Getting Defensive

Brunswick, ME _ Two and a half games, five halves, 11 quarters, 160 minutes and two seconds. All of this had passed before Bowdoin running back Matt Boyd found a big enough hole in Tufts' defensive line to squeeze his way two yards for a touchdown _ the first points allowed by the Jumbos' defense this season.

Tufts' streak of shutout football ended Saturday against Bowdoin, when the Polar Bears posted 13 points on two touchdowns. But despite surrendering their first points of the year, there were few frowns on the Jumbos' sidelines _ they scored 44.

The defense had little trouble against the best offense it has faced this season, hauling in six interceptions and holding the Polar Bears to just 109 yards in the air on 7-33 passing. Four different players had interceptions against a Bowdoin team that had surrendered just one in two prior games against the vaunted Williams and Amherst defenses.

Junior free safety Drew Blewett had two picks, his first of the season, and senior tri-captain Evan Zupancic also had two, giving him 17 for his career, as he broke Tufts' previous career interception record of 15.

So dominant was the Jumbos' defensive effort in the first half that Polar Bears quarterback Justin Hardison had just four completions _ three of which were to Blewett and Zupancic. Blewett's first interception came on the first play from scrimmage, and he had another on the first play in the second quarter, which was brought back on an offsides call. Blewett wasted little time in getting the football, however, as he grabbed an errant Hardison pass just three plays later.

But the story of the day was Zupancic whose two picks pushed him past Scott Burnham (1979-1982) for first place in career interceptions. Through just three games, Zupancic has four interceptions, putting him on pace for ten this season. The Tufts single season interception record is 9, shared by Jocko Lee and Norm Costin in 1949 and 1979, respectively. While it may be premature to look at the single season record, few would rule Zupancic out.

"There's not much you can say about Evan," Blewett said. "He plays solid football every second of every day. He's the glue that holds our defense together and he's so important to our success."

"He's a hell of a player," said senior tri-captain and defensive tackle Caleb Hudak. "He gets the job done all the time."

To Zupancic, however, the records are secondary.

"I am proud of myself, but individual records really don't mean that much," he said. "We're all working very hard and we're trying to have a great season. This is my last year, and I want this team to win."

Many would say that with the defense playing as well as it is, winning may not be too lofty a goal. The Jumbos have allowed an average of 4.3 points per game, tops in the NESCAC by a considerable margin. Williams is next, allowing 6.6 points per game, while Amherst has allowed an average of ten. All three teams are tied at 3-0 atop the conference.

But points allowed and interceptions aside, how good is the Tufts' defense? Through the first three weeks the Jumbos have faced the three weakest programs in the conference. Of the three, Bowdoin is the only team that has scored more than ten points on the season. Hamilton scored ten against Wesleyan, and Bates has yet to score a single point this season. It's fair to say that except for Bowdoin, the Jumbos' defense has yet to be tested.

The first real test for the defensive unit will come next week when the Jumbos travel to Trinity. Even though it isn't the cream of the crop, Trinity has proven to be a solid team with a win over Colby and an impressive 39-0 thumping of Hamilton. The Bantams also managed to put up 13 points on the Williams defense, a feat Bowdoin was not able to accomplish.

"It's gonna be a tough game," junior wide receiver Tim Mack said. "I know that they're gonna be a tough team. We had a real good game with them last year and I expect another one this year. But we're looking forward to it and hopefully we can go out there and get another W."