When the Tufts football team begins its season this year, there will be a few key faces missing.
Gone will be Kevin Kelley and his 134.9 yards per game, his eight touchdowns, and his 1,079 thunderous yards of offense. Gone will be All-American offensive guard Mike Willey, who opened up the gaping holes that allowed Kelley and the rest of the offense to gain 227 rushing yards per game.
But despite these losses, head coach Bill Samko's team hopes to put together another winning season. Repeating last year's season (6-2 records, third place in the NESCAC) may be difficult, but the returning players believe continued success is possible.
"Kevin Kelley was obviously a great running back, but his offensive did a good amount of work," senior co-captain QB Scott Treacy said. "Even though [RB] Chuck McGraw has a different style of running, I feel he is just as good as Kevin Kelley."
Despite visible losses on offense, the Tufts defense, which ranked fourth in the nation last year and allowed only 10.4 points per game, will return eight starters. The most notable of these starters may be senior cornerback Evan Zupancic. A pre-season All-American last year, Zupancic, has 13 career interceptions, just two shy of the school record. He recorded three picks last season, second on the team to another key defensive starter, junior free-safety Mark Tilki.
Tilki grabbed four interceptions last season, including three on consecutive possessions at Colby last November. Though Tilki has excelled on defense, perhaps his greatest contributions come on special teams. His performance on special teams last year garnered him a first team All-NESCAC selection. Last season, Tilki recovered a fumble, blocked two punts, and averaged 23.2 yards on kickoff returns.
Tilki will be joined by another first team All-NESCAC selection, junior defensive tackle Caleb Hudak. Hudak led the team with seven tackles for losses, including a team-high four sacks for 47 yards lost. He also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, picked off a pass, and was fourth on the team with 41 tackles (27 solo).
Junior Matt Keller will return as a starter in the middle of the defensive line, while senior Brian Burbank and juniors Reid Palmer and Jay Hirsh will return at defensive end. The group had six sacks and five interceptions last season, including a game saving interception by Palmer against Trinity with 1:23 left on the clock.
The team has a hole to fill at linebacker, after losing senior co-captain, and second team All-NESCAC selection Scott Mittenthal to graduation. Mittenthal led the team with 59 tackles last season, and his presence will be missed. Senior linebacker Sean Kennedy should help ease this pain, however, as he will be returning for his second year as a starter. Kennedy led the team with 43 solo tackles last year.
"We have a lot of players returning on defense and our speed and quickness will be our strength," said Zupancic, the senior co-captain.
The offense will also return eight starters to the team. Although Willey is gone up front, second team All-NESCAC selection, junior tackle Adam Collette, will anchor the line, along with senior tackle Andy Dickerson, and junior center Justin Kelley.
There will be a tremendous void to fill in the running back position after Kelley's torrid 2001 campaign. McGraw gained 449 yards last season backing up Kelley, and also matched his 4.7 yards per carry. He will be backed up by sophomore Steve Cincotta.
Treacy will direct the offense from the quarterback position, as the team tries to balance its passing game with its rushing attack. While gaining 227 yards per game on the ground, the offense averaged only 75.8 yards passing. Treacy threw for 466 yards last year, with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The passing game will be boosted by the return of junior wide receiver Matt Cerne, who missed six games last season due to a high ankle sprain. Senior Brian Pitko will return as a strong component as well. The receiver, who also competed nationally in the 110 meter hurdles, caught five balls last year for 129 yards.
It is with these tools that the Jumbos will take the field this year. The team opens its schedule with a home game against Hamilton on Sept. 21. The last time Tufts squared off against Hamilton was in 1999, when the Jumbos came away with a 28-25 win.
The team will then face Bates at Tufts homecoming on Sept. 28. The Jumbos defeated the Bobcats by a score of 41-12 last year.
If Tufts comes away with a winning record this year, it will do so against the odds. Tufts has not posted back to back winning seasons since 1990-91.
"Despite the loss of some integral players, I believe this years team will be very competitive in the NESCAC," Treacy said.
