Colby (2-5) 0 7 0 0 - 7 Tufts (6-1) 0 14 10 0 - 24 Team Time (Qtr.) Score TUF 14:56 (2nd) John Routhier 1-yd run (Nate Herpich kick) COL 9:08 (2nd) Thomas Keblin 3-yd run (Keith Jonassen kick) TUF 0:36 (2nd) Dan Morse 1-yd run (Herpich kick) TUF 14:42 (3rd) Brian Holmes 87-yd kickoff return (Herpich kick) TUF 10:52 (3rd) Herpich 26-yd field goalMEDFORD, Mass. -- The Tufts University football team took advantage of two key turnovers and several other miscues as the Jumbos defeated Colby College by a score of 24-7 on Saturday. Tufts improved its record to 6-1 on the season, while the White Mules dropped to 2-5.
Tufts jumped on the board on the first play of the second quarter as John Routhier scored on a one-yard run on fourth down to give the home team a 7-0 lead. Colby immediately came back to tie things up at 7-7 when Thomas Keblin (Bolton, Mass./Nashoba Regional) capped off a brilliant 11-play, 77-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run with 9:08 left in the first half. The scoring march featured runs of 16 and 11 yards by Keblin, as well as a 25-yard pass completion from quarterback Nate Bradley (Norridgewock, Me./Skowhegan) to wide out Andrew Tripp (Saco, Me./Thornton Academy).
From there, however, things would turn sour for the White Mules, as Tufts ended the half with a methodical 19-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard quarterback sneak by the Jumbos' Dan Morse for a touchdown. The drive, along with the ensuing kickoff, ate a total of 8:32 off the game clock, leaving only 36 seconds for Colby to mount a response. Pinned deep in their own end, the Mules chose to down the ball and head into halftime trailing by seven.
Tufts kept its momentum going in second half, as Brian Holmes took the opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. On Colby's next possession, Bradley was sandwiched by two defenders in the backfield, causing a fumble that the Jumbos would recover. That led to a 26-yard field goal by Keith Herpich, pushing the Tufts lead to 24-7.
Late in the game, the White Mules took back-to-back drives deep into the Jumbos' zone, but both proved fruitless, as Colby fumbled the ball away on first-and-goal at the seven to end one possession, and then turned the ball over on downs to end the other. The Mules would not threaten after that, leaving the game with a 24-7 loss, their worst of the year.
Colby will end its season this Saturday, as Bowdoin comes to Waterville seeking its second straight outright CBB title. That game will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Tufts Colby First Downs 14 16 Rushes-Yds. 45-111 36-62 Passing Yds. 78 175 Return Yds. 122 73 Passes-Comp.-Int. 18-8-0 39-16-0 Punts-Avg. 5-36.4 4-27.3 Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-2 Penalties-Yds. 5-35 4-40 Time of Possession 31:24 28:36 INDIVIDUAL STATS Rushing Player Att. Yds. TD Thomas Keblin (C) 22 84 1 Don Gage (C) 4 7 0 Joseph Murray (C) 2 1 0 Kelly Falsani (C) 1 0 0 Jon Hiltz (C) 1 -4 0 Nate Bradley (C) 6 -26 0 John Routhier (T) 15 32 1 Keven Kelly (T) 7 29 0 Dan Morse (T) 14 24 1 Tim Kaufman (T) 5 20 0 Renny DePaolis (T) 4 6 0 Passing Player Att. Comp. Int. Yds. TD Nathan Bradley (C) 23 11 0 122 0 Matt Smith (C) 16 5 0 53 0 Dan Morse (T) 17 8 0 78 0 Renny DePaolis (T) 1 0 0 0 0 Receiving Player Rec. Yds. TD Miguel Gonzalez (C) 7 65 0 Chris Sheehan (C) 6 78 0 Andrew Tripp (C) 1 25 0 Jon Hiltz (C) 1 7 0 Don Gage (C) 1 0 0 Jon Troy (T) 5 49 0 Jon Wilson (T) 1 12 0 Matt Godfry 1 11 0 Renny DePaolis (T) 1 6 0
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