MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College football team thumped visiting Tufts on Saturday, 48-13, to finish its season with five straight wins and a 6-2 record, good for third place in NESCAC.
Middlebury quarterback Matt Milano accounted for all seven touchdowns against the Jumbos, who enjoyed their best season since 2008 and finished with a 4-4 mark. Middlebury has now won 20 of 24 games over the past three seasons.
Middlebury took a 7-0 lead with a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended in the first career touchdown reception (10 yards) for tight end Daniel Fulham at 5:49 of the first quarter.
Tufts answered on its ensuing drive, marching 80 yards on seven plays. A 21-yard strike from Alex Snyder to Mike Rando was the big play before Snyder found Zach Trause for a 33-yard touchdown.
Middlebury regained the lead on its next possession. Andrew Miller gained 43 yards before Milano found Fulham for the second time for a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
The Panthers took a 21-7 advantage with 5:51 to go in the half when Milano found Matthew Minno streaking down the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown.
The Jumbos took advantage of a Panther fumble to cut the lead to 21-13. A trick play that saw Rando gain 20 yards set up a one-yard connection from Snyder to Greg Lanzillo.
Late in the half, Milano found Brendan Rankowitz for gains of 18 and 34 yards before scoring on a quarterback draw from three yards out. The touchdown gave the Panthers a 27-13 lead at halftime.
The lead increased midway through the third quarter when Milano hit Ryan Rizzo for 13 and 20 yards before finding Rankowitz cutting across the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown reception.
Following a Tufts punt, Milano connected with Rizzo for a 72-yard catch-and-run TD pass from the secondary for a 41-13 lead with a 72-yard touchdown catch at 4:04 of the third quarter.
An interception by Dan Pierce set up Middlebury’s final touchdown. Rankowitz made a great catch on a 33-yard pass in the right corner of the end zone for his second touchdown of the contest, this one at 1:01 of the third quarter. Following the extra point, the Panthers led, 48-13, heading into the fourth quarter.
Milano’s day saw him complete 29 of 43 passes for a career-high 442 yards. Rankowitz caught 10 passes for a career-best 161 yards, while Fulham finished with seven catches for 54 yards. Rizzo finished the afternoon with five receptions for a career-high 116 yards, while Minno caught four balls for 81 yards. Miller carried the ball 17 times for 60 yards on the ground.
The Middlebury defense earned 11 tackles for lost yardage on the day, including five sacks. Tim Patricia led the way with nine tackles, Dan Pierce made seven with the interception, while Addison Pierce made five stops with two tackles for lost yardage and a sack.
Snyder connected on 21 of 46 passes for 218 yards with two touchdowns, while Trause caught 10 passes for 74 yards. Middlebury outgained Tufts 585-289 yards.