If good things do indeed come to those who wait, then senior quarterback Matt Russo-and the football team-may be in luck.
A year ago, just one week before the team's season opener against Wesleyan, doctors told the then-junior that he had contracted mononucleosis and would have to miss the entire football season.
"It made for a long season to sit on the sidelines the whole year and just watch," the Longmeadow, Mass., native said. "Seeing my teammates out there working hard, struggling every day, was especially tough because you want to be out there fighting with them and I just wasn't able to.
"It made me appreciate how much I love the game though, and it gave me a chance to step back and see it from a fresh perspective and work on some of the things I needed to improve."
Now Russo is back, and Jumbo fans are counting on him to turn around an offense that has underperformed for the past two seasons.
After consecutive 2-6
seasons in 2004 and 2005, Tufts is looking to upstage the many naysayers around the NESCAC who believe the Jumbos will rest comfortably near the bottom of the standings come November. When the highly anticipated 2006 season begins this Saturday at home against Hamilton, Russo get the chance to lead the team to its first home victory since Homecoming '04.
Russo faces an uphill climb to reintegrate a strong passing game into the Jumbos' offensive arsenal. The last two quarterbacks, Jason Casey (LA '04) and Casey D'Annolfo (LA '05), failed to produce in the air. The pair combined for 11 interceptions and five touchdowns in 2004, and D'Annolfo threw for 13 interceptions and 10 touchdowns last season.
While Russo admitted the Tufts offense is not designed to throw the ball on every down, he feels that the quarterback is still an important asset to productive game and clock management. Coach Bill Samko's requirements from his quarterback are simple: consistency and effort.
"I just need him to work hard, prepare for each week, and just plain go out and enjoy the game," said Samko, who is entering his 13th year as Tufts' football coach.
Russo seems in tune with Samko's view: "Coach trusts me to play sound, ball-control football," said Russo, who will be getting his first start in an organized football game in nearly four years. "He's not going to ask me to throw the ball 50 times a game or change too many plays at the line of scrimmage. But he expects me to protect the ball when it's in our hands and make some first downs so we can put some points on the board."
Russo has at his disposal one of the most experienced offensive units Tufts has fielded in recent memory. His front line, led by quad-captain Brian Schurko, is made up of a solid core of battle-tested upperclassmen.
"I expect big things from us this year," said Schurko, free of injury for the first time in two seasons. "[The offensive line] is looking as good as we have looked in the years I've been here."
The Tufts coaching staff has groomed this wide-bodied group since they were freshmen and sophomores, and the years of preparation have produced a cohesive squad.
In addition to bonding with teammates at Tufts, Russo also shares some childhood ties with his number one target at wide receiver this season, senior Steve Menty. The two have known each other since they were 10 years old and played together on High-Tech Awards, a summer basketball team. The pair separated in high school when they played against each other at rival schools Minnechaug and Longmeadow.
"We're really competitive with one another," said Menty, who led all Tufts receivers last season with 343 yards on 26 catches. "We've known each other long enough so that we can be honest with each other, even if the truth hurts."
The two reconnected at Tufts and were roommates together in South Hall. They have lived in the same house for the past three years among other football players which has strengthened their quarterback-wide receiver relationship.
Russo will take the field tomorrow against the Buff and Blue of Hamilton, a team that won just one game in 2005. His teammates and coaches are confident that he will play to his potential and take a leadership role on the field.
"[Russo] has worked hard and waited for this opportunity," Samko said. "He has shown great poise so far."
