Call it a curse or just call it old−fashioned dumb luck, but wherever Tom Beaton goes, he just winds up on the losing side of the rivalry.
A defensive assistant for the Tufts football team, Beaton graduated from Bates in 2009 after finishing 10th in the NESCAC in receiving yards per game and ninth in all−purpose yards per game, good enough for all−conference honors. But the one obstacle the 5−foot−9 former wide receiver could not hurdle was to finally get the Bobcats that elusive win against the Jumbos.
Heading into Saturday's Homecoming tilt at Zimman Field, Bates was trapped in a 24−game losing streak against Tufts, stretching back to 1986. That consequently put Beaton on the wrong end of things for four years. Given the streak, things were looking up for Beaton as he made the move to Medford.
But just as Joe DiMaggio did not get a hit after 56 games, Cal Ripken finally took a break after 2,632 contests and Johnny Unitas stopped throwing touchdown passes after 47 games, so too did the Jumbos' winning streak come to an end in spectacular fashion this weekend with a 21−20 Bobcats triumph. It was an historic loss for Tufts and a groundbreaking win for the players clad in garnet.
"It's like a win−lose no matter what," Beaton said with a laugh. "I've got friends on each side. Ultimately, I wish the outcome could have been different, but I'm happy and proud of the guys at Bates because I know they worked real hard."
The Bobcats, historically, have been one of the perpetually underperforming squads in the NESCAC. Since the inception of Tufts' streak in ‘86, Bates has won three games in a season just twice. Moreover, they have had five winless seasons and 10 with just one victory. The last time the Bobcats finished at .500 was in 1999 and, perhaps more importantly, the last time they defeated the Jumbos was in a 24−6 decision in 1985.
"It's unreal," junior defensive back Cam Evans said. "I've been here for three years and it's been an up−and−down thing. To get a win like this against a program like Tufts is unbelievable. I'm speechless. The streak's been put in the back of our head every time we play Tufts." Evans snared one of senior quarterback Anthony Fucillo's four interceptions.
Heading into 2010, Bates installed a new triple−option offense, switched from a 4−3 defensive formation to a 3−4 and poured in $2.6 million to renovate Garcelon Field in Lewiston, Maine. Change seemed inevitable.
"Hopefully this could be the turnaround," junior wide receiver John Squires said. "We've had a couple of tough years since I've been here, but we were really fired up … so to come in here and win was just huge." Squires had a career− and game−high 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Bates entered Saturday's game on the heels of a 44−0 season−opening loss to Amherst, the defending NESCAC champions. In that game, the Bobcats had just 143 yards of total offense while turning the ball over four times. This week, Bates had 362 yards −− one more than Tufts −− and forced four turnovers.
According to Bates coach Mark Harriman, neither playing spoiler on Tufts' Homecoming day in front of 2,500 fans nor ending the streak was nearly as important to the team as simply getting a much−needed win.
"It's huge for us," Harriman said, denying any notion that the Bobcats were concerned about history. "Tufts is one of the perennially not only good teams but most physical teams in our league, and to be able to come in and swing with them for 60 minutes means a lot."
On Bates' athletics website, the headline to the article recapping the team's victory begins with the phrase, "IT'S ALL OVER!" But perhaps Squires summed it up best. When asked what was going through his mind when Fucillo threw his fourth interception of the day with 12 seconds left to solidify the win, the 6−foot−7 wide receiver responded with just one word. "Finally."
