A masterful performance

Defense was the story of the game for the second straight week, as the football team got its second straight shutout on Saturday, disposing of Bates 27-0. It was the first win at homecoming for a Tufts football team since 1991, when they beat Amherst by a score of 28-17. The win was Tufts' 17th consecutive victory over Bates.

The Jumbos improved to 2-0 on the season, while Bates fell to 0-2, and has yet to score a point this year. With the win Tufts is tied for first place in the NESCAC with Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams.

The Bates offense was stymied all afternoon by the Jumbos' defensive unit, which allowed the Bobcats inside the Tufts 40 yard line just twice.

"Our defense is playing unbelievable football right now," senior quarterback Scott Treacy said. "It was a tremendous effort, and everyone is doing a great job on defense."

But while the Tufts defense thrived early on, allowing Bates just one first down in the first quarter, the offense struggled to get anything going. The first half of play featured ten punts between the two teams.

With three minutes left in the first half, Tufts faced a third down and six yards to go situation, from their own 23 yard line. Junior receiver Matt Cerne found himself open down the sideline, but was overthrown by Treacy.

Following a Tufts punt and a three and out by the Bobcats, the Jumbos got the ball back with 0:50 left on the clock at their own 16. They ran the same play again, and this time Treacy's throw was right on the money. Cerne reeled in the catch and pulled away from his defender to sprint 84 yards for the touchdown. Junior place kicker Marcellus Rolle missed the extra point, but the Jumbos went into halftime leading 6-0.

"Cerne just made a great catch on that one," Treacy said. "Coach had faith in that play and it worked out."

"We thought that Cerne was open the first time we ran the play," coach Bill Samko said. "The way we coach is to never overthrow _ let the guys go up and battle for it. So we just reminded Scott of that. I almost said just take a knee, but luckily we ran the play."

Treacy's 84 yarder to close the opening frame, sparked the offense in the second half, as the Jumbos posted 20 more points. With 6:59 left in the third quarter, senior cornerback Evan Zupancic returned a punt to the Bates 44, and Treacy followed with a 20 yard completion to bring the ball to the 18.

Three plays later, on second and goal from the 13, Treacy hooked up with junior wide receiver Tim Mack, who made a diving catch to post six more points. Rolle proceeded to nail the extra point to put Tufts up 13-0.

On the next Bates possession, junior linebacker Gaetan Kashala forced a fumble that Zupancic recovered. On the ensuing drive, the Jumbos went to senior running back Chuck McGraw on six consecutive plays, ending with a nine yard touchdown run with 48 seconds remaining in the third.

The defense was equally as dominant in the second half as it was in the first, as it held All-NESCAC running back Sean Atkins to just 52 yards on 22 carries, and star receiver Owen Miehe to three catches for 39 yards for the game.

It was also the defense that sealed the deal for the Jumbos in the fourth quarter. With 2:36 left to play, Bates senior quarterback Kane Jankoski threw a pass from his own 26, which junior safety Jorge Rodriguez picked off and returned 34 yards for the touchdown, giving Tufts the 27-0 lead.

"I read it right and I got in front of it," Rodriguez said. "Our defensive line had good pressure on him, our coaches made the right call, and then I just broke and took it."

When all was said and done, Tufts gained 345 yards on offense, including 106 on the ground from McGraw and 158 in the air by Treacy, who finished 9-19 with no interceptions and two touchdowns. Cerne led all receivers with three catches for 100 yards. The Jumbos did not turn the ball over once during the game.

Junior defensive end Reid Palmer was in on nine tackles, while junior free safety Drew Blewett led the way with six solo tackles, as the defense held Bates to 218 total yards.

Next week the Jumbos head to Brunswick, ME, to take on Bowdoin, who lost 42-20 to Amherst on Saturday. The Polar Bears are 0-2 and tied for last place in the conference with Bates, Colby and Hamilton.

While Tufts will have to focus on improving its consistency throughout the remainder of the season, on Saturday all were enjoying the team's first homecoming victory in over ten years.

"It's wonderful," Treacy said. "Especially in my senior year. It's a great feeling."