While Bowdoin and Williams were busy tearing up Tufts' Zimman Field in Saturday's wretched weather conditions, the Jumbos were at Williams doing the same damage to the Ephs home turf. Tufts made the four hour trek to take on Hamilton, a team that has struggled to find its grip in the NESCAC standings in recent years. The preseason tune up was won by the Continentals 15-9, but such a score rarely indicates the actual events of this, or any, preseason football game.
Rather than use the match up as a barometer for how the regular season will play out, the Jumbos are using the scrimmage as a learning tool and a stepping stone.
"Our starters were only in for a few series, so that right there tells you that winning the game was not the top priority for us," senior running back Steve Cincotta said.
Cincotta, the starter for much of last season, set the NESCAC record for carries in a game with 45 in a 23-14 win over this same Hamilton squad last season. He was only in for four series this time around.
In what Cincotta described as "monsoon-like" conditions in the first half, the Jumbos struggled to capitalize on any opportunities they found. Fumbles and holding penalties, not to mention the weather, kept the offense out of rhythm under the direction of senior quarterback and quad-captain Jason Casey.
"We moved the ball fairly well from the start, but we could have definitely put some more points on the board if we hadn't hurt ourselves like we did," Casey said.
At the beginning of the third quarter, when the heavens finally decided to close up, the Jumbos moved the ball more effectively. Casey threw a 12 yard touchdown strike to sophomore receiver Brian Von Ancken to cap off a long drive. Using a variety of receivers throughout the scrimmage such as seniors Kevin Holland and Chris Roy, Casey was able to orchestrate the offense more fluidly against a Hamilton defense that is returning nine starters.
"Once we cut out the penalties and fumbles and just play football, we can do more with the offense," Casey said.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tufts is undergoing major changes and this game helped gauge where the strengths and weaknesses lie within the unit. With only three starters returning, the Jumbos' D suffered a couple of minor hiccups near the start on two deep balls with one resulting in a Continentals' score.
"There was a little miscommunication on those plays," senior defensive lineman and quad-captain Chris Lawrence said. "But after that, we settled down a good amount."
With Hamilton running a sprint out offense in which the quarterback was rarely in the pocket, the Jumbos adjusted within the system the coaches had been setting in place all preseason.
"Rather than make adjustments, we did better on the stuff we already had in place," Lawrence said. "But we didn't throw the whole playbook at them or anything, not in our first scrimmage."
Lawrence also enjoyed what he saw out of the newcomers and the younger players on the team.
"The younger guys, like [sophomore defensive end Chris] Decembrele, really stepped up," he said.
The other Hamilton score came near the end of the game when the Jumbos were getting the younger players' feet wet in their first college, albeit unofficial, game experience.
Besides the acclimation of freshmen to a college football game environment, another big plus coming out of the game was the fact that there were no serious injuries for the Jumbos, which is always a chief fear when playing games that don't count in the standings. This is equally impressive considering the inclement weather conditions.
Saturday at 1 p.m. Tufts opens at home against Wesleyan. The team's enthusiasm for game action that counts is visible.
"I can't wait to see what we can do," Lawrence said.
