The dream is over.
Tufts' hopes of an undefeated season went down the drain Saturday with a 17-0 defeat at the hands of the Trinity Bantams in Hartford, Conn. The Jumbos dropped to 3-1 on the season, while the Bantams improved to 3-1, bringing both squads even with Amherst and Middlebury for a four-way tie for second in the NESCAC.
The Bantams brought an extra fire to the field on Saturday; Trinity had entered the season riding a nation-best 31-game winning streak, a record-setting run that the Williams Ephs ended on Sept. 30. A 13-0 win over Bates the following week helped soften the blow, but the Bantams were on the warpath nonetheless.
They were looking for redemption this Saturday, and with a decisive win over the Jumbos, they proved they still belong in the upper echelon of the NESCAC. This was a benchmark game for Tufts, as the Jumbos were attempting to bring down the four-time defending NESCAC champions and establish themselves as legitimate title contenders. But they ran into a tough and experienced Trinity squad that defended its home turf and sent the Jumbos back to Medford with their first loss of the season.
"I would say it was our inability to execute the game plan," sophomore wide receiver David Halas said. "We had a bit of trouble establishing either the run or the pass. I think it was important to get one of those facets down to open up the game a little bit, and we never really got into our rhythm."
The game was dominated by defense on both sides, but in the end, the Trinity line won the defensive duel, shutting down the Jumbos' offense and holding Tufts to just 104 total yards. The Bantams intercepted senior quarterback Matt Russo three times and were able to capitalize on the other side of the ball.
The frustrating performance from the Tufts offense came just one week after Russo and company churned out 318 yards of total offense in a win at Bowdoin. The success of last week's rushing attack seemed like a distant memory, as the Bantams' defense limited Tufts to only 24 rushing yards on 38 carries. The passing game did not fare much better, as the Jumbos totaled 80 yards through the air, and Russo was picked off three times.
"Whenever you make mistakes - on offense, defense and special teams - good teams like Trinity are going to take advantage of those mistakes," senior quad-captain Chris Decembrele said. "I don't think they were that much better than we were; I think they took advantage more of the mistakes we made."
Neither team could get much going in the first quarter, and the game was still scoreless after 15 minutes. After a personal foul penalty on a punt by senior Bryan McDavitt gave the Bantams the ball on the Tufts 40 yard line, senior running back Gennaro Leo capped a five-play drive with a 22-yard touchdown run to give Trinity a 7-0 lead. Just before halftime, the Bantams added a 20-yard field goal from senior Kevin Swiniarski, widening the lead to 10-0.
The second half was similar, as the Tufts offense failed to score against an inspired Trinity defense. The Jumbos' offense got a quick first down on the first possession of the third quarter. However, on a third-and-11 from the Tufts 31-yard line, Russo was intercepted by sophomore free safety John Marinelli, who returned the ball to the Tufts five-yard line.
After a personal foul penalty on the Bantams moved the ball back to the Tufts 20, sophomore quarterback Eric McGrath found senior wide receiver Chris Olenoski in the end zone to put the Bantams up 17-0.
The only time Tufts was able to move the ball past the Trinity 45 was on a long drive in the third quarter, which ended on a futile fourth-down attempt. The Jumbos made it down to the Trinity 11, but Russo was sacked on third-and-eight by senior linebacker Christian Allen. A desperation try on fourth-and-16 fell short, as Russo could not complete a pass intended for senior wide receiver Brian Von Ancken.
The story of the game was the Trinity defense, which recorded its second straight shutout in dominating fashion. The Bantams had five sacks to go along with the three forced turnovers. Allen had a sack and an interception to go along with his five tackles, while junior linebacker Matt Rettig's nine tackles led the team.
"They are a good defense, but I think we should've been able to be more effective than we were," Halas said. "I think that our best chances came when we were trailing late in the game, and it was crucial that we try to get touchdowns before field goals. I would say that we wanted to get the big gains and give ourselves a chance to win, rather than feel better about putting points up."
The Tufts defense performed decently giving up a season-high 17 points, as the Jumbos held the All-NESCAC running back Leo to 73 net yards on 20 carries. All in all, the Trinity offense racked up 263 yards.
Decembrele led all Tufts defenders with 13 tackles, including 3.5 for losses, and freshman safety Alex Perry grabbed his third interception of the season. Sophomore linebacker Tyson Reynoso also continued his strong play on the season, recording six tackles and forcing a fumble.
The Jumbos now must look to rebound next week at Zimman Field against Williams, who improved to 4-0 over the weekend when they handed Middlebury its first loss of the season on Saturday in a crushing 40-9 blow. Williams is the only team in the NESCAC to remain undefeated, as both Tufts and Middlebury fell to 3-1.
The high-powered Eph offense averages 403 yards a game and will be a real test for the Jumbos' defense. The Jumbos likely need a win to keep their NESCAC title hopes alive.
"Williams at home on Parents' Weekend - this is even a bigger game and this is even a better team," Decembrele said. "You have to have a short memory when it comes to these games, and I think the guys will probably be even more hungry now that we lost a game that we could've won very easily."
