CLINTON, N.Y. – Hamilton College came back from a 17-point halftime deficit and the Continentals pulled out a wild 36-34 victory in five overtimes against the Tufts University Jumbos at Hamilton's sunny and breezy Steuben Field on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 

Season Update

• The Continentals (2-5 NESCAC) have their first win streak since 2019. Hamilton prevailed 17-6 at Colby College on Oct. 21.
• Tufts (5-2) had won its previous five games before dropping the heartbreaker to the Continentals.

 

How It Happened

• NCAA rules mandated that teams try to convert two-point conversion plays if the score is still tied after the second overtime period. The Continentals had the ball first in the fifth overtime and Matt Banbury '24 ran three yards around right end into the end zone for the 36-34 lead.
• Tufts had a chance to tie the score again and send the game to a sixth overtime, but Michael Berluti's pass towards the right corner of the end zone to Cade Moore was a bit high. The ball went off Moore's fingertips and fell to the turf, finally ending the game and touching off a wild Hamilton celebration.
• The Continentals started the first overtime at the opponent's 25-yard line. On second down Luke Kurzum '27 completed a pass to Josh Harmon '25 and he headed for the right pylon but his foot was out at the 1, and they had to settle for a 21-yard gain. Kurzum kept the ball for a quarterback sneak on the next play and he eventually powered over the goal line. Ben Waterman '27 added the extra point for a 24-17 lead.
• Berluti responded with his own 1-yard touchdown run on the Jumbos' possession. Vaughn Seelicke tied the score with the PAT and sent the game to a second overtime.
• This time Tufts went first and the Jumbos put the pressure on Hamilton. Berluti's nine-yard scramble on third-and-long kept the possession alive, and he found Jaden Richardson in the middle of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. Teams have to go for two points in the second overtime and Berluti's pass to Moore was complete for the 32-24 advantage.
• The Continentals needed to come back with a touchdown and two-point conversion or the game was over. From the 11, Kurzum faked a handoff to Banbury and tossed to Ezra Lombardi '24 on the right side of the end zone. For the two-point attempt, Kurzum went to the air again and found his tight end Mark Howrigan '24 at the goal line where Howrigan caught the ball and rolled into the end zone.
• Hamilton started the third overtime with the ball and Kurzum's two-point conversion pass was batted away. If the Jumbos were successful on their attempt, it would have ended the game, but Berluti was flushed from the pocket and his pass sailed out of the end zone.
• The Continentals used some trickery to take a 34-32 edge on their next two-point try. Kurzum handed off to Banbury and he pitched the ball to Jack Hoag '27 who was coming in motion from his left to his right. Hoag took the ball and kept going around right end, knocking over a defender at the goal line as he burst into the end zone.
• Tufts came back and tied the score again on its possession. Berluti rolled to his right on a run-pass option and tossed the ball to his right to Chartellis Reece at the 6. Reece jogged into the end zone untouched and it was 34-34.
• Hamilton needed some last-second heroics just to get to overtime as Waterman booted a 29-yard field goal and tied the score at 17-17 with 2.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter. His kick ended a 13-play drive that started at the Continentals' own 23 with 2:04 remaining. Hamilton nearly turned the ball over when Javier Rios knocked the ball out of Kurzum's hand at the Jumbos 46, but offensive lineman Jake LaMalva '25 recovered for the Continentals at the 50 and kept the drive alive. On third-and-31, Kurzum scrambled 31 yards, and a 12-yard personal foul for a face mask on Tufts during the play moved the ball all the way to the Jumbos 12 with just under 14 seconds to go. After two incomplete passes, Waterman nailed the tying field goal.
• Hamilton took the opening kickoff in the second half and drove 75 yards in 13 plays. Henry Rubey '26, who subbed in for Kurzum after he was injured when he was shoved out-of-bounds, ran for 17 yards on third down to the Tufts 24. Kurzum completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Lombardi four plays later for the Continentals' first points with 8:17 left in the third quarter.
• The Jumbos' first possession of the fourth quarter ended with their first punt at their own 29. Wide receiver Michael Lau '24 busted through the protection and blocked Patrick Walsh's kick. After several players tried unsuccessfully to fall on the loose ball, it bounced over the goal line, and wide receiver Chester Boynton '27 finally recovered it in the back of the end zone with 6:06 remaining. Waterman's PAT pulled Hamilton within three points at 17-14.
• The first half was all Tufts. The Jumbos drove 75 yards in 13 plays on their opening drive, which ended with Reece's one-yard touchdown run 4:15 into the first quarter. After Seelicke missed a 24-yard field goal wide left later in the first, he nailed a 35-yard attempt with 6:23 to go in the second quarter. The Continentals' next possession ended with an interception by Louis Timmins. Tufts turned the turnover into seven points four plays later when Berluti and Richardson hooked up for a 63-yard touchdown with 2:14 left in the half.

 

Notes

• The five overtimes fell just short of the NCAA Division III record of six, which has been set twice.
• Hamilton's last overtime game was also the last time the Continentals hosted the Jumbos on Oct. 30, 2021.
• Hamilton has three touchdowns on blocked punts this season. Boynton has scored two of those three touchdowns.
• Kurzum was 17 of 29 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for 61 yards and another score. It's the first time he's accounted for three touchdowns in a game.
• Banbury led the Continentals with 87 yards rushing.
• Lombardi's two catches went for touchdowns as he doubled his career total from two to four in one game.
• Waterman has made all 12 of his extra points and is 3 of 5 on field goal attempts.
• Cole Rivell '24 finished with 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Rivell is second in the NESCAC with 9.4 tackles per game.
• Kyle Bratcher '26 broke up three passes and is tied for third in the conference with seven.
• Reece led Tufts with 168 yards on 27 carries, which is a 6.2-yard average. Berluti was 19 of 36 for 203 yards with two touchdowns to Richardson, who finished with 87 yards on five catches.
• Seelicke was 1 of 3 on field goals. He also missed a 42-yarder late in the third quarter.
• Rios led the Jumbos with seven tackles and the forced fumble. He posted 3.5 stops for 23 yards in losses, including 2.5 sacks.
• The teams combined for 53 first downs as neither team punted until the fourth quarter.
• Hamilton was 10 of 14 (71.4 percent) on third down conversions.

 

Next Game

The Continentals host Middlebury College (5-1) for The Old Rocking Chair Classic on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12:30 p.m. Hamilton will also honor its seniors during a pregame ceremony.