There was no bright side this time. Throughout the season, there have been signs of progress from Tufts football. The Jumbos came within one stop of beating Bates. They could practically taste victory against Bowdoin. At Williams, they fell behind early before making a valiant comeback. Last week, they forced six Amherst turnovers and the score was tied at halftime.
But at Colby on Saturday, Tufts never appeared to have a shot. The Jumbos trailed 34-0 at halftime. They lost 37-0. Their losing streak hit 30.
We didn't show up," head coach Jay Civetti said. "The first half was the worst half of football we've played in a while."
Heading into the game, the Jumbos expected to be without their starting quarterback, freshman Alex Snyder, due to an undisclosed medical reason. Sophomore Drew Burnett was tabbed to start. Then, a few hours before game time, Snyder, the coaches and medical staff decided he could play.
But Snyder was unable to crack the Colby defense in his third career start. His seven drives resulted in four punts, a turnover on downs, a missed field goal and an interception. In the second half, Burnett and freshman Liam O'Neil split the quarterback duties.
Meanwhile, Tufts' defense struggled mightily. Sophomore quarterback Justin Ciero ran the option offense to perfection, leaving Tufts flat-footed and out of position as the Mules found huge open spaces. After punting on its first possession, Colby rattled off five consecutive touchdown drives of 65, 72, 71, 80 and 70 yards, respectively, to close out the first half.
For the Jumbos, the ugly result boiled down to a lack of execution.
"They ran exactly what we practiced," junior tri-captain linebacker Tommy Meade said. "We knew the quarterback was good, and we knew we had to contain him. It wasn't in the preparation, it was in the way that we went out."
All afternoon, the Mules moved the ball at will. Ciero finished 20 of 27 passing for 218 yards and three touchdowns, and he picked up 138 yards on the ground, earning him NESCAC Offensive Football Player of the Week honors. Freshman Carl Lipani also eclipsed 100 yards rushing, while junior Luke Duncklee caught 12 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, Colby out-gained Tufts 531 yards to 244.
"We came out flat," Meade said. "We didn't do what we practiced all week. We certainly didn't play the type of football we're trying to build. It's very frustrating."
With under a minute left in the first half, Duncklee streaked down the middle of the field and caught a 70-yard touchdown pass. There was not a Tufts defender within five yards of him. The extra point made it 34-0 and effectively put the game out of reach.
"Everything," Civetti said, when asked what upset him most. "I was disappointed in everything."
For a team that has taken steps forward this season, Saturday felt like a big step back.
"There is an ownership [of] what has been built here thus far that needs to be solidified and redefined," Civetti said.
Snyder completed 11 of 23 passes for 105 yards and threw one pick before being removed from the game. Sophomore Vincent Falk snared his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
Freshman running back Chance Brady and sophomore defensive lineman Pat Williams were sidelined with injuries.
The Jumbos now have one game remaining, next weekend at home against 6-1 Middlebury. They have no choice but to regroup and try to fix the problems that haunted them in Waterville, Maine.
"As bad as it was, it's behind us
