|
Teams: Football: Press
Releases
Sunday, October 19, 2008
WILL FORDE NAMED NESCAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
 MEDFORD --
Senior Will Forde (Hyde Park, MA/Belmont Hill), whose play at
running back has been the heart and soul of the Tufts football team
all season, was selected as the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week
today following another outstanding game. This time it came in a
17-7 victory against Williams on Saturday that was the first for
Tufts over the Ephs since 1986.
Forde ran 23 times for 130 yards, including a game-changing
70-yard run, and also caught five balls for 36 yards, totaling 166
yards for the game. His eight-yard scamper into the end zone at
10:21 of the third quarter gave the Jumbos a 17-7 lead. With the
defense keeping the Ephs down, that was more than enough for Tufts
to stop a 0-19-2 streak against Williams. The Ephs had won 15
straight games in the series.
Tufts improved to 3-2 while Williams dropped to 3-2. They are
part of a logjam at third place in NESCAC with Middlebury and Colby,
also both 3-2.
Forde has rushed for more than 100 yards in every game this year,
and the 130 against Williams are his third-best total. Pounding the
holes for most of the day, he broke the 70-yarder to set the Jumbos
up on the Eph 15. Tufts had just scored to go ahead 10-7 on its
previous possession. Taking over at their own 15 after a Williams
punt, Forde hit the 70-yarder on the first play of the drive. Three
plays later he was in the end zone and the Jumbos never looked back.
Jumbo junior quarterback Anthony Fucillo (Winthrop,
MA/Winthrop) hit Forde on four swing passes that were effective
for the Jumbos. They used it on the first play of the game for 15
yards, quietly setting a tone. Forde also led by example with his
blocking, exulting more after a lead block that pancaked a Williams
defender than he did for the touchdown.
Forde leads NESCAC with 655 yards on 132 carries, averaging 5.0
per carry and scoring six touchdowns. Oftentimes exploding through
interior holes opened by the solid Jumbo line, he's averaging a
tremendous 131 yards per game. That's well on pace for 1,000 yards
this season, an outstanding mark in an eight-game season. Forde's
also the leading all purpose back in the league with 140.2 yards per
game.
Career numbers for Forde include 1,320 yards rushing on 330
carries, a four-yard average, and 13 touchdowns.
#
|