Football | Defense looks to leave behind '08 road woes

Though it is an oft-repeated cliché, defense still wins championships. That much was proven by Trinity and Williams last year, as the conference's top two defensive teams combined to go 14-2 and finish first and second, respectively, in the NESCAC standings. So if Tufts wants to improve on last season's 4-4 record, it will need an improved performance from a defensive squad that put its best foot forward at home but faltered on the road.
    This year, expectations are high for a defensive unit that includes nine returning starters and multiple award winners. While the Jumbos believe that they have the components to be the best in the NESCAC, they also understand that in order to have a shot at the conference championship, the defense will need to step up.
    "We have a lot of returning seniors, a lot of talent and a lot of experience," said senior quad-captain Tom Tassinari, who was named a preseason All-American safety thanks to his five interceptions last year: good for second in the conference. "Experience goes a long way on defense."
    Last season was an up-and-down one for the Jumbos' defense. While only giving up 38 points in four games at home, they allowed 118 points in as many road contests. Many of their problems stemmed from a pass rush that struggled to put pressure on the quarterback, averaging only 1.6 sacks per game, the third lowest in the conference. In turn, this led to a pass defense that ranked in the lower half of the conference, allowing 210.5 yards per game, and a lack of turnovers, as the team managed only 14 on the year.
    Sophomore defensive end Donnie Simmons, who was named First Team All-NESCAC and received NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors last season — becoming the first player in over two decades to earn both accolades — noted that much of the lack of pressure was out of their control.
    "We had injuries along the defensive line, which caused teams to be able to double team us," Simmons said.
    Nonetheless, the Jumbos managed to rank fourth in the conference in points allowed, and this year the starting defensive line — consisting of Simmons, senior quad-captain Dan Stebbins, senior Mike Cunningham and junior Alex Gresham — is healthy and looking to mix things up its schemes in order to get more pressure.
    "We are going to use more blitzes to confuse the quarterback, moving ends around and blitzing linebackers," Simmons said. "Sometimes we may even drop the ends into coverage."
    Yet sending a frontal assault of linemen on such blitzing patterns will put more pressure on a young core of linebackers to close up holes and stop the running game. This could pose a challenge for the group, which consists of no seniors and only two juniors.
    Linebacker Tyson Reynoso (E '09), a tri-captain on last year's squad, is gone, taking his team-leading 73 tackles with him. Also departed from the unit is Ryan Crisco (LA '09) and senior Alex Perry, the squad's second- and third-leading tacklers in 2008. Perry, a quad-captain, will be playing in the secondary this season as he did in his first two years at Tufts.
    However, if the new linebackers can step up, the front seven for the Jumbos could form a cohesive wall.
    Still, this season will come down to Tufts' ability to execute on the road. The Jumbos' calendar begins with away games at Wesleyan (1-7 in 2008) and Bates (2-6 in '08), both of which are should-win and must-win games for Tufts if it hopes to compete for a NESCAC title. With an eight-game schedule, succumbing to even one upset can be devastating. According to the Jumbos, the key to winning on the road is maintaining focus.
    "We need to go in every game the same and look at each game by itself," Tassinari said.
    "We have some special players," Simmons added. "We walk with a swagger on the field. In our first scrimmage, I saw fire and intensity. I'm excited. We have some real athletes. Hopefully we come to every game ready to play."
    If the defense can consistently create pressure in the backfield, this veteran squad might not let up its grip on opposing offenses all season. The Jumbos ranked fourth in the NESCAC in points allowed per game last year, but — provided they can stay healthy —  they just might make the jump to the top of the conference in 2009.