Not only was the Tufts football team looking to close out the 2009 season on a high note when it trudged out onto a muddy Zimman Field for the final time this year, but the Jumbos were also hoping to snap a four-game losing streak against the Middlebury Panthers.
But although Tufts kept it close for the first two quarters, Middlebury went on to score two touchdowns in the second half to end the Jumbos' season with a 26-7 loss. The Panthers finished the year with a record of 5-3, while the Jumbos finished 2-6 — the worst record that Tufts has recorded since posting an identical one in 2005.
The Panthers entered the game with a modest record of 4-3 but still boasted one of the most prolific offenses in the NESCAC. Starting quarterback Donald McKillop had thrown for 19 touchdowns and was averaging 362.4 yards per game heading into Saturday's matchup with the Jumbos.
Tufts knew it would not be easy to shut down McKillop and the rest of the Panthers' offensive attack, but the task was made even more challenging when starting cornerback Andrew Elfman went down with an injury in last weekend's loss to Colby. With both Elfman and starting safety Tom Tassinari out for the team's final game, the Jumbos' normally solid secondary all of a sudden became extremely vulnerable.
"Those injuries definitely hurt because those guys provide a lot of senior leadership and experience out there," senior quad captain and defensive end Dan Stebbins said. "Those guys have been starting for a few years now, so it definitely gives the opposing offense an advantage when we don't have as much experience in the defensive backfield."
On a day when weather made passing conditions less than ideal, not even the torrential downpours could stop the Panthers offense, as McKillop threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
"[McKillop] is good because he knows how to read defenses and always knows how to find the open guy," Stebbins said. "We were trying to throw different coverages at him all game and trying to come after him and get some pressure. When we blitzed, he was able to get the ball off quickly to the flats and make the proper adjustments."
While McKillop capped his junior season with yet another impressive performance, Middlebury senior running back Eric Rostad had his best game of the year, recording 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground while also adding 123 yards and another score through the air.
"They have a lot of fast, athletic guys who can make plays," senior quad captain Alex Perry said. "They are a hard offense to contain, and obviously on Saturday they got the best of us."
The game could not have started off any worse for the Jumbos, as senior quarterback Tom McManama was intercepted on the team's first play from scrimmage. Although Middlebury did not score off Tufts' early mistake, the turnover set the tone for the rest of the game. The Panthers defense shut down the Tufts offense on its following six possessions, forcing the Jumbos to punt five times and holding them on a fourth-and-nine from the Middlebury 19-yard line. Despite Middlebury's stifling defensive performance in the first half, Tufts was still in the game going into the second half, down only 13-0.
But the Jumbos were forced to punt once again after their first drive of the second half stalled at their own 33-yard line. As many people expected prior to the start of Saturday's game, the rain finally played a factor in the turnover battle as Middlebury's punt returner, senior James Millard, fumbled the ball on his own 33-yard line.
Tufts freshman Austin Crittenden jumped on the loose ball, giving the Jumbos another opportunity to close the gap on the Panthers. McManama wasted no time in making the Panthers pay for their mistake, hitting junior wide receiver Steve Cusano for a 33-yard score on the very next play. The touchdown trimmed the Panthers' lead to 13-7 but proved to be the last points the Jumbos would score in 2009.
Middlebury would score twice more — once towards the end of the third quarter and once again early on in the fourth — to put the game away. Saturday's season finale marked the last time the Tufts seniors had the chance to put pads on and represent their university on the gridiron.
"There was a lot of excitement getting out there for our last game, but it was really sad having to leave that field," Perry said. "I think it will really hit us on Monday when we no longer have to go through our normal practice routine for a game week."
Although 2009 was certainly a disappointment, the future is bright for the Jumbos, according to Stebbins. The team will return a great deal of talent in 2010 — players that will want to avenge this season's losses next fall.
"There are guys in the program who want to work hard and who want to win," Stebbins said. "It's all about the hard work in the offseason that will pay off next fall. I think next year, the team can definitely have success and younger guys are going to step up and become playmakers."
