Monday, October 27, 2003
Written by Andrew Silver

FOOTBALL'S TIM MACK RECEIVES TWO MAJOR HONORS FOR WEEK

MEDFORD - Tufts University senior running back Tim Mack (St. Louis, MO/Burroughs) was honored by the New England Football Writers' (NEFW) and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) today for his stellar performance in Saturday's (Oct. 25) 24-17 overtime victory against Amherst. Mack won the prestigious NEFW/Boston Globe Gold Helmet Award, presented weekly to the top college division player. NESCAC selected Mack as its Offensive Player of the Week.

Mack finished the game with 138 yards rushing on 32 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt.  Mack also caught six passes from Casey for 27 yards and returned one kickoff for 19 yards.  The performance took place against an Amherst defense that had only been allowing 76 yards rushing per game going into the game against Tufts.

Perhaps most impressive about Mack's effort was that it was only his second start at running back for the Jumbos.  For three and a half seasons, Mack was a starting wide receiver for the Jumbos.  The opportunity to play running back came as a result of the Jumbos' injury problems. He gained 114 yards on 22 carries at Williams on October 18, a 23-10 Tufts loss.

In the Amherst game, Mack established himself early with an 11-yard run on Tufts' second offensive play of the game.  He opened the scoring in the second quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run to put Tufts ahead 7-0.  He finished the half with 75 yards rushing on 17 carries (4.4 yds/rush), one reception for three yards, and a 19-yard kick return.  The Jumbos ran 30 offensive plays in the first half, and 18 of them went through Tim Mack.

Mack continued his strong day early in the third quarter with the more familiar job of catching a Jason Casey (Hampton Falls, NHWinnacunnet) pass for an 11-yard gain and a key first down.  The drive did not lead to points, however, as a bad snap cost the Jumbos a field goal attempt.  On their next possession, Mack helped bring Tufts out of bad field position with key rushes of 14 and 10 yards before penalties forced the Jumbos to punt.

With the score tied 14-14 in the fourth quarter, Mack had a key 18-yard run into Amherst territory to help set up another Jumbo field goal attempt.  The kick, however, was no good, and Amherst capitalized with a field goal to go up 17-14 late in the fourth quarter.  In the final minute of regulation, Mack again had a key play, catching a pass from Casey for 12 yards, getting the Jumbos a first down at the Amherst 3-yard-line and setting up a Marcellus Rolle (Smyrna, GA/Lovett) game-tying, 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Mack put the Jumbos up for good on their first possession with a three-yard touchdown run.  An interception by the Jumbos ended the game with a 24-17 vicrory, led by their senior, all-purpose, star.

The standout performance brings Mack's season total to 285 yards rushing on 58 carries, second on the team.  Mack is now tied for first on the team with two rushing touchdowns and leads the Jumbos with 4.9 yards per carry.  He is also tied for second on the team with 17 receptions for 153 yards.

Tim Mack is certainly no small reason for Tufts' strong start to the 2003 season at 4-2.  Tufts returns to action Saturday at 12:30 as they travel to Colby College.

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