The football team headed into Saturday's matchup against Williams on the heels of a monumental victory over NESCAC powerhouse Trinity, standing tall at 4-0 for the first time since 2001.
It only took 30 minutes for Tufts' hopes of an undefeated season to be washed away.
Behind an unstoppable offense and a stingy defensive effort, the Ephs opened up a 28-7 halftime lead before cruising to a 34-13 victory over the Jumbos, handing Tufts its first loss of the season.
The Jumbos' defense, which had yielded an average of just 12.5 points per game heading into Saturday, allowed the Ephs to score on their first four drives and open up a 28-0 lead with over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. Williams' 34 points were easily the most by any Tufts opponent this season.
"I don't think it was so much what they were doing," junior linebacker Tyson Reynoso said. "I think we just didn't come out to play at the beginning of the game, and they came out ready."
After Williams junior Brian Morrissey, the NESCAC's leading rusher, opened up the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run, the Ephs' offense turned to some trick plays to blow the game wide open. On the team's second drive, senior quarterback Pat Lucey handed the ball off to junior wideout Stew Buck on a reverse, who then found classmate Ryan Powell for a 67-yard bomb to put the Ephs up 14-0. The play fooled the Jumbos defense and put Tufts in a big hole early.
"It was a trick play and we obviously were not ready for it, and they scored a touchdown," Reynoso said. "They just fooled us and that's it."
Senior quarterback Matt Russo tried to pull Tufts back into the game, challenging the worst pass defense in the NESCAC and going 30-for-45 for a career-high 308 yards. At one point, Russo led his offense all the way to the Williams 28 before a screen pass to junior Brad Ricketson on fourth-and-eight went for a three-yard loss to thwart the Jumbos' drive.
Williams capitalized, driving deep into Tufts territory, and Lucey hit Morrissey for a four-yard touchdown strike to make it 21-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tufts committed the first of eight backbreaking turnovers, when sophomore Will Miller fumbled to give Williams the ball with solid field position on the Jumbos' 36. Lucey added another touchdown pass, this one for nine yards to Powell to bring the lead to 28-0.
The Jumbos got on the board late in the second quarter, when Russo found senior tri-captain Kevin Anderson in the end zone with a three-yard pass to cut the deficit to 28-7 heading into the half.
But Williams ended all hopes for a comeback with a four-play, 64-yard drive, capped by a 44-yard touchdown catch by senior tri-captain Jeff Egizi that opened the second half. The Ephs had their way with the Jumbos' defense all day, with Lucey connecting for three touchdowns and the rushing attack producing 152 yards. Powell also had a big day, catching six passes for 102 yards and two scores.
"We know how we can play, and we still have not played up to our potential," Reynoso said. "We just need to break it down to our fundamentals and come out ready to play next week."
The Jumbos' troubles only continued as the game wore on. The last 30 minutes were marked by multiple miscues, as the Jumbos had turnovers on their first four possessions in the third quarter to ice the victory for the Ephs. The first three drives ended in two fumbles and an interception by Russo, who had a career day yardage-wise but was forced into multiple mistakes by the Williams defense.
Though Williams' defense let up 425 yards, the unit made big plays all day. Junior Trevor Powers led Williams with 17 total tackles, including four for losses, and the Jumbos turned the ball over on six of their seven second-half possessions. Williams held the Tufts offense to its lowest point total of the season.
"They put some good pressure on us," Russo said. "They blitzed a bunch of times and they got to me, and when they got the pressure on me I put the ball on the ground, threw incompletions, or threw interceptions. That's what a good defense does. They force you to make mistakes, and they certainly forced us to make a bunch of mistakes."
The lone second-half drive that did not end in a Tufts mistake led to a touchdown pass from Russo to junior tight end Max Cassidy that brought the score to 34-13. Tufts also received solid contributions from junior receivers David Halas, who had 10 catches for 149 yards, and Az Adhanom, who added nine for 74. The defense was led by junior linebacker Ryan Crisco, who finished with 12 tackles on the day.
The loss puts Tufts in a four-way tie for first place with Amherst, Middlebury and Trinity, but the Jumbos will have the opportunity to put away the Jeffs next weekend when Amherst comes to Zimman Field. Though they will be coming off of their first loss, the Jumbos are determined to focus on the challenge ahead.
"We will put it behind us and watch the film on Monday," Russo said. "The first four wins count as much as the loss yesterday, and we will take it one game at a time and get ready for Amherst. Right now the Amherst game is all that is on our minds."
