Football | Jumbos try to keep title hopes alive

    After being dealt a 30-7 shellacking at the hands of 4-1 Williams last week, the Jumbos return to the familiar territory of Zimman Field on Saturday, hoping to get back on the winning track against undefeated Amherst after having dropped two straight.
    Unlike their previous losses — a 7-3 defeat at Wesleyan and a 10-3 loss versus Trinity — the Jumbos were outplayed in every phase of the game against the Ephs. The defense, which had been the team's strength through the first four games of the season, surrendered a season-high 30 points to the Ephs' offense and will have to improve if Tufts wants to have a shot at unseating the 5-0 Lord Jeffs.
    "We weren't really playing the defense that we know we can play," senior quad-captain and defensive end Dan Stebbins said. "We missed some opportunities, and we didn't capitalize at times when we could've stepped up and made plays. We didn't have any turnovers, and we need to generate turnovers to help our offense win games."
    While Tufts considers its defensive performance a mere aberration, there are some huge concerns surrounding the squad's offense. The Jumbos converted just one of their 13 third-down attempts and did not record a first down until late in the third quarter against the Ephs. Likewise, two weeks ago at home versus Trinity, the Jumbos' offense did not record a first down until the final drive of the first half. If Tufts has any hope this weekend against Amherst, the team needs to figure out how to sustain more drives.
    Unfortunately for the Jumbos, the offense is presented with the difficult task of getting back on track against an Amherst defense that is giving up just 9.4 points per game. Additionally, the Lord Jeffs have ceded only five touchdowns, half the number of the next-closest NESCAC squad in that category — Tufts. Meanwhile, the Jumbos' offense is averaging a mere 10.6 points per contest and has reached the end zone only six times, the fewest in the league.
    While the Lord Jeffs boast the No. 1 defense in the NESCAC, they have been extremely vulnerable through the air. Amherst is giving up 273 passing yards per game, last in the league, so the Jumbos figure to turn to senior quarterback Tom McManama to air the ball out early and often. But despite the yardage they have surrendered, Amherst boasts a ball-hawking secondary that has recorded a league-leading 14 interceptions.
    "Amherst's secondary is loaded with returning starters, all of whom have a ton of speed and a nose for the football," said McManama, who has thrown just two interceptions, the fewest among conference signal-callers. "I need to make sure that if my first options aren't open, I move on in my progression and either find an open guy or tuck it and run."
    But McManama can only take advantage of Amherst's secondary if the Jumbos' top two running backs — junior Pat Bailey and senior Darren Ferguson — get things going on the ground to open up throwing lanes. Last week against Williams, the Jumbos netted 57 yards on 33 carries for just 1.72 yards per attempt, and if that number does not improve, the 2-3 Jumbos could find themselves two games below .500.
    "Establishing a running game will be huge," McManama said. "If we can get some third-and-threes instead of third-and -10s, it will make everything a lot more manageable."
    In preparation for their tilt against the Lord Jeffs, the team has been trying to regain its focus and put past struggles behind them.
    "We have really been trying to focus on the task at hand," Stebbins said. "We are trying to emphasize that whenever we are down at the gym or at practice, it's time to work and get down to business."
    Although it looks bleak for the Jumbos, they are still mathematically alive in the chase for the NESCAC crown. Tufts would need to win out over the course of the last three weeks and get a lot of help from a number of other teams in unseating Amherst and Trinity, both of whom are undefeated. However, if the Jumbos lose this weekend against the Lord Jeffs, they are officially out of the running, rendering the season's final two contests worth little more than pride.
    But despite the importance of Saturday's game at the Ellis Oval, Tufts insists it is treating the contest just like any other.
    "No matter who we are playing, or what the situation is within the NESCAC standings, the goal every week is to do everything we possibly can to win," McManama said. "No game is more important than any other."