Teams: Football: Press Releases

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

FORDE TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS GOLD HELMET AWARD AT FOOTBALL WRITERS' LUNCHEON

Will Forde with the prestigious Gold Helmet Award at Harvard's Dillon Fieldhouse

MEDFORD -- After his leading performance in the Tufts University football team's 17-7 victory over Williams College on Saturday (Oct. 18), running back Will Forde (Hyde Park, MA/Belmont Hill) was selected as this week's college division recipient of the Boston Globe Gold Helmet award, which is selected by the New England Football Writers.

Forde will receive the award at the weekly New England Football Writers Luncheon held at Harvard University today. He is the fourth player during the Tufts tenure of Coach Bill Samko to win the honor, following Dan Morse (1998), Tim Mack (2003) and Andy Henke (2007). Two Gold Helmet awards are presented each week - one each for university division 1 championship subdivision and for college division (II & III).

In the first Tufts victory against Williams 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.

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