The football team is having a season for the history books, but to maintain its position at the top of the NESCAC standings, it will need to do what it hasn't done in 20 years - beat Williams.
The last win for Tufts in Williamstown came over a quarter of a century ago in 1981, and the 2-2 Ephs have not lost three games in a season since 2000. Tomorrow afternoon, the Jumbos will attempt to snap both streaks, and right now, they're confident that they can.
"We are 4-0, and we are the number one guys," senior tri-captain Kevin Anderson said. "They are going to be gunning for us - we are the ones with bull's eyes on our chests now."
After an upset of perennial heavyweight Trinity on Saturday, the Jumbos found themselves alone in an unfamiliar place atop the league. Tufts' 4-0 record is the team's best start since 2001. But as in 2001, the Jumbos will have to get by the Ephs to maintain their unblemished record, and as that year's 21-17 loss proved, that fifth win will be no easy task.
Still, after Saturday's victory, the team has never been more ready to take on the Ephs.
"We are coming off a great win versus Trinity, and we played three great other games," Anderson said. "That gives us a lot of momentum ... versus another great team in Williams."
At 2-2 this season, Williams does not look like the NESCAC champion of last season - but its offense certainly is not the problem.
Coming into tomorrow's game, the Ephs boast the top offense in the league with an average of 451.8 yards per game. Senior quarterback and reigning NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year Pat Lucey leads the conference's best passing game, averaging 287 yards per game with a 63 percent completion rate, which is by far the best among NESCAC quarterbacks.
The Ephs also feature the top players in the NESCAC at two other skill positions. Junior wide receiver Ryan Powell leads the conference with 32 receptions for 377 yards and will be one of Lucey's top targets tomorrow afternoon, while his classmate, running back Brian Morrissey, averages 117.8 rushing yards a game and has scored seven touchdowns.
And if that's not enough, the Jumbos will also have to contend with senior running back Kevin Flynn, a dangerous return threat who turns in 176.8 all-purpose yards a game.
"Our coaches have come up with a great game plan to stop them," sophomore safety Tom Tassinari said. "They run sort of a spread offense like we have seen this year, but they also have a great running game, so we will see what happens [Saturday]."
But if the Jumbos will be worried about containing the Ephs' offense, the Ephs, in return, should certainly be concerned with getting by Tufts' defense.
The Jumbos come into tomorrow's game playing at their highest level on defense in recent memory. Junior safety Andy Henke stepped up last weekend as Tufts shut down the NESCAC's No. 2 offense and was rewarded with the Boston Globe's Gold Helmet for Divs. II and III.
Tufts also shut out the Bantams in the second half last week and has surrendered only 13 points in the final two quarters this season. The Jumbos are tied for second in the league with 13 forced turnovers, including three against the Bantams, and they will be looking to draw more blood against a Williams team that has had trouble taking care of the ball.
"Our team always says that whoever wins the turnover battle always has a great shot at winning the game," Tassinari said. "Our defense hopes that we can make some big plays - they are always a big factor in the game."
In its season opener, Williams turned the ball over eight times - six interceptions and two fumbles - in the second half en route to a 28-14 loss at Bowdoin. The Ephs are currently second to last in turnover margin in the conference and will need to limit mistakes if they want to emerge with their third victory of the season Saturday.
On the other hand, the Jumbos will need their offense to take advantage of a porous Williams defense. The Ephs have the second-worst scoring defense in the NESCAC, having surrendered a whopping 30.5 points and 351.5 yards a game.
Though Williams has struggled more against the pass this season, the Jumbos will likely look to establish the run with senior Chris Guild and junior Will Forde once again in order to take advantage of a struggling Ephs secondary. Senior quarterback Matt Russo threw two touchdowns in last week's victory and will need to continue to play error-free football if he wants to lead the Jumbos to a win.
"We are going to keep doing what we are doing, which is having a great balance running and passing the ball," Anderson said. "Last week versus Trinity, we played really well and took whatever they gave us, so I think that will happen this week."
