The football team headed into this season with a veteran roster hoping to make a surprise run at a NESCAC championship. And with a 4-0 start, they were headed in the right direction.
The Jumbos came close to their goal, but they ultimately missed a last-gasp chance at a share of the conference championship in their final game of the season.
Just like last year, Tufts started out strong but stumbled in the latter half of its schedule. The Jumbos went 4-0 to start the season before losing three of their final four. Their 5-3 record was still their best since 2003 and put them fourth in the final NESCAC standings.
Its early opponents were among the bottom-tier teams in the conference, and while a 3-0 start set the Jumbos on the right track, straight wins over Hamilton, Bates and Bowdoin failed to test the squad. It wasn't until historical power Trinity came to town in Week 4 that the Jumbos established themselves as serious contenders for the title.
It was a matchup of undefeated teams, with the Bantams also coming in at 3-0. Tufts shut down the top-ranked offense in the league, forcing three turnovers and stopping Trinity on four fourth-down conversions in the second half, and got enough from senior quarterback Matt Russo for a 16-10 win. The victory was one of the biggest in Jumbo history and handed Trinity just its second loss in 42 games.
"I think [the Trinity win] was very important," senior tri-captain Kevin Anderson said. "We started out 3-0 last year and didn't get it done, but this year we did, and showed the rest of the league we can bring it. I think it sets a precedent for the younger guys that we can compete with these guys."
The win left Tufts as the only undefeated team in the league, but that title was short-lived. Defending champion Williams gave the Jumbos a rude awakening in Williamstown the following weekend, jumping out to a 28-0 lead en route to a 34-13 victory. The game was a turning point for Ephs senior quarterback Pat Lucey, who threw four touchdowns and began to look like more like he did as a junior, when he was named NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year.
But the Jumbos also beat themselves in Williamstown, committing eight turnovers in on the day. Senior quarterback Matt Russo put up record-setting passing numbers on the day as the team tried to climb back into the game, but he couldn't prevent the first loss of the season.
"Their offense had a really good game plan," sophomore safety Tom Tassinari said. "[But] it wasn't so much about their team - it was about our team coming out slow and not playing our best football. They caught us at a bad time, and they just executed and we didn't."
Though Tufts came back and defeated Amherst at home the following week, staying in a tie with Middlebury atop the conference, the Jumbos' fundamental mistakes turned out to be crucial again in an upset loss to Colby that doomed the Jumbos' chances of winning the conference outright.
In a game marred by rain, the Jumbos committed four turnovers, including a fumble by Russo that was recovered by the Mules for the game-winning touchdown.
"That game definitely stands out," senior tri-captain Kevin Gleason said. "Obviously if we win that one, we go into the last week with a different mindset. I think we were still fired up coming off the win against Amherst and should've carried that into the game versus Colby, but we didn't really have that fire or urgency."
Tufts still had a chance to tie for the NESCAC crown, but those hopes were also dashed after this weekend's 21-19 loss to the league-champion Panthers. The Jumbos' 5-3 record was good enough for fourth in the conference, well short of their ultimate goal of a league title. Wins over Trinity and Amherst clearly show that Tufts is moving in the right direction, though, and the team was pleased by its performance.
"I am really proud," Gleason said. "Our coaches told us that we left the program better than we found it, which is a good compliment for us. Having those big wins definitely allowed us to leave our mark on the program, so those two wins were really good."
The Jumbos will lose 15 seniors from this year's team, including Russo, who set records this season with 145 completions and 265 passing attempts and tied for the Jumbos' most touchdown passes in a season with 14. Leading rusher Chris Guild and defensive stalwarts Stephen Albertine and Nathan Scott will also be among the graduating seniors.
Sophomore Tom McManama, who saw very little action this season, is next in line to start at quarterback next season. He will have a host of skill players around him, including two leading receivers in juniors David Halas and Stephen Black and three running backs in juniors Will Forde and Brad Ricketson and sophomore Darren Ferguson.
On defense, the team will return junior and top tackler Tyson Reynoso as well as Tassinari, who was second on the team in tackles and had five interceptions. Two of Reynoso's classmates, linebacker Ryan Crisco and safety Andy Henke, will also return to lead the defense.
Though the Jumbos will miss some talented players, the graduating seniors have led the program toward the top of the NESCAC, where the team hopes to return next year.
"There's no doubt about it that the senior leadership was a huge key to our success this year," Tassinari said. "We're looking forward to some underclassmen stepping up as leaders next year, but there's no question that those guys were key to our success."
