So it comes down to this for the Tufts football team. A win at Middlebury would be just what the doctor ordered for a team that has had some trouble having much to smile about this season. And the players know it.
"This is a great chance for us to end on a positive note," senior running back Steve Cincotta said. "We have no choice but to leave it all on the field, everything we've got."
While the Jumbos lost their chance at a .500 season with last week's 17-3 loss to Colby, the Panthers are looking for their fourth consecutive 4-4 season.
The last two seasons, Middlebury has spelled doom for Tufts, romping 31-6 in Vermont in 2002 and gutting out a 10-6 win last season in what was not either team's best performance.
But while seasons of mediocrity have been in abundance for the Panthers, no one can accuse them of not being stylistic.
Middlebury's offense is one that calls to mind some of the more prolific passing attacks in history, and at the helm of this fun-and-gun style attack is senior Mike Keenan, the Williams transfer who has been impressing for the Panthers the last three years. Keenan is first in the NESCAC in passing yards (1,520) by a large margin and has 12 TD passes on the year.
His favorite target is fellow senior Tom Cleaver, who has been nothing short of unstoppable en route to 53 catches (seven ahead of second place holder and Tufts senior Kevin Holland) and five touchdowns. His 815 yards are 248 more than anybody else in the league, and his 116.4 yards per game make him by far the most prolific threat in the league.
The Middlebury passing offense is averaging 225 yards a contest. The Jumbos pass defense is surrendering just 176 yards a game. But last year, Tufts held basically the same attack to 104 pass yards. So should we expect the same performance this time around?
"We have a lot to play for, it being the last game for 14 seniors and all," senior cornerback and quad-captain Donavan Brown said. "We know their strengths, so we'll be ready for them to pass the ball."
The Panthers running attack does not strike fear into many, hence their 3-4 record despite their aerial attack. They average only 95.1 yards a game. But such an attack may be ready to explode, so Tufts is wary of that.
"We have to make sure [their running backs] don't have their breakout game against us," Brown said.
On the other side of the ball, the Jumbos will be looking across the line at a defense that is led by senior linebacker Rich Decembrele, brother of Tufts sophomore defensive end Chris. The elder Decembrele has 54 tackles on the year, 8.5 for loss. He is only being outdone by junior linebacker Coleman Hutzler, who is fourth in the NESCAC (tied with Chris) with 66 tackles of his own.
As a unit, the Panthers are sixth in the league in scoring defense and seventh in total defense (yards allowed). But with the trouble the Jumbos have had moving the ball as of late, the Tufts offense must worry about itself before it even begins to think about the opposition's defense.
"We just have to stay within our offense and I think the yards and hopefully the points will happen for us," Cincotta said.
The game will be held tomorrow on Bello Field at 12:30 p.m.
