After a second straight comeback win on home turf, the football team (2-0) is ready to take its show on the road. On Saturday, the Jumbos will travel to Brunswick, Maine to square off against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (0-2). The 12-7 Homecoming victory over the Bates Bobcats (0-2) may have been closer than coach Jay Civetti would have liked, but he still sees plenty of reasons for optimism this week, starting with how the team has practiced.
“I’m a firm believer that games are won or lost before they’re played,” Civetti said. “Going into a hostile environment is always a challenge and you’ve got to stay focused. Hopefully, our road mentality and our road warrior mindset starts us off on the right foot on Saturday.”
In last year’s contest at the Ellis Oval, Tufts routed Bowdoin, 43-24. Much of the Jumbos' success that day came because of current senior tri-captain running back Chance Brady, who gained 123 yards on just 14 carries to go along with three touchdowns. Brady's per carry average of 8.8 was slightly skewed by a 27-yard run, but he consistently broke off chunk gains throughout the contest.
“In general, we’re always looking to [improve] as a team,” senior left guard Alex Kim added. “We never settle for average. That’s our big thing: Average is never good enough for us.”
This year, Brady seeks to repeat his masterful performance. His recent track record certainly suggests such an outcome is possible, if not likely. Though he failed to hit pay-dirt in last week’s matchup against the Bobcats, Brady still gained 140 yards on the day.
“This past Saturday was hard because we didn’t envision [Brady] having to carry the ball 32 times, but that game dictated it,” Civetti said. “Bowdoin [has] got some great defensive coaches. They’re a young team, so you don’t always know what you’re going to get with that. They got a lot better from game one to game two, so game three should be a battle.”
For a second straight game last week, senior Alex Snyder split time with sophomore Ryan McDonald. Snyder, who started the game, gave way to McDonald after halftime. Rather than treating the uncertainty under center as a weakness, however, Civetti views it as a potential source of strength.
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in [Snyder],” Civetti said. “I think he’s a great player. He’s won a lot of football games here. He’s a true competitor. He throws the ball incredibly well. The combination of [him] and [McDonald] give us a little bit of a different dimension, give us a little bit of a different spark. Both of them are capable, and both of them will play on Saturday.”
On defense, Tufts looked especially strong last Saturday, holding Bates to a measly three yards per play. Crucially, the Jumbos only allowed the Bobcats to convert three of 20 attempts on third down, demonstrating their resilience in high-pressure situations.
Opposing Tufts this week is a thus-far ineffective Bowdoin offense that struggled to move the ball down the field against Middlebury and Amherst. The Polar Bears rank worst in the conference in terms of yards per game (163) and second worst in points per game (6.5). Many of the Polar Bears' problems stem from an inability to protect the passer, as their quarterbacks have been sacked nine times on 73 drop-backs.
One of the few bright spots for the Bowdoin offense is junior wide receiver Nick Vailas. In last year’s game against the Jumbos, Vailas caught eight passes for 158 yards and a score. This year, the wideout -- who ranks in the top 10 among NESCAC players in both catches and yards per game -- will test the abilities of Tufts’ defensive backs. If all goes according to plan, however, the Jumbos will be able to freeze out one of the most important parts of the Polar Bear offense.
“[Vailas] is a really good kid,” junior strong safety J.P. Garcia said. “He did a lot of good things last year, especially against us, so we’re just trying to be aware of him wherever he lines up in the field.”
The Bowdoin passing attack is by no means devoid of other options besides Vailas. However, Tufts has keyed in on a number of Bowdoin pass-catchers to watch out for.
“[Vailas] is probably one of the best receivers in the league,” Civetti said. “We are obviously aware of him, but they also have two other guys, [junior tight end Bryan Porter and freshman wide receiver Chandler Gee], that are emerging. Their run game is going to challenge us. They have a more balanced offensive attack this year than they did last year, which is going to pose some different challenges for our defense.”
The Jumbos face off against the Polar Bears on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bowdoin's Whittier Field.
Jumbos hope to stay undefeated away against Polar Bears
