Tufts was outmatched against Middlebury Saturday in the season finale at Zimman Field, scoring first, but ultimately losing 52-10. The Jumbos went 0-8 and have now lost 31 straight games dating back to Sept. 25, 2010, when they beat Hamilton.
Meanwhile, the Panthers improved to 7-1 and earned a share of the NESCAC title - there are no playoffs - along with Wesleyan and Amherst. The Cardinals lost at Trinity, while the Lord Jeffs won at Williams.
The story in Somerville was the fantastic play of Middlebury senior quarterback McCallum Foote, who fired seven touchdown passes to close out a remarkable career. Foote was 30 of 46, passing for 402 yards, and he threw three touchdowns apiece to classmate William Sadik-Khan and sophomore Matthew Minno. The Panthers finished with 561 yards of total offense and 34 first downs.
In the first quarter, Tufts sophomore defensive back Garrett Ewanouski intercepted Foote and returned the ball to the Panthers' 9-yard line. The Jumbos came away with a 20-yard field goal by freshman Willie Holmquist to take a 3-0 lead.
After a pair of Middlebury drives both ended in touchdowns for Sadik-Khan, junior quarterback Jack Doll marched Tufts 71 yards down the field and into the end zone, with junior Zack Trause punching it in from a yard away. That made it 14-10 Panthers.
We responded from [last week's 37-0 loss at Colby], at least when we could," head coach Jay Civetti said. "And then, I think our youth and our inexperience [showed] against the best quarterback, maybe, in the country."
The Jumbos would not score again. Freshman Alex Snyder, who started at quarterback and split time with Doll, found a wide open sophomore Jack Cooleen in the end zone late in the first half, but Cooleen dropped it. Snyder's next pass was intercepted.
Middlebury responded with a touchdown drive to end the half and headed into the locker room leading 35-10.
"We knew their offense could put up points," fifth-year receiver Nick Kenyon said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to make enough big plays, and the score got out of hand."
One of the lone bright spots for Tufts was the performance of Doll, who returned after missing three games with a torn left labrum and completed 20 of 30 passes for 156 yards. Ewanouski played well on defense, grabbing his first career interception and finishing with 10 tackles, a career and team-high.
With one second left in the game, the Jumbos had 4th-and-goal from the 19-yard line. Civetti called timeout.
"That was an appreciation for all the hard work [the seniors] put in," Civetti said. "At the same time, it was to say to the younger guys on this team, 'We're gonna fight till the last second, regardless of the outcome.'"
The Jumbos were without several key players due to injury, including freshman running back Chance Brady, freshman receiver Mike Rando and sophomore defensive lineman Pat Williams.
Eleven seniors were honored before the game: Kenyon, tri-captains linebacker Sean Harrington and offensive lineman Connor Glazier
