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Date: November 2, 2002
Contact: Bill Sodoma

 

Colby football blanks Tufts, 9-0

MEDFORD, Mass. --

The Colby College defense shut Tufts University down to just four first downs in the game and sophomore running back Aaron Stepka (Farmington/Farmington, Conn.) broke a 30-year-old school record for single-season rushing as the Mules took a 9-0 win over the Jumbos on Saturday.

Colby's defense allowed just 76 total yards by Tufts (3-4) and gave up just one first down in the second half. The Mules have not allowed an opponent to score 20 points or more in a game this season.

Senior linebacker Jeff Owen (Whitman/Hanson Regional/Whitman, Mass.) led the Mules with seven tackles, one sack and one pass deflection. He also punted four times for a 41-yard average. Sophomore defensive back Michael Civitello (Notre Dame/Hamden, Conn.) added two interceptions, three pass deflections and had three tackles for the Mules.

Stepka, who had 177 yards on 47 carries, broke the Colby single-season rushing record of 1,170 yards by Peter Gorniewicz in 1972. Stepka now has 1,171 yards this season and has 1,652 career yards in just his second season. Stepka also set a New England Small College Athletic Conference record for rushing attempts in a season with 249 carries (Middlebury's Bryan Sanchez had 234 in 2000).

Stepka moved into first place in the NESCAC in rushing yards ahead of Amherst's Fletcher Ladd, who now has 1,092 yards after gaining 79 yards on 24 carries in a loss to Trinity. The NESCAC record for single-season rushing is 1,293 by Jamall Pollock of Williams in 1995.

Colby (3-4) did all the damage offensively in the first half for a 9-0 lead at the break. Junior Brandon Irwin (Sherburne-Earlville/Sherburne, N.Y.) blocked a punt and gave the Mules possession at the Tufts 24-yard line in the first quarter. After Stepka converted a fourth-and-one on the Tufts 15, he then scored from 6 yards out for his league-leading ninth touchdown of the season. The Mules missed the extra point and led 6-0 with 5:17 left in the first quarter.

Owen had a 17-yard sack of Tufts quarterback Scott Treacy on a fourth-and-three at the Colby 26-yard line. The Mules took over and used a 15-play drive that took 6:37 off the clock and resulted in a 30-yard field goal by first-year kicker John Goss (St. John's Shrewsbury/Shrewsbury, Mass.) with 56 seconds left to halftime.

Junior quarterback B.L. Lippert (Cony/Augusta, Maine) completed 12 passes for 113 yards for Colby. Senior wide receiver Lee Carlson (Braintree/Braintree, Mass.) caught five balls for 73 yards and senior tight end Ian MacPherson (Waltham/Waltham, Mass.) had four catches.

Colby also got a big defensive game out of junior Jeremy Jamieson (Stoneham/Stoneham, Mass.), who had five tackles, two pass deflections and one interception.

The Mules finish the season at home against Bowdoin next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.