It might be called the Will Forde disappearing act. Or perhaps the football team simply couldn't find a way to combat a stout Amherst defense.
Either way, the Lord Jeff offense certainly stole the show.
After enjoying a week that featured a momentous 17-7 win over Williams -- the Jumbos' first over the Ephs in 21 years -- and senior tailback Forde's garnering of the Boston Globe Gold Helmet Award, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the possibility for another NESCAC upset.
But unfortunately for Tufts, Saturday's game proved to be a tale of two halves as the Jumbos (3-3) fell to the Lord Jeffs (5-1) by a score of 24-17 on Pratt Field.
The Jumbos dug themselves in a 24-0 hole by the end of the first half following a pair of touchdown passes from Amherst sophomore quarterback Alex Vetras and a rushing score from junior RB Aaron Rauh. With hopes of getting back into the game, Tufts took to the air during the second half and completely abandoned a running game that failed to produce during the first two quarters.
"We had to abandon the run because we were down so many points after the first," senior wide receiver David Halas said.
The Jumbos rattled off 17 unanswered points in the second half, all courtesy of the pass, bringing them within a touchdown of Amherst. But their comeback attempt came up just short, as the Lord Jeffs held on to the win.
"I liked our performance in the second half but I think we could've played better in the first," senior tri-captain Tyson Reynoso said.
The Jumbos struggled against a strong Lord Jeff defense as the top rushing team in the NESCAC was limited to negative-14 net yards rushing. One of the conference's elite tailbacks, Forde suffered his first sub-100-yard game of the season, rushing for only 36 yards on 12 carries.
"We started out pretty slow and got behind early in the game," Forde said. "It changed our game plan so we weren't able to run as much as usual."
"It was a disappointing game," Halas said. "I think that Amherst was a little more physical than us overall today, and that is something that can't happen to us; it usually never does. But I am proud of how we were able to fight back after the [first] half."
The numbers tell a mostly disappointing story for the Jumbos. The Jumbos were 0-12 on third-down conversions and junior quarterback Anthony Fucillo was sacked eight times for a total loss of 56 yards in the game.
Despite the final score, the squad compiled some scattered highlights. Fucillo finished the game 16 for 34 with one interception and threw for a season-high 308 yards, while the tried and true Fucillo-Halas connection was in full working order in the second half, connecting for both TD throws on the afternoon.
Halas broke the single-season touchdown record with those two scores -- a 53-yard pass play and another 25-yarder -- giving him eight touchdowns on the season.
"I had a pretty good game, but it's bittersweet to have a game like that and not get the win," Halas said. "I like to score touchdowns, but I would rather have the win."
Freshman defensive end Donnie Simmons also helped the Jumbos with his first career interception at the beginning of the second half that helped breathe some life into the squad as it converted that turnover into a touchdown two plays later.
"He had a great play that swung some momentum for us and helped to get us back in the game," Reynoso said.
The Jumbos had an opportunity to tie the game with 4:22 remaining, but Fucillo found himself on his back twice during the drive for a total loss of 18 yards. And after a poorly timed delay-of-game penalty, the Jumbos came up three yards short of a first down despite a 29-yard pass to senior receiver Stephen Black. The Jumbos gave the ball back to Amherst with 2:23 remaining, and the Lord Jeffs ran the clock out for the key conference win.
Going forward, the Jumbos know they must focus on playing consistently clean football.
"We need to find our rhythm; there are too many times we make a good play and then set ourselves back with a penalty or sack," Halas said. "We need to put play after play together, and we need to find our rhythm and exploit defenses when we get in that rhythm."
The team also said the offense must play better as a cohesive entity in order to allow the defense more rest early on in the game, which can prove crucial when the fourth quarter rolls around.
"As a unit we need to get better from the offensive line to the wide receivers, to the quarterback, to the running backs," Forde said. "It is not just one person's fault. As an offense we need to get better [as a whole]."
"We didn't give enough support to our defense," Halas said. "We left them stranded on the field too often. We weren't moving the ball well and a lot of the points from the first half are on our shoulders."
The Jumbos, who host their final home game of the season Saturday, will look to learn from their mistakes in a hurry as they take on a strong Colby team that is currently tied with them in fourth place.
