Statistics accurately portray Tufts' struggle

It is sometimes said that there are three ways to alter the truth: lies, damn lies, and statistics.

This is especially true in sports where numbers can be misleading and rarely ever tell the whole story. In the Tufts football team's game Saturday against Trinity, however, the statistics paint an accurate picture of the game.

The Jumbos struggled in every phase of the game, losing 23-3 to Trinity College. They were, for the most part, unable to run the ball on offense, or to stop the Trinity rushing attack. After starting 3-0 in each of the last several seasons, the team had been hoping to take the next step forward by beating one of the NESCAC's best teams. The game, however, revealed how wide the gulf is between where Tufts is and where it wants to be.

The Tufts defense came into Saturday's game looking to limit Trinity's running game. Trinity boasts the NESCAC's best ground attack, with two exceptional tail backs, and the great majority of their yards this season have come through the rush. Tufts was unable to stop Trinity despite expecting an emphasis on the running game.

Tom Pierandri gained 109 yards for the Bantams and scored their only offensive touchdown. The Tufts defense was able to prevent long runs, though Pierandri was consistently able to gain four or five yards per carry, and his effectiveness increased as the game progressed. The "D" did a better job limiting Trinity's other star running back, Drew Finkeldey. He was consistently met by defenders at the line of scrimmage and finished with less than 50 yards.

Keeping the ball on the ground also kept Trinity from playing into one of Tufts' biggest strengths: forcing turnovers. For the first time this season, the defense failed to intercept a pass. The team relies on the big plays of the defense to both produce points and to set up scoring opportunities for the offense, and without them the Jumbos struggled.

Trinity's success at running the ball also allowed quarterback Erik Paisley to have a good passing game. He racked up 135 passing yards, giving Trinity a much more balanced offensive attack than it has had so far this season.

Overall, the Trinity running game was the dominant offensive force in the game. Not only did it produce 148 yards, the majority of the team's total for the day, but it also allowed Trinity to dominate the time of possession. Tufts only had the ball for 22:43 of the 60 minute contest and never really seemed to be able to get into any semblance of an offensive rhythm. Also by holding possession for over 37 minutes the Bantams were able to keep their defense off the field and ensure that they were fresh when they did play.



-- by Christopher Munsey