BOX
SCORE
MEDFORD, Mass. - Tufts kicker Adam Auerbach hit a 37-yard field
goal to force overtime and nailed a 35-yarder to win it in the
extra session to give the Jumbos football team a 25-22 win over
Bowdoin on Saturday. The Polar Bears (1-2) fall short despite
another outstanding game from receiver Pat Noone, who caught 10
passes for 140 yards and two scores. Tufts improves to 2-1 this
season with the victory.
Bowdoin won the opening toss and elected to receive the opening
kickoff. Pinned at their own 6, the Polar Bears marched down the
field with an impressive game-opening 15-play, 94-yard drive to
take the early lead. Oliver Kell went 5-6 for 47 yards and rushed
for another 32 yards on the drive, setting up a two-yard touchdown
plunge by Ian Vieira to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Tufts responded immediately with an 11-play, 68-yard scoring
drive. Lengthy runs Pat Bailey and Tim Puopolo of 15 and 23 yards,
respectively, put the Jumbos deep in Bowdoin territory. A rollout
by quarterback Tom McNamara found Noah Hatfield-Biondo for a
five-yard touchdown pass that closed the gap to 7-6 after a blocked
extra point.
The teams traded possessions until late in the second quarter,
when a 28-yard rush by Tim Puopolo on a fourth down gave Tufts a
first down in Bowdoin territory. McManama then hit Billy Mahler for
a 28-yard pass and Hatfield-Biondo took it from there, rushing
seven yards to paydirt and a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Bowdoin regained the lead in the third quarter after a Bill
Donahue punt dropped Tufts deep in their own territory. The Jumbos
went three-and-out and the Polar Bears took possession at the Tufts
36 following a punt. Four plays later, Kell found Pat Noone for a
24-yard touchdown strike - the duo's third hook-up of the season -
to give Bowdoin a 14-13 advantage.
The Jumbos responded with a drive late in the third quarter, with
Bailey rushing for 65 yards on his own and then catching a 16-yard
pass from McManama to cap a six-play, 84-yard drive. A missed
two-point conversion gave the hosts a 19-14 lead with 12:47
remaining. But Noone and Kell weren't done, hooking up five times
for 68 yards on the next Polar Bear offensive possession, capping a
12-play drive with a 20-yard scoring strike. Kell rushed for the
two-point conversion to give Bowdoin a 22-19 lead with eight
minutes to go.
Tufts' final drive began at their own 28 after a Bowdoin punt with
2:43 to go. Consecutive completions by McManama put the ball at the
Bowdoin 41 and a 10-yard rush by Darren Ferguson moved it to the
Bowdoin 31. Two plays later, McManama scrambled to the Bowdoin 20.
After spiking the ball to stop the clock, McManama tossed a pair of
incompletions, setting up a fourth down with 32 seconds left.
Auerbach connected on a 37-yard field goal to deadlock the game at
22 apiece and send the contest into overtime.
Bowdoin's offense couldn't cash in on their first possession of
overtime as a 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. Tufts
couldn't gain a first down on their overtime possession, setting up
another Auerbach field goal attempt. His attempt from 35 yards
split the uprights to give the Jumbos the victory.
Noone's performance gives him 33 catches for 444 yards this
season. His 33 catches already stand fifth in program history for a
single-season. Kell went 21-35 for 219 yards passing and also
rushed for 46 yards. Bailey gained 129 yards on the ground for
Tufts, who rushed for 266 yards as a team. Tyler Tennant led
Bowdoin with nine tackles while Tom Tassinari made 12 stops to lead
the Jumbos defense.
