The football team has found its new starting quarterback.
Senior Johnny Lindquist was named the starter by interim head coach Jay Civetti on Monday following Friday's scrimmage against Bowdoin on Bello Field. Though he's attempted just one collegiate pass, Lindquist has impressed throughout the preseason, particularly in the leadership department.
"It's been a great battle," Civetti said. "At the end of the day, we needed to make a decision and give those guys some direction. I have confidence in both of them, but Johnny's going to take the first snap."
Under the lights against the Polar Bears, Lindquist went 5-for-8 for 60 yards on his first two series, including a 30-yard completion down the middle to junior tight end Nick Kenyon. Two of the three incompletions came on dropped passes.
On the Jumbos' opening drive, Lindquist marched the first-team offense down the field before settling for a 23-yard field goal from senior kicker Adam Auerbach — Tufts' only points in two quarters of official play during the scrimmage, which Bowdoin led 13-3. The teams spent the rest of the time practicing certain late-game situations against each other.
Described by his teammates as more of a running quarterback, Lindquist beat out junior John Dodds, a better pocket passer who went just 1-for-5 for four yards and an interception in three series. According to his coach, Dodds will also see snaps on Saturday in the season-opener at Hamilton, though Civetti declined to comment on specifics.
Dodds, for his part, has more regular-season experience than Lindquist after going 13-for-21 last season for 108 yards and a touchdown. The two quarterbacks alternated series with the first- and second-team offenses throughout the scrimmage, but Lindquist will take the first snap this weekend.
"Tonight was a big night to decide, and Johnny had a great scrimmage," Dodds said on Saturday. "We saw some good stuff but also some bad stuff that we'll get corrected. Couple dropped balls, couple misreads by the QBs. Nothing terrible, but it's unacceptable."
Hitting the ground running
After a season in which Tufts threw the ball 71 percent of the time and rarely resorted to the run game except on draws and quarterback sneaks, Civetti is looking to return the Jumbos to their rushing roots.
"I think that's an important staple of where we're headed, we want to be able to run the football," Civetti said. "It's important that you try to get as many opportunities to run the ball against someone else as possible."
Behind an offensive line depleted by injury, sophomores Ryan Pollock and Jon Sobo both had strong scrimmages, bursting through holes for sizable gains. Tufts ranked dead-last in the NESCAC with 55.4 rushing yards per game last season, 22 yards per game fewer than Bowdoin, the second-to-last team.
In fact, the team returns just 14 percent of its 2010 ground game — Pollock had 18 carries last season; Sobo had zero —but that hasn't stopped Civetti from focusing on a more balanced attack.
"Coach Civetti's a ground-and-pound kind of guy," Dodds said. "He wanted to come out here and show the NESCAC that we can run the football. There were big holes by the offensive linemen. Pollack and Sobo, they both had good games."
Curb your enthusiasm
After senior Nick Croteau blew up a run in the backfield during one particularly impressive play, the defensive end learned the hard way about a new NCAA rule. He was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for celebrating as an individual.
"If you're celebrating, it has to be as a team; it can't be one person," Falk said. "Croteau's a high-tempo guy. He's not a flashy person, so it won't happen again."
It was a lone blip for Croteau, who otherwise had an excellent scrimmage alongside fellow senior defensive lineman Ian Levinsky. Croteau and Levinsky were both casualties of last season's offensive scheme switch, which eliminated the tight end position. They moved to the defensive line and have thrived ever since.
"They ran to the ball pretty well, they tackled pretty well," Civetti said. "I was impressed with the defensive line. There was good energy, they played their gaps well, and that's something to build off of."
Bowdoin will come to town for Tufts' first home game on Oct. 8, and by that time the Polar Bears will already have two games of footage with which to scout the Jumbos. Tufts still kept some cards close at hand during the scrimmage, playing only its base defense but still looking strong on that side of the ball.
"From the sidelines, it might look a little messy, but that's what we're expecting," Falk said. "My freshman year, we came out and beat Bowdoin in the scrimmage 60-3. During the season, we came out flat and lost because we threw everything that we had at them out here."
Looking ahead to Hamilton
With the scrimmage in the books, the Jumbos immediately turned their attention to the season-opener on Saturday at Hamilton.
"Just being in a game-week mode, focusing on that," said Civetti, when asked about the upcoming week's plans. "Improvements-wise, it's staying locked in and staying focused. The mission is to beat Hamilton. We're still in preseason, and now it's time to start the season. It's what we're here to do."
Tufts' lone victory last season came in a 21-10 decision on Sept. 25, 2010, on Zimman Field against the Continentals.
Led by two of former quarterback Anthony Fucillo's (LA '11) touchdowns and a 74-yard interception return from current junior Sam Diss, the Jumbos raced out to a lead and held on.
