With a 20-6 win over the Middlebury Panthers on Saturday, Tufts clinched third place in the NESCAC with a 6-2 record, the first winning season since 1998, when the Jumbos went 7-1. Junior running back Keven Kelley also set the school record for most rushing yards in a season with 1079, eclipsing Paul Dressen's record of 1070, set in 1988.
"Setting the record is a testament to the offensive line and everyone that blocked for me," Kelley said after the game. "And also to the coaches for giving me the ball."
Kelley rushed for 136 yards on 35 carries in the contest, but it was his third quarter touchdown that shifted the momentum of the game and helped give Tufts its sixth win of the year.
Six minutes into the third quarter, with Tufts up 3-0, Middlebury was driving deep in Tufts territory. On first and ten from the Jumbo 17-yard line, Panthers senior quarterback Scott Roberts threw a pass to a receiver in the flat, but sophomore defensive end Reid Palmer got there first, intercepting Roberts toss and returning the ball 71 yards to the Middlebury 16.
Kelley scored on the ensuing play to give Tufts a 10-0 lead and more breathing room.
"That play, and the goal line stand in the first half, got our momentum up," sophomore defensive lineman Caleb Hudak said. "We just went from there."
The end of the second quarter resembled the beginning of the third, as again Middlebury had the ball in scoring position, only to turn it over to Tufts. With less than three minutes to play in the first half, the Panthers had a first and goal from the one-yard line. On the first play, Tufts' junior linebacker Brian Burbank tackled Middlebury's junior running back Bill Lazzaro for a four-yard loss.
On the next play, Roberts' pass fell incomplete, and on third down, when Roberts dropped back to pass, he was met by an onslaught of Tufts defenders. Burbank was credited with the sack, but on his way down, Roberts fumbled the ball, and Tufts' senior linebacker Gregg Barton recovered the loose ball.
Those two defensive stands were typical of a unit that held the Panthers well below their season averages. Lazzaro came into the game averaging 93.7 yards rushing per contest, and the Jumbos held him to 64. In fact, the Panthers were averaging 121.3 rushing yards a game, but could only muster 78 on Saturday.
"We just went out and played hard," Hudak said of the defensive performance. "We have a great group of seniors, and we wanted to send them out with a win."
Tufts' seniors did receive a proper send off. When freshman cornerback Donovan Brown returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter it gave Tufts a 17-point cushion, which allowed coach Bill Samko to get all of his seniors into the game.
The Jumbos defeated Middlebury with freshman Jay Casey - the third string quarterback - getting the start. Tufts was also without starting center, sophomore Justin Kelley, and junior Sean Casey started in his place.
With 2:54 left in the contest, senior kicker Howie Rock tacked another field goal onto the score to make it 20-0.
Rock finished his career a perfect 2-2 in field goals on the day and 2-2 in PAT's. He leaves the program as one of the most prolific punters in the school's history.
While this senior class will primarily be remembered for the few starters - linebacker Scott Mittenthal, defensive tackle Everrett Dickerson (graduate student), Rock, and offensive linemen Jim Higgins and Mike Willey - it was the leadership of the entire group that will be missed.
"It's going to be hard to replace their leadership," Hudak said. "It wasn't just from a few of the seniors. There were a lot of guys who did a lot for this team."
The senior class includes the five starters, plus Barton, safety Phil Struzziero, cornerback Chris Mellon, linebackers Tim Robinson and Jeff Ryan, fullback Steve Lapham, and safety Shane Waldron. And despite the leadership this unit provided, Samko will once again field a strong team next year.
"The whole secondary is returning and so are all the skill position players," Brown said. "If we work hard, we can have a great year next year."
Any success the team has next season will be based on the foundation the team laid this year. While Tufts finished third in the NESCAC, there is the sense that it is not a great distance between the Jumbos and the top two teams - Amherst and Williams.
In each of Tufts' two losses, both to Amherst and Williams, the Jumbos played well enough to give themselves chances to win, only to beat themselves with fourth quarter mistakes.
"We were a great team this year," Hudak said. "And the two teams that beat us know that."
