To say the odds will be stacked against the Jumbos when they step onto Zimman Field to face the Middlebury Panthers tomorrow (12:30 p.m.) would be an understatement. Tufts has lost 30 consecutive games and is coming off arguably its worst performance of the season, a 37-0 shellacking at Colby. Middlebury is 6-1 and could win a share of the NESCAC title.
But the Jumbos have something to play for in the season finale: their pride. The players and coaches see a program on the brink of recovery. A good effort against the Panthers would set the tone for continued improvement and show outsiders that this team is serious about competing.
Our backs are against the wall," fifth-year receiver Nick Kenyon, the Jumbos' lone player who has experienced multiple victories, said. "There would be nothing better than sending us out with a win."
The game carries special meaning for the nine seniors who have stuck it out to the end: Kenyon, tri-captains Sean Harrington and Connor Glazier, Nate Marchand, Nash Simpson, Cord Deal, Jon Sobo, Ryan Pollock and Matt Johnson. (Simpson and Deal were each away from the program for a year
