The storm clouds cleared Friday night before the football team took the field at home for its scrimmage against Bowdoin. Though the "game-atmosphere practice," as senior quarterback Anthony Fucillo described it, ended with a 19-13 Polar Bears victory, the rejuvenating excitement of a new year filled the air as the Jumbos prepared to start their regular season on Saturday against the Hamilton Continentals.
"We need to tackle better, and we need to communicate better," head coach Bill Samko said of the scrimmage, which saw some untimely miscues from the Jumbos. "But the effort looked really good."
Bowdoin struck first with a short touchdown run on its second possession. The Jumbos' defense struggled early on to contain the Polar Bears' mobile quarterbacks, whose ability to rack up ground yards helped the Polar Bears march downfield for the early lead.
It was not until Tufts found itself down 13-0 in the second quarter following a Bowdoin touchdown that the offense began to show some signs of life.
With sophomore quarterback John Dodds filling in for Fucillo, who sat out as a precautionary measure, the Jumbos were able to stage a late comeback in the first half with a string of completions that finished in the end zone on a hard-nosed sneak.
"You know it's a good team when you can trust everyone," Fucillo said of the Jumbos' quarterback lineup. "The four of us work as one."
The Tufts passing game continued clicking after the half when the team evened the score at 13-13 with a touchdown through the air. A miss on the extra point, however, seemed to rob the momentum from the Jumbos as the Polar Bears quickly retaliated, leaving the final score at 19-13.
The scrimmage should prove to be a valuable NESCAC dry-run that looked promising even without the team's most valuable offensive duo in Fucillo and senior Pat Bailey, who sat out as well. The team will need to correct the errors made on Friday, which included dropped passes, motion penalties and a game-changing interception in the end zone. With the ball back in Fucillo's hands and Bailey on the run, the Jumbos will nevertheless have their most dynamic offensive weapons in play when they welcome the Continentals in their season opener on Saturday.
