MEDFORD, Mass. – The Trinity College Football team overcame an early score to defeat host Tufts University, 28-9, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) battle at Zimman Field at Ellis Oval Saturday afternoon. The Bantams rise to 5-0 overall, while the Jumbos drop to 3-2.
What Happened:
- After an interception from Jaxon Carroll set the Jumbos up with a 27-yard field goal from Caden Lawlor, the Bantams responded with a six-play, 68-yard drive. After Nolan O'Brien picked up 28 yards in the air and on the ground, Trinity capped the drive as Carroll spotted Darison Hooper on a 19-yard touchdown strike to capture a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
- Following a failed fourth-down conversion by Tufts, the Bantams extended the lead to 14-3 with a nine-play, 65-yard drive. On third-and-10 from the Tufts 38-yard line, Carroll connected with Nathan Smith on a 30-yard corner route, setting Trinity up at the Tufts eight-yard line. Two plays later, Carroll found Cooper Edwards on a drag route for paydirt.
- The Jumbos defense stepped up with another interception to take over possession on the Bantams 43-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the half. On second down, Bryce Ferrell picked off a pass from Nate Johnson and delivered a 60-yard touchdown return to extend the Trinity advantage to 21-3 at the break.
- Tufts opened the second half with an interception by Johnny Ferrelli to hand the Jumbos the ball near midfield, but they came up empty with a three-and-out against the stout Bantams defense. Josh Woodford rushed for 23 yards to put Trinity at the 48-yard line, and then a 48-yard pass to Hooper moved the Bantams to Tufts 24-yard line. Three plays later, Carroll hooked up with Patrick McCaffrey on a 23-yard scoring pass to help extend the lead to 28-3.
- The Jumbos logged the first opponent touchdown against the Bantams defense this season, executing a methodical 19-play, 80-yard drive, punctuated with a one-yard touchdown run from Caden McCallum, to set the final score at 28-9.
Inside the Boxscore:
- Total Yards: Trinity 283, Tufts 183
- Rush Yards: Trinity 111, Tufts 91
- Pass Yards: Trinity 283, Tufts 183
- Total Plays: Trinity 50, Tufts 69
- First Downs: Trinity 16, Tufts 13
- Time of Possession: Trinity 23:30, Tufts 36:30
- Carroll completed 14-of-25 passes for a game-high 172 yards with three touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions.
- Woodford logged 67 yards on a team-high 12 carries, along with two receptions for 16 yards, while Shane Hanlon and O'Brien added 19 and 15 yards, respectively.
- Hooper led all receivers with a game-high 43 yards on two catches including a touchdown. O'Brien tallied a game-high six receptions for 37 yards, and Smith added a career-high 30 yards.
- Charlie Newhall charged the Bantams defense with a career-high 12 tackles, including a sack and 1.5 TFLs. Ethan Krauss chipped in 11 tackles, while Lincoln Moore notched 10 stops. Jacob Tobias and Nolan Eilender each posted career-highs in tackles with seven and six tackles, respectively. Ferrell added two tackles with his 60-yard pick-six.
- Johnson helmed the Jumbos offense going 7-of-21 for 69 yards passing, along with 14 carries for 0 yards. McCallum posted 61 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, while Keller Rogers paced the Tufts receiving corps with four catches for 32 yards.
- Johnny Ferrelli anchored the Tufts defense with nine tackles, a sack, an interception and a pass breakup. Cameron Pineda grabbed a pair of interceptions, while Ryan Horigan added an interception and five tackles.
Up Next:
- The Bantams will look to remain unbeaten when they welcome Bowdoin College (0-5) to Jessee/Miller Field on Saturday, October 24 at 1:30 p.m.
- All-time, Trinity holds a 45-6-2 record against the Polar Bears, dating back to their first meeting in 1912.
- Last season, the Bantams posted a 45-3 win over Bowdoin, their largest victory over the Polar Bears since a 61-7 victory in 2019.
- Bowdoin is seeking their first victory over Trinity since a 19-0 win in 1998.
