The Jumbos ended their season on a low note Saturday in Middlebury, Vt., falling to the Panthers by a 27-0 score and finishing the season at 2-6. Seventeen Tufts seniors saw their season end with the team's worst record since 1996 - when it finished 1-7 - as well as their fifth consecutive defeat. With the loss, Tufts finished the season tied with Hamilton for sixth in the 10-team NESCAC.
Having to play without wide receivers Matt Cerne and Bryan Pitko, both out with shoulder separations, the Jumbos failed to put any points on the board for the second time in three weeks.
"It messes up the timing without them," quarterback Todd Scalia said. "We're used to running certain routes, and it's difficult to adjust."
The Jumbos could not hold up against an intimidating Middlebury defense, which had not allowed a touchdown in its previous 22 quarters of play. The Panthers, who finished the season in a three-way tie atop the NESCAC with Amherst and Colby, also announced the retirement of 28-year head coach Mickey Heinecken after the game.
But it was Middlebury rusher Bryan Sanchez who stole the show on Saturday, compiling 215 yards on 38 carries to go with three touchdowns. Sanchez, who had torched the Jumbos for 146 yards last season, ended his dominance at Middlebury with school records for most carries in a season and in a career and most yards rushing in a season and in a career.
Sanchez lit up the scoreboard first towards the end of the opening quarter by way of a 14-yard touchdown run. The Jumbos fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading the way for a two-yard Sanchez run that put Middlebury ahead 14-0 after one quarter.
"He's really good," Scalia said of Sanchez. "He made a few big plays which decided the game, rather then them consistently outplaying us."
Middlebury scored twice in the third quarter to put the game out of reach, first by way of a 58-yard touchdown pass from wideout Devon O'Neil to Zac Campbell, and then on a 23-yard touchdown run by Sanhcez that capped the day's scoring.
Tufts quarterback Todd Scalia, who wound up with most of the season's starts over oft-injured counterpart Scott Treacy, continued to progress in certain areas --- he did not throw an interception for the second time in three games - but could not get generate an offensive score despite completing 14 of his 30 pass attempts. Tufts coach Bill Samko had limited his team's passing game at the beginning of the season in favor of a ground attack, but Scalia averaged over 30 passes a contest in each of his last three games.
"I think I've gotten more comfortable and been able to do more things as the season went on," Scalia said.
"He played more confident late in the season," Cerne added. "He took control more often."
Still, the team totaled just five touchdown receptions on the season, four of which were completed by Scalia.
Brian Holmes, among the few players the Jumbos' young offense will lose to graduation, rushed 19 times for 80 yards in the loss, while also leading the team in receiving yardage with 37. Holmes finished the season with 620 yards in seven games, fourth on the NESCAC leader board, in his first season starting on offense for Tufts.
"He's an unbelievable player, and I'm sure he'll be missed," Cerne said.
Treacy saw some time at wideout and brought down three passes for 34 yards, while sophomore Chuck McGraw had three receptions for 35 yards. Senior Brett Cichillo, injured earlier in the year, closed out what has been a particularly quiet final season with no receptions.
The Jumbos' defense, which could not stop Colby quarterback Pat Conley last week, continued to struggle against the league's better rushers. Tufts yielded 410 yards of total offense to the Panthers - more than any other opponent this season - over half of which came at the hands of Sanchez. Still, the Jumbos, who will lose among others, Pete DiStaulo, and Everett Dickerson to graduation, did not let up more than 28 points in a single game all season long.
The defense will graduate six starters, but offensively most components will return next season, including Scalia, Treacy, Cerne, Pitko, McGraw, and most of an offensive line that had to adjust to numerous injuries all year long. In a NESCAC conference dominated by three near-perfect teams this season, the untested offense - as expected - used 2000 to pick up some much-needed experience.
"In terms of wins and losses, I'm disappointed," Cerne said of his first season with Tufts football. "But we're a young offense and as long as we work, we'll improve. We'll be doing well in the future."
