Tomorrow will be a day of reckoning in NESCAC football when 3-1 Tufts battles the undefeated Williams Ephs in a crucial game on Zimman Field. The Jumbos, who suffered their first loss of the season last week to Trinity, are looking for their first win over Williams in 20 years.
However, if the Jumbos are serious about ending their losing streak against the Ephs, they will have to overcome a team with one of the most high-powered offenses in recent memory.
Through four games this season, Williams has averaged a NESCAC-leading 34 points and 402 yards of offense per game. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find an offensive statistical category that the Ephs do not dominate. Last season, the Ephs dumped 391 passing yards on the Jumbos in a 37-13 blowout at Williams.
"They're a good team," said coach Bill Samko, on the hunt for his first coaching victory versus his rival from Williamstown. "We're going to have to play well to win, but that's just like any game."
At 4-0, Williams has played a tough conference schedule, facing the conference's top-tier teams and coming out on top in every match-up. Aside from ending Trinity's national-best 31-game win-streak with a 41-16 drubbing of the Bantams, the high-powered Ephs most recently dismantled a previously undefeated Middlebury squad 40-9, making themselves the team to beat this year in NESCAC football.
The Williams offense is led by a two-headed monster at the quarterback position. Senior Sean Gleason and junior Pat Lucey have shared time taking the snaps, and both have seen success running the attack. The two have combined to throw nine touchdowns, and have a pass efficiency of 146.5.
In spite of Williams' explosive numbers, untarnished record, and 20-game winning streak, the Jumbos look forward to the challenge posed by their purple counterparts.
"We've been watching a lot of film," said senior quad-captain and defensive end Chris Decembrele, who led the Jumbos with a game-high 13 tackles last weekend against Trinity. "They pass to set up the run, so I think if we can shut down their quarterbacks and get some good hits on their receivers, we can keep their offense off the field." Decembrele added that despite the loss last week, the defense remains confident in its ability to halt the dynamic Williams attack.
Limiting the Ephs' time of possession will be the key for this Tufts squad. Tomorrow will pair the two extremes of offensive styles, with the pass-happy Ephs squaring off against the rush-oriented Jumbos.
In their 17-0 loss to Trinity last week, the Jumbos had their offensive weaknesses exploited. Senior quarterback Matt Russo had little time to work in the pocket, and was sacked six times, while the touted Tufts running backs were kept at bay, gathering only 24 yards on 38 carries.
Despite its ugliest showing of the season, the Jumbos are ready to get back to their winning ways, and shed the mistakes they made against Trinity.
"I think we all realized that we had a bad game," senior quad-captain Brian Schurko said. "The mistakes that we made are all fixable. This week, we concentrated on the little things that made us effective the first three weeks, and hopefully it will pay off for us on Saturday."
The Ephs will be looking to emulate Bantams defensive strategy by pressuring Russo and limiting the Jumbo running backs to short gains. Tufts' main threat on the ground thus far has been junior Brendan Georges, who has averaged 66 yards per game. If the Jumbos are looking to control the game clock, making room for Georges will prove crucial.
"Brendan has been a solid running back," Schurko said. "We need to do a better job blocking, not just for him, but in general this week."
There is no question that the Ephs are the heavy favorites when they travel to Medford tomorrow. They will bring a potent offense unlike any other in the league, along with a perfect record and 20 straight victories over the Jumbos. One of the closer losses in recent memory occurred on Parent's Weekend two years ago when the squad lost to Williams by one point.
"You can't think about the past," Decembrele said. "[Williams] is 4-0, first in the league, and I can't think of a better time to end that streak than now. We're confident, we're ready, [and] we just need to play the way we know we can."
