At the end of last year's football season, coach Bill Samko was faced with an offensive backfield that contained a graduating tail back and a pair of quarterbacks who, as a tandem, passed for over 200 yards in only one game last year. By season's end, fears for this year were already emerging.
But now, a week into the preseason, the uncertainty is disappearing. Junior Scott Treacy, who split time with classmate Todd Scalia last year, is the starting quarterback, with Scalia out for the season with kidney problems.
And though Treacy is the unquestioned starter for only the first time in his collegiate career, Samko says he has played well. "He's much stronger," Samko said. "A big concern with him has always been staying healthy, so he's gotten a little bigger."
In addition to strengthening, Treacy spent time at Tufts this summer looking at film. Though Treacy's stats last year were unimposing - he threw for 121 yards with five interceptions and one touchdown - Samko says he is happy with the progress his quarterback has made.
"What we're working on with him is no different than what pro quarterbacks work on," Samko said. "We're focusing on proper foot movement, technique, and adjustments."
Treacy's game was on display for the first time, at full speed, yesterday, when the team had its first intra-squad scrimmage. Like last season, the passing game was rusty and inefficient, but Treacy utilized his speed, executing on both an option and rollout rush.
The junior quarterback's passing statistics will take a backseat in importance if he can make the offense more efficient than it was last season. A year ago, the team punted the ball 65 times, compared to only 11 touchdowns and eight field goal attempts.
The team's inability to score, and its proclivity to punt, stems from a 20 percent third-down conversion rate. Last year, Tufts' offense created long third downs by rushing the ball only 2.6 yards per attempt. That's where a trio of runners comes in.
Now that Brian Holmes, the team's best all-around player and starting tailback, has graduated, senior Renato DePaolis and juniors Chuck McGraw and Keven Kelley will all get time at tailback. The three come with quite different pedigrees, though the most proven is DePaolis, who led Tufts in rushing as a sophomore in 1999 before transferring to Bentley College, where he rushed for 620 yards in nine games with five touchdowns. The senior is back and will be the "speed back" this year.
"They are all good," Samko said. "If you're looking for a feature back, it won't happen. They all have specific skills, but none will get 30 carries a game."
With DePaolis the fastest of the three, the 220-pound Kelley will get a chance to be the "bruiser." McGraw, who started two games last season, rushed for 162 yards and Tufts' only two rushing touchdowns by a running back. His new role will be more of a "slasher," but all three will be called upon to catch the ball out of the backfield.
If you mention passing with the Jumbos, discussion immediately turns to Tufts' wideouts, of which Samko has three good ones. Sophomore Matt Cerne lead the team in receiving yards with 284 and a touchdown and was twice named NESCAC freshman of the week.
Opposite Cerne is junior Bryan Pitko, who had 198 yards receiving and a touchdown last year. Samko is also pleased with the play of his third receiver, sophomore Tim Mack, who impressed coaches with his five catches for 60 yards last year. "We'd like to run the ball about 60 percent of the time," Samko said of his offensive strategy. "But in this day, you gotta throw the ball," Samko said. "You gotta take advantage of your players' capabilities, and we have three good receivers."
With a starting quarterback, three dependable running backs, and three receivers, Samko has more confidence about his offense now than at the end of last season, when the offense was in disarray due to injuries. And no unit was more injured than the offensive line, which is now the offense's greatest strength.
"They're doing a nice job," Samko said. "They've all played, they all have the experience, and we have nice depth at offensive line."
Unlike running back, Samko knows exactly who will line up on the ball for him in the season opener on Sept. 22 at Wesleyan. Juniors Andy Dickerson (6'1", 298 lbs.) and Adam Collette (6'7", 249 lbs.) are the left and right tackles, respectively, while seniors Jim Higgins (5'11", 232 lbs.) and Mike Willey (6'4", 278 lbs.) are the left and right guards. Sophomore center Justin Kelly (6'0", 271 lbs.) rounds out the starting five.
