What at one point looked like a promising Homecoming football game turned into yet another disappointing loss, as the Jumbos dropped a 21-10 decision to the Williams Purple Cows on Saturday. Tufts saw a 10-7 third quarter lead dissipate in the excruciating final 15 minutes.
The Jumbos (2-3) lost on Homecoming for the ninth straight year, and have not topped Williams (3-2) since a 33-3 victory in 1986. Williams coach Dick Farley, who took his post in 1987, has never lost to Tufts. Farley, who has not lost two straight games since '87, was in danger of doing so on Saturday after a loss to Middlebury, 7-0, last week.
"I didn't come to Williams to be 2-2 or lose two games in a row," freshman tailback Michael Hackett said. "We knew we had to get the job done today."
Tufts and Williams both entered the game with .500 records, but the Purple Cows were unquestionably favored. Before the game, Tufts coach Bill Samko warned his team that its opponent's record was not indicative of its talent. The warning was well received on Saturday, even though Williams did not prove to be an insurmountable opponent; instead, it was Jumbo mistakes that led to the loss.
The Brown and Blue, who could not mount an aerial attack at any point in the game, capitalized on one of two Evan Zupancic interceptions to go ahead midway through the third quarter, 10-7. Zupancic stepped in front of Williams quarterback Joe Reardon's pass at the Williams 38, and Tufts used six Brian Holmes carries to march to the seven-yard line, setting up a 25-yard field goal for Howie Rock. It was Tufts' second lead of the game, but also its last.
Hackett, a freshman, abused the reputably strong Jumbos rushing defense, amassing 148 yards running - more than any single rusher the team has faced this season - and 56 yards receiving. Hackett caught a short lob pass from Reardon as the final seconds of the third quarter ticked away, evading several Jumbo tackles and powered his way 48 yards into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day, putting Williams up 14-10.
Things looked bleak at the start of the fourth quarter, when a Matt Cerne fumble on the opening kickoff handed the ball back to Williams at the Tufts 16-yard line. But the Jumbos avoided disaster, forcing Williams into a field goal attempt, which kicker Rob Kaufman missed from 33 yards out.
Tufts then took over from its 20-yard line, but quarterback Scott Treacy, who started the game but split time with counterpart Todd Scalia, was hit hard by Williams defensive end Rob Sherwood and dropped the ball. Williams linebacker James Kingsley recovered the fumble and made his way 13 yards into the end zone, giving Williams a 21-10 lead.
The Jumbos, who to this point had not yet garnered a single passing completion, had time enough to mount a comeback, as Kinglsey's touchdown came with more than 12 minutes left in the contest. On the ensuing possession, Scalia found Matt Cerne seven yards out for the first Jumbo catch of the day. But he missed on his next two throws, handing the ball back to Williams and setting up a drive that would all but quash Tufts' chances for a Homecoming victory.
Williams ate up nearly six minutes of clock time on its next possession, using four different rushers - and a 34-yard pass from Reardon to wideout Colin Brooks - to accumulate five first downs. Hackett started out from the Williams 20 with four rushes for 27 yards, followed by Reardon's completion, and carries by Jamiyl Peters, Tyler Shea, and Vernard Bond, as the Purple Cows made it to the Tufts two-yard line with a third down and just over five minutes left to play. Williams could not get the score, though, as defensive back Greg Devine stopped Peters on a fourth-down attempt.
Tufts then took over from the four-yard line, only to be forced to punt a minute later after two incomplete Scalia passes and a one-yard rush by Brian Holmes, essentially ending the game.
Scalia completed three of his 13 passes for the day, including a couple of impressive throws to sophomore wideout Bryan Pitko late in the game, while Treacy did not connect on any of his three passes. The typically mobile Treacy, expected to add another element to the Jumbos' rushing attack, could not get anything going, losing 17 yards on his 10 rushes. He was pulled halfway through the second quarter after getting hit for losses on consecutive rushes and throwing a pass into the hands of Williams defensive back Scott Farley at the Williams 19-yard line. Treacy returned to start the second half, and the two sophomores continued to alternate at the QB position. Samko dispelled any notion that the repeated switches were due to ineffectiveness, claiming that the game plan from the start was to mix things up.
"I told [Scalia and Treacy] beforehand that they'd both play in the first half," Samko said. "We gave Treacy the start, but they're both talented enough.
"One of the two of them needs to take charge," he added.
Holmes was the lone bright spot for Tufts' slumbering offense, amassing 121 yards on 25 carries. But the senior, playing while still suffering from a hamstring injury, has started on offense this season primarily because of the inexperience factor. A defensive back and special teams star last season, Holmes has gotten most of the carries this season, and Samko insists he'd rather have him on defense.
"The reality is, that's not going to happen," Samko said before the game. "He's not healthy," the Tufts coach added afterwards. "If we had our druthers, he'd be back on defense."
Even with Holmes carrying the team on his shoulders, Tufts could come up with just 11 first downs all day, holding on to the ball for less then 25 game minutes. Samko's team went to the air just 16 times, and could not generate a passing touchdown for the fourth time this season. The Jumbos' 76 total points are sixth in the NESCAC, just one ahead of the Bates Bobcats.
But while the offense was rendered ineffective, it was a defense expected to limit a young Williams ground attack that really disappointed. Tufts had only allowed an average of 96 yards rushing in its first four games, and did not have to go up against Williams rusher Fred Storz, one of the NESCAC's top running backs, due to injury. Hackett, overshadowed by Storz and David Kinsley (also injured) up until Saturday, had only totaled 117 yards in three previous appearances this season. But if the Jumbos took him lightly, they were certainly fooled. The freshman ran for 89 yards in the first half alone, including a 12-yard run early in the second quarter that tied the game at seven.
"He's a great player," Samko said of Hackett, adding that the team knew in advance that a Storz-less Williams attack would not necessarily translate into a stagnant offense. "They had a different style than the other teams we've played."
The day started off promising for Tufts, when sophomore free safety Greg Devine recovered a Williams fumble at the Tufts 15-yard line midway through the first quarter, broke a couple of tackles, and was on his way 85 yards into the end zone for a score, putting the Jumbos up 7-0 early on.
The defense, not able to contain the run, put together some impressive stops, including an Everett Dickerson block of a Williams field goal attempt early in the second quarter to preserve the 7-0 lead. Tufts then took over from its own 13, but Treacy fumbled on the very first possession, giving Williams the ball back on the Jumbo 18-yard line. Two Hackett rushes later, and the game was tied.
The Jumbos now sit in sole possession of seventh place in the NESCAC, one game behind sixth-place Williams and two games out of a four-way tie atop the division. But the team's final three opponents of the season are each 4-1, and are all traditionally tough adversaries. Amherst is next on the schedule, as the Jumbos head west on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Tufts nearly topped the Lord Jeffs in last year's Homecoming, but fell by a 10-7 margin.
So the Jumbos will have to wait another year in the attempt to defeat the Homecoming curse, at which point, they will be playing to avoid a decade of losses in their most watched game of the season.
