When senior John Dodds took over the quarterback job for the Jumbos in the first quarter of last week's game against Wesleyan, he knew he'd be asked to throw. What he couldn't have predicted, however, is that in two games he'd throw 115 passes and rack up 533 yards. No one could have predicted that.
The bulk of Dodds' workload came in Saturday's 31-23 loss to Bates, when he attempted 70 passes - one shy of tying the Tufts record - for 363 yards.
"I knew we were going to be throwing the ball a lot, but I definitely didn't think we were going to be throwing 70 times," Dodds said.
So far, Dodds has done everything the Jumbos have asked of him, and more.
"[Dodds] threw the ball well," offensive coordinator Frank Hauser said. "I thought he played tough the whole game, took some big hits and came back from them. I think he got better from the first game to the second game, and I think that the reason we were in the game was because he was able to move the team down the field."
Not only did Dodds help the Jumbos pull within a touchdown after they trailed 28-10 to start the fourth quarter, but he also did it while completing multiple passes to eight different receivers. That's a testament to Dodds himself, as well as to his deep receiving corps.
"We have a lot of talented receivers," Dodds said. "They were getting open, I was just finding them."
Still, tipped balls were ultimately Dodds' and the Jumbos' downfall, leading to three interceptions including one for a 60-yard Bates touchdown.
Trailing the entire game, Tufts had little choice but to throw. But when you throw 70-plus times, picks are hard to avoid.
"There's going to be interceptions when you throw the ball a lot, but tipped balls a lot of times are a function of a ball that isn't thrown exactly where it needs to be, and also that should have been caught and wasn't caught," Hauser said. "When a tipped ball goes high in the air against a secondary with twin safeties, you're going to run into problems."
Dodds said on Sunday that, if he had to, he could have played another game that day. Still, he'll now get some much-needed time to rest his arm, and probably won't be called upon to throw 70 more passes any time soon.
That is, unless the Jumbos are forced to make another comeback against a 3-5-3 defense.
"If a team blitzes you, you've got to hurt them in the blitz and then they'll stop blitzing," Hauser said. "If a team plays an eight-man front, you've got to hurt them in the eight-man front to get them out of the eight-man front."
'Pat Nee is a monster'
Dodds connected with almost all of his wide receivers on Saturday, but perhaps no connection was as strong as the one he had with junior Pat Nee. Nee, who caught just 17 passes last season, made plays all over the field, flashing a level of athleticism he hadn't shown since late 2010.
"It's always been there," Nee said. "I want everyone to know that I can make these plays, and it just feels good to finally break out in a sense - it feels good to not be shut down as much."
Nee had seven catches for 70 yards - second only to senior tri-captain wideout Dylan Haas, who had 12 for 99 - including five that went for first downs. On 4th-and-1 in the second quarter, he hauled in a high pass at the Bates 5-yard line, falling backwards as he secured it.
"He is a monster," Dodds said. "That fourth down on the goal line, he made a ridiculous catch. That's just typical Pat Nee."
Nee knows he's capable of performing that way every Saturday, and if he does, it makes the Jumbos' receiving corps that much more dangerous.
"Pat runs good routes, he's tall, he's got good hands, he makes plays," Hauser said. "I think Pat's a good receiver; I think he's a receiver who can get better as he starts to catch the ball, break a tackle and make something happen. He's big and strong, and I think that's the next step in his development as a wide receiver."
Pitre's new home: the end zone
The Jumbos' top three tailbacks - sophomore Zack Trause, junior Ryan Pollock and junior Marcel Pitre - are listed at 5-8, 180 pounds; 5-9, 185 pounds; and 5-9, 190 pounds, respectively.
None of these frames exactly scream "goal-line back," but Pitre, the biggest of the three, embraced the role on Saturday.
Pitre scored all three of Tufts' touchdowns against Bates on a trio of goal-line runs, twice getting stopped at the line of scrimmage before making impressive second efforts.
"That's what you need in a running back on the goal line," Hauser said. "The first two that he scored, a lot of guys wouldn't have gotten in because they wouldn't have had the feet or the intensity to get it in the end zone."
The third touchdown came on a well-executed fake handoff, and Dodds pitched it to Pitre with plenty of room to run to the outside and find the end zone.
In one game, Pitre scored as many touchdowns as he had carries in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Flicker of hope
Down 28-10 and driving into Bates territory in the third quarter, Hauser made a bold decision on first down: He called for a flea flicker.
Dodds threw a screen pass to the right side to sophomore running back Zack Trause, who then tossed it up toward senior wideout Marty Finnegan. The play call worked to perfection - Finnegan was wide open - but he twisted, turned and ultimately was unable to reel in what surely would have been a touchdown.
Two plays later, the Jumbos were forced to punt. It was a crucial missed opportunity to blindside the Bobcats for six points, especially for a team that has struggled to make big plays in the air.
"What we need right now is someone who can catch the ball and do something with it," Hauser said. "Our yards after the catch aren't very good, and we have some guys who I think are capable of doing that, but we haven't done it yet.
"You need the big play, and it's time for us to start making some big plays."
