Tufts intercepted a school record seven passes en route to snapping its two-game losing streak on Saturday, as the Jumbos defeated the Colby White Mules 10-3. The road victory for the Jumbos guarantees a winning season and gives them a chance to clinch third place in the NESCAC with a win next week against Middlebury.
The difference in the scores came from junior running back Chuck McGraw's 23-yard touchdown run with 1:15 to play in the first half. It was the first play in a drive that started deep in Colby territory after senior Tim Robinson blocked a punt that sophomore Mark Tilki recovered.
McGraw's scamper was the only touchdown of the game, despite the fact that Colby had several scoring drives deep into Tufts territory. Following Tufts' touchdown, Colby threatened to answer, but an interception from junior cornerback Evan Zupancic squashed the threat.
Again at the end of the game, Colby marched down the field, needing a touchdown to tie. With 2:35 remaining in the game, quarterback Pat Conley began a White Mule drive from the Colby 40. On the first play, he connected with wideout Ian MacPherson for 17 yards to get the White Mules into Tufts territory.
From there, it took Colby seven plays to get down to the Tufts' four yard line, where Colby was facing a third and goal with 19 seconds on the clock. On the third down play, sophomore linebacker Matt DePaolis intercepted Conley's pass in the endzone, sealing the contest.
"We were playing a prevent defense," Tilki said. "We were a little nervous when they were driving, but we have confidence that someone's going to do something to turn it around."
Each kicker - Tufts' Howie Rock, and Colby's Keith Jonassen - had a second half field goal. Rock, who had earlier missed from 45 and 37, knocked one through four minutes into the second half from 37 yards to extend Tufts lead to 10-0.
Jonnassen's kick came from 22 yards with 6:44 to play in the game, and it gave Colby hope for a comeback, hope that was short lived due to Tufts' defense.
While McGraw's run was the difference in score, the difference in the game was the Tufts defense, which picked off Colby quarterbacks - Pat Conley and Robert Lippert - a combined seven times. Sophomore defensive lineman Caleb Hudak, sophomore Drew Blewett, Zupancic and DePaolis all had an interception apiece. The most impressive spree of interceptions came from sophomore safety Mark Tilki, who had three picks on three consecutive Colby possessions in the third quarter.
"We prepared all week," Tilki said, in explanation of the multiple interceptions. "We knew what they liked to run, the patterns their receivers ran, and their quarterback's tendencies. It was just a matter of staying in position."
In a sense, a lot of the defensive success Saturday can be attributed to the new defensive scheme instituted by first-year defensive coordinator John Walsh. His system allows the team to audible on the field, so it can better adjust to what the offense is showing.
"It allows us to adjust on the spot," Tilki said. "Our defense is probably the best in the league with our audibles."
While Colby was managing to cough up the ball through the air, Tufts turned it over on the ground, though not nearly at the same pace. The Jumbos had three fumbles on the day - one by junior running back Keven Kelley, one from McGraw, and the third from freshman quarterback Jay Casey
The fact that Casey was on the field at all is a testament to the toughness of Tufts' victory as they played their third string quarterback who hadn't thrown a pass this season. It was baptism by fire, though, for the freshman, as he was asked to lead the team in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
"It was nerve-racking coming into such a close game," Casey said. "I wanted to perform well, and not disappoint the seniors and the starters."
Though Casey was primarily asked to hand the ball off to his running backs, he did complete his only attempted pass of the game, a 13-yarder to classmate John McBride.
Tufts was forced into this precarious situation due to injuries to the top two quarterbacks. Junior starter Scott Treacy injured his ankle in the Amherst game last Saturday, and was in a walking cast for most of the week. He did not start at Colby, which meant that the ball went to freshman Steve Pizzotti, who threw for 24 yards before injuring his shoulder and leaving the game near the end of the third quarter. After Pizzotti went down, Treacy came in first, only to roll his ankle again on the first play.
Tufts' 37 yards passing was the lowest output of the year, as was the 133 yards rushing. In fact, Colby was the first team able to slow down Tufts' vaunted ground game. Kelley, averaging 134.7 yards a game, was held to 81 on 23 carries, while McGraw chipped in 11 rushes for 54 yards.
"Teams are starting to key in on the running game," Casey said about the difficulty Tufts had running the ball. "I think because we lost the previous two games, we came out a little slow and never got into an offensive rhythm."
With the lack of offensive output, the game fell on the collective shoulders of the defense, which responded with timely takeaways. Colby was able to rush for 177 yards and throw for 160, but timely interceptions kept the White Mules off the scoreboard until a field goal late in the fourth quarter.
"We keep the defense and offense separate," Tilki said. "We know that we'll take care of our part, and they'll take care of theirs. But we knew we had to step it up yesterday."
Tilki, aside from the three interceptions, recovered a blocked punt, and made five tackles. DePaolis, who had the game-saving interception, also blocked a punt, while sophomore safety Jorge Rodriguez led the team with 10 tackles.
Despite the momentum from winning the game, it will be a battered team that hosts Middlebury next Saturday on Senior Day. Treacy's status is unknown, as is sophomore wide receiver Matt Cerne, who has missed the second half of the season with an ankle injury.
