The Jumbos' trip north to Middlebury on Saturday quickly lost fuel as the football team ended its season with a 42−20 loss at Alumni Stadium.
Panthers' senior quarterback Donald McKillop threw for 339 yards and a school−record six touchdown passes while dismantling the Tufts defense, which finished the season last in the NESCAC in both points and yards allowed. Tufts ended the season tied for last place in the league with a record of 1−7, the Jumbos' worst finish since 1996, while Middlebury broke even at 4−4.
As was often the case this season, the Jumbos commanded an early lead — 14−7 — after one quarter of play. Tufts scored on its second possession when freshman Pat Nee caught a 3−yard touchdown pass from senior tri−captain and quarterback Anthony Fucillo, who finished his year as the school single−season record holder in passing touchdowns, yards and completions.
"I think we were building off the offensive momentum we've had the past few weeks; things were just clicking," senior tri−captain running back Pat Bailey said.
Middlebury negated Tufts' early efforts by scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to take a 28−17 halftime advantage. Two of their first−half scores were connections of 5 and 50 yards from McKillop to junior receiver Matt Rayner, who finished with 6 catches for 111 yards.
The first Rayner touchdown gave Middlebury its first lead of the afternoon at 21−14 after a 77−yard drive aided by an 18−yard facemask penalty against the Jumbos. The Panthers got the ball back after Fucillo threw the first of his three interceptions to defensive back Daniel Kenerson and subsequently broke the game open with McKillop's 50−yard connection to Rayner.
McKillop, who last year set all the major NESCAC single−season passing records, earned high praise from his opponents for his decision making.
"He gets the ball out quickly," junior tri−captain and defensive lineman Donnie Simmons said. "He's a scrambler if he needs to. He makes his reads and he makes the right throws."
Middlebury's offense only went three−and−out once all afternoon and benefited from a balanced attack that capitalized on the Jumbos' league−worst rushing defense. Panthers' senior running backs Gary Cooper and Andrew Plumley combined for 39 carries and chalked up 123 and 60 yards, respectively.
"They both ran pretty hard and they were both definitely shifty," Simmons said. Simmons added that he was expecting the Middlebury offense to throw the ball more.
Despite Tufts' defensive tribulations, the team had two third−quarter chances to climb within a score of the Panthers. Early in the quarter, trailing 28−17, the offense drove 63 yards and into the red zone but turned the ball over when Kenerson netted his second interception from a tipped Fucillo pass.
On the Jumbos' next possession, a pair of completions combined with a personal foul penalty against the home team gave the Jumbos a first down at the Middlebury 29−yard line.
The offense turned the ball over on downs after three straight incompletions and a sack, however, and Fucillo and company failed to capitalize on the situation.
Middlebury proceeded to march 65 yards down the field at the start of the fourth quarter. The Panthers scored on McKillop's 17−yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field to sophomore receiver Zach Driscoll in a drive that took 5:39 off the clock and effectively put the game out of the Jumbos' reach.
"The past few games we've been doing really well in the red zone," Bailey said. "We of course had a lot of trouble with that earlier in the year, and that, whatever it is, kind of came back yesterday."
Middlebury took full advantage of its scoring opportunities throughout the game, scoring touchdowns on all five trips to the red zone. The Panthers' win was their third in their last four games, while Tufts' defeat capped a seven−game losing skid that came after defeating Hamilton 21−10 in the opening game.
The Jumbos' disappointing season was the inauguration of a new upbeat offense that led the NESCAC in passing yards and ranked last in rushing, which is no surprise given that the team had four or five receivers in the game at all times and threw the ball in over 71 percent of plays. The offense showed its potential in scoring 49 and 41 points in losses to Amherst and Colby, respectively.
"I think we didn't start out the way we wanted to; there were a lot of mistakes early on," Bailey said of the spread offense. "But we kind of got into a comfort zone towards the end of the season … and I think it was really the right change to make."
Fucillo finished the year with 2,475 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, both Tufts records. Among his favorite receivers was Bailey, who led the NESCAC in receptions with 56 for 428 yards. Bailey, a triple−threat player as a receiver, running back and returner, ranked fifth in the league in all−purpose yards with 1,017 and sixth in scoring with seven touchdowns.
Fucillo and Bailey were part of a group of 13 seniors that included stalwart linebacker Matthew Murray, who led the team in tackles for the second consecutive year with 69 and was a constant presence in the middle of Tufts' defense. Seniors Billy Mahler and Greg Stewart both benefited from the pass−heavy offense and finished in the top ten in the NESCAC in receptions.
"We're used to [the seniors'] words, their actions," Simmons, who led the team with three sacks, said. "We come to practice; they set an example to the younger guys. It's going to be a big hole, but I think the younger guys are going to step up."
Simmons will join junior linebacker Ferras Albitar next year as a leader of the Jumbos' defense that was the league−worst against the run this season, allowing over 220 rushing yards per game. The defense this year was on the field for nearly 37 minutes per game due to the quick strike nature of the offense. Returning team members will work with coach Bill Samko and his staff in the offseason to improve the glitches in all phases of the game to have a more successful 2011.
In the meantime, the seniors agree they will reflect on more than wins and losses.
"It's a good group of guys to be around," Bailey said. "I think that although we didn't have the success in the wins and losses columns like we would want to, we still had fun."
"It's a great senior group, and I'm proud to have played with them," Fucillo added. "And I'm going to miss it a lot."
The bonds between players, of course, will exist indefinitely.
"What I'm most proud of ... I think it's the friendships I've made in this program, seniors to freshmen, top to bottom, coaching staff, guys I can always count on if I need something," Murray said.
