrown for 667 yards and three scores under center, and Mike Rando (Walpole, Mass.) and Jack Coleen (Falmouth, Maine) have combined for 28 catches and 393 yards receiving for the Jumbos. Zach Thomas (Arlington, Mass.) sits atop the NESCAC rankings in sacks with 4.5, while sophomore Steve DiCienzio (Abington, Mass.) and junior Shane Thomas (Brooklyn, N.Y.) have 21 tackles apiece. Junior Willie Holmquist (Dix Hills, N.Y.) already has seven field goals and averages 37 yards punting.
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