October was a month to forget for the football team.
After starting the month with a 16-6 win over Bowdoin, the Jumbos quickly dropped three straight games, and none of them were particularly close. First came a 17-0 blowout at the hands of the four-time defending league champion Trinity Bantams. Then the Jumbos fell 38-14 to the undefeated Williams Ephs, the NESCAC's best offense - followed immediately by a 24-6 drubbing on the road against Amherst, which brought the league's best defense.
Despite the rough record this month, the Tufts squad remains resolute, as the three straight losses have done nothing to deter the team's mindset.
"The attitude hasn't changed at all, to be honest with you," coach Bill Samko said. "After each of those games, we've had three really good weeks of practice. Tuesday and Wednesday, we had really good practices this week."
The Jumbos have been outscored 79-20 in their last three games, against three teams with a combined record of 16-2. But with November football on the horizon, things may start to look up for the Jumbos. This weekend brings the Colby Mules, a less formidable opponent than any the Jumbos have faced over the past three weeks, to town.
The Mules have been one of the NESCAC's most improved teams over the past few years. After finishing 4-4 in the 2002 season, Colby improved its record in each of the next three seasons - first winning five games in 2003, then six in 2004, and then finishing second only to Trinity in 2005, with a record of 7-1.
This year, however, the Mules were hit hard by the graduation of crucial players, and they stand at 2-4 on the year. Last weekend, it took them four overtimes to beat the winless Bates Bobcats. They eventually emerged with a 10-7 win when sophomore kicker Brian Bachow redeemed himself for an earlier miss, splitting the uprights for a game-winning field goal in the fourth OT.
Needless to say, these 2-4 Mules are not the same team the Jumbos faced last season - a team that scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to top the Jumbos last November 28-16 in Waterville, Maine. And the Jumbos are not the same, either - they've learned a lesson from that game that they intend to put to good use this weekend.
"The lesson that you learn is that you've got to finish," Samko said. "Halftime doesn't mean anything. You play 60 minutes in a game, not 30."
"You can never settle," said sophomore wide receiver David Halas, a key player in last year's Colby game. "You can't be complacent. You can't ever think you're ahead - a couple of big plays is all it takes, and they're back in the game."
Halas, then a freshman, had a huge breakout performance at Colby last November. Statistically, it was the best performance by any Jumbo receiver in 2005, as the rookie gained 104 yards for the Jumbos on four catches, two of them for touchdowns. His 73-yarder on a pass from then-quarterback Casey D'Annolfo was the Jumbos' longest gain of the season. This year, however, the Mules will likely be more prepared for the Jumbo offense.
"This will probably be the most physical defense that we face this year," Halas said.
"I think they start three defensive backs, and they're all seniors. This is going to be a very tough, very physical game."
The effects of graduation on this Colby team are undeniable. The Mules' losses from last year's 7-1 team include Aaron Stepka, the league's leading rusher from last season with 778 yards on the ground, Jon Vacca and Michael Tomich, two of the league's most explosive receivers, and cornerback Mike Bracco, who led the NESCAC in interceptions with four.
"They graduated a lot of guys last year," Samko said. "They're still very physical, and they're probably still top four in the league in defense. I think they've had some injuries on the offensive side of the ball though."
One piece of the puzzle that still remains is quarterback Justin Smith. Now a senior co-captain, Smith has been under center for all four years at Colby, including three years as the undisputed starter. He has struggled this season, however, throwing for four touchdowns and six picks, with the seventh-best passer rating in the league.
"He's very good, very athletic," Samko said of Smith. "When he was a freshman, he was the second-string quarterback. Their quarterback got hurt, so he started against us. I was very impressed with him, even back when he was a freshman. He was very mobile."
The Jumbos sit in a fifth-place tie with Wesleyan in the NESCAC standings at 3-3, while the Mules are tied for seventh at 2-4.
On paper, the game looks winnable for the Jumbos, who want to get a win in their final home game. Saturday is Senior Day, and Samko wants nothing more than to win one for his graduating seniors.
"I have a lot of respect for those kids, a tremendous amount of respect," Samko said of his senior class.
"There's a bunch of guys here who have worked really hard for four years. I feel strongly about these guys. I really appreciate what they've done.
"In the scope of things, in 10 or 20 years ... you forget about the records, you forget about the stats," Samko continued. "But you don't forget about the guys. You don't forget about the friendships that you've made here."
