Tufts faces new challenges this weekend at Bates

Tufts and Bates both finished 4-4 in the 2014 season. The Bobcats graduated their team's quarterback and offensive MVP Matt Cannone last season, and the Jumbos' junior quarterback Alex Snyder has big shoes to fill following Jack Doll's (A '15) senior-season total of 1,119 yards, or 186.5 yards per game.

Both teams experienced considerable roster turnover on defense since last season. Bates' defense is returning only three players who started at least half of the games in 2014, whileTufts completely overhauled its secondary with new cornerbacks -- first-year Alex LaPiana and sophomore Bryce Joyner -- and a new safety in junior Mike Stearns.

Bates is coming off a one-sided 37-14 loss to NESCAC defending champions Amherst, while Tufts secured a nail-biting 27-24 win in overtime against low-ranked Hamilton.

Tufts recorded a dramatic come-from-behind 42-24 win over Bates during homecoming last season in a game that saw Tufts generate 405 total offensive yards to Bates' 280, outscoring the visitors 29-7 in the second half.

This year, the Bobcats host the Jumbos in a rematch of two teams that, at least on paper, look evenly matched.

Bates junior linebacker Mark Upton, one of two returning First Team All-NESCAC selections along with senior wide receiver Mark Riley, spoke to the Boston Globe of the team's goal to improve upon their 4-4 record and "steal some games from some of the top teams" -- Amherst, Williams and Middlebury -- which makes this weekend's game a must-win for Bates.

Jumbos coach Jay Civetti is unworried by Upton's comment.

"We don't necessarily concern ourselves with what Bates wants," Civetti said. "Tufts doesn't want to go 4-4 either. Not trying to be a wise guy...but Bates can do whatever Bates wants to do. What they do is not up to me."

The Jumbos will focus their attention this weekend on the Bobcats' playmaking, which poses unique challenges for the team.

The Bobcats' triple-option offense is fueled by its powerful slot receiving unit -- arguably the team's most dangerous unit on the field -- which is led by senior slot receiver Shaun Carroll. Carroll had a strong start to the season this past weekend, scoring Bates' first points of the season with an 80-yard touchdown run in the opening play against Amherst. Carroll finished the game with 107 yards on 13 carries and looks poised for another strong season. The slot receiver earned 281 rushing yards, 3 TD; 96 receiving yards, 1 TD for his team in 2014. Slot receiver is also the Bates' unit with the most depth, as Carroll will be supported by sophomores Frank Williams, Mickoy Nichol, Sean Peterson and junior Tyler Janssen as well as former captain Shawn Doherty, who leads the slotbacks as an assistant coach this season.

"First and foremost, we've got to stop the dive, you've got to stop at least three, really four phases of their offense, that's the difficult part defending the triple," Civetti said. "You've got to stop the dives, then you've got to stop the quarterback, then you've got to stop the pitch. The fourth phase obviously is that they're going to throw off. First and foremost, it's always to stop the dive and limit the phases down to two."

Tufts did an excellent job stressing Hamilton's offensive line last weekend, earning four sacks and limiting Hamilton's rushing attack to a paltry 42 yards. However, Hamilton quarterback Chase Rosenberg found success rolling out of the pocket and through play-action maneuvers, suggesting that Tufts' defensive front seven might find corralling Dugan difficult when Bates runs triple-option plays.

With the pressure on the Tufts defense this upcoming weekend, the leadership of the Tufts 2015 football team is especially important, particularly when contrasted with Bates' decision to field "game captains" this season, rather than naming captains for the entire season.

The Jumbos are officially led by senior co-captains Corey Burns and Matt McCormack, both of whom play on defense, but the leadership of other seniors on the team is crucial to the cohesiveness of the defensive unit.

"Corey [Burns] and Matt [McCormack] have done a good job promoting and encouraging leadership from those other guys to step up whether you're a starter or whether you're a role player," Civetti said. "They also recognize other seniors on defense like Patrick Williams, who is not only a great player, but a great leader in the locker room and does things the right way, [and] it's hard not to recognize guys like Garrett Ewanouski who's an army ROTC, to-be second lieutenant and he has literally the best training for leadership in the world."

The final challenge for the team, coming off its first road win, will be consistency on the road -- a quality that eluded them all of last season.

"I think [this past weekend] was important for us to prove what this 2015 team is capable of," Civetti said. "A new challenge for us will be stringing wins together on the road."