In a battle of undefeated NESCAC rivals, the football team squares off against Bowdoin at Ellis Oval tomorrow in an intriguing match-up between two 2-0 teams and last week's NESCAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.
The Jumbos hope to display the newfound offense that emerged last week against Bates, led by junior quarterback and last week's NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week Casey D'Annolfo. Last week at Bates, D'Annolfo completed 16 of 23 pass attempts for 255 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and connected with junior receiver Brian VonAncken for three scores to set a new Jumbo receiving record.
On the other side of the ball will be an inconsistent, but successful, Polar Bear defense, propped up by the star play of NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week Dave Donahue at defensive back and John Regan at linebacker. Putting up videogame-esque statistics, Donahue, an Ashland, Mass. native, had an interception returned for a touchdown, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and a staggering 17 tackles last Saturday at Amherst. Regan snagged an interception, forced two fumbles, recorded two sacks, and racked up 14 tackles.
The Jumbos, however, say it's business as usual, no matter who's on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
"Each week we scout the opposing team, how many men they have in the box, what types of coverages they run," said junior receiver Steve Menty, who had three receptions for 64 yards in the Bates game. "We've already scrimmaged them [during the preseason], so we have a good idea of what they do."
There are inconsistencies in the Polar Bear defense. Against Amherst last week, the Bowdoin defense allowed 399 yards of total offense, including 282 on the ground. However, Bowdoin held Amherst to 13 points in a 16-13 win, thanks in large part to a stunning seven turnovers forced by the Bowdoin defense. The Polar Bears' overall defensive performance is average at best. Bowdoin is ranked four out of ten in the NESCAC in pass defense but allows opposing quarterbacks a 56.1% completion rate. Less impressive, its run defense is dead-last in the NESCAC, allowing 259 opponent rushing yards per game.
"The defense [Bowdoin] plays, they let themselves bend a little," Menty said.
However, the Tufts offense showed the capability last week to do more than just bend defenses. The Jumbos grinded out 407 total yards in their 34-7 thrashing of Bates, and more importantly, committed no turnovers and allowed zero sacks.
"I think a lot is attributed to the offensive line giving Casey [D'Annolfo] time," Menty said. "The more time you give Casey, the more time it gives him to find one of our receivers and settle in."
There was no concealing the Jumbos' offensive success last Saturday, and in its largest scoring output since 2002, the offense was strikingly balanced. In addition to his high yardage and touchdown totals, D'Annolfo connected with six different Tufts receivers. In addition to the aerial attack, the Jumbos rushed 39 times for 152 yards, including 57 yards by senior running back Scott Lombardi and 55 yards and a touchdown for freshman William Forde, who averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
"He's one of the quickest kids I've ever seen," Menty said of Forde. "He's shifty, and he has that first quick step. He can stretch the defense."
Because Bates is one of the weaker teams in the NESCAC and because of Bowdoin's defensive style, having another offensive option like Forde will be an added benefit for Tufts. Given Bowdoin's weakness in stopping the running game, the onus is on Tufts to attack with an offensive game-plan geared towards the run.
"Last week Bates invited the pass," Menty said. "This week Bowdoin plays a soft cover two with only seven guys in the box, and they invite the run. And we're aware of that."
Defensively, the Jumbos look to continue their recent success in stifling dominant offenses, a trend dating back to last season. Since October 16, 2004 the Tufts defense has given up only 53 points total, an average of just 8.8 points per game during the six-game stretch. This season, the Jumbos have only given up 13 points over their first two games.
"This season, the defense is feeding off the offense," said junior defensive end Chris Decembrele. "If the offense has a great series, it's just like we go out there and have a good series too. It's really cause and effect."
