Teams: Football: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS LOSE OPENER IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE AT WESLEYAN, 7-3

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FINAL SCORE
Wesleyan 7, Tufts 3

At Middletown, CT
Saturday, September 26, 2009

Game Statistics

Tom Tassinari and the Jumbo D let Wesleyan into the red zone just once

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- In a defensive struggle, the Wesleyan University Cardinals opened the 2009 football season with a 7-3 victory over Tufts University as the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) began play on Saturday afternoon.

The Jumbos out-gained the Cardinals 234 total yards to 218 and had more scoring opportunities. However, Tufts missed two long field goal attempts and could not put the ball in the end zone. They were four for 16 on third down. A 10-play, 59-yard scoring drive by the hosts in the middle of the second quarter made the difference.

Tufts scored on its first possession of the season with a 32-yard field goal by sophomore Adam Auerbach (Glen Rock, NJ) at 9:08 of the first quarter. Senior quarterback Tom McManama (Wakefield, MA), starting in place of the injured Anthony Fucillo (Winthrop, MA), completed two third-down passes and junior wide out Greg Stewart (Wilmington, MA) ran for 16 yards during the drive.

When the Tufts defense forced a punt in its first act of the 2009 season, Jumbo junior Pat Bailey (Beverly, MA) returned it 31 yards to Wesleyan 40. He then rushed 11 yards to the Cardinal 29 on the first play of the drive, but the momentum stalled and Wesleyan's Justin Freres stopped Jumbo running back Darren Ferguson (North Easton, MA) on a fourth down and one play at the 20. Tufts led 3-0 after one quarter.

After the teams traded punts, Wesleyan mounted its decisive scoring drive. Taking over at their own 41, the Cardinals got 30 yards on the ground from Shea Dwyer including a five-yard touchdown run with 8:31 on the clock. Wesleyan converted two third downs during the possession, including a 30-yard pass from quarterback Blake Dubois to receiver Pete Modera. That would be more than half of Wesleyan's passing yards for the day, as they finished with a total of 55.

After taking over at their own 43 following a punt, the Jumbos drove into Wesleyan territory late in the first half. Ferguson converted a fourth and two with a four-yard rush. McManama hit senior tight end Oliver Gray (Stamford, CT) for a 17-yard gain to the Wes 28. With eight seconds left in the half, Auerbach came on for a 46-yard field goal attempt that was wide left. The Cardinals took a 7-3 lead into the break.

With all of the points already scored, each team only had one scoring chance in the second half. Late in the third, Wesleyan drove 65 yards to the Tufts 25, but Jumbo preseason All-American safety Tom Tassinari (Andover, MA) made a stop on fourth down to kill the drive. The score remained 7-3 after three.

On the next possession, Tufts went 51 yards to the Wesleyan 26. A 15-yard Wesleyan face mask penalty and a 15-yard completion to junior Billy Mahler (Milwaukee, WI) from McManama helped the cause. However, a 43-yard field goal try by Auerbach was blocked by Cardinal Lane Kirshe.

The Jumbos would get one final chance at their own 18 with 1:58 remaining. They moved to midfield, with McManama and Bailey connecting three times for 31 yards. However, Wesleyan's Pete Sugarbaker defended a pass on fourth and four, sealing the victory.

The Cardinals gained 163 yards on the ground for the afternoon, with sophomore Vince Miller carrying 23 times for 102 yards and Dwyer adding 69 yards on 14 totes. The Wesleyan pass attack was only 4 for 12 for 55 yards. Freres led the Cardinals with nine tackles, including a sack.

Junior linebacker Matt Murray (Winthrop, MA) led Tufts with 10 tackles, followed by Tassinari's nine. Sophomore linebacker Ferras Albitar (Coto de Caza, CA), sophomore linebacker Phil Artis (Bedminster, NJ) and senior DL Christopher Seufert (Whitehall, PA) all had sacks for Tufts. Ferguson's 47 yards on 14 carries led the Tufts ground game. McManama competed 13 of 33 passes for 133 yards. Bailey caught six passes for 52 yards, rushed 10 times for 29 yards, returned four punts for 32 yards and took one kickoff back for 16 yards.

The game featured no turnovers, but 16 punts. The three points are the fewest by Tufts since they were shut out by Middlebury in the last game of the 2006 season.

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