Football loses to Middlebury, ends season with 4–5 record

Taking the field at Ellis Oval versus Middlebury on Saturday, the football team was looking for a win in order to secure a winning season. The clash against Middlebury was also the last home game for 19 Tufts seniors, all of whom were honored before kickoff.

Coach Jay Civetti reflected on this particular group of seniors, appreciating what they have given to this team and the program.

“It was probably the closest group of seniors we’ve had and closest team that we’ve had in a while ... I think these guys were really really good mentors, and obviously incredibly productive on the field,” Civetti said. “I mean they were just good people that cared for their teammates, and I think they were excellent at that. It makes it harder when you’ve got kids like that when you’re the head coach and you lose them.”

While this game was an opportunity for the Jumbos to finish the season over .500, Middlebury had its sights set on a bigger goal. A win for Middlebury would complete an undefeated season and clinch the NESCAC Championship. When asked about the strength of Middlebury’s team, Civetti talked about the all-around ability of the Panthers.

“I think they learned how to win. They won some really close games, and obviously they beat everybody,” Civetti said. “I think the quarterback is fantastic, their running back [too], he’s probably the best tailback in the league. I think [the coach] really made them dynamic with Jernigan as quarterback as well and defensively their scheme creates some problems. They have two really really talented linebackers and a really good defensive line.”

After trading punts on each of the teams’ first possessions, the Panthers took a 7–0 lead as junior quarterback Will Jernigan capped off a 53-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Despite the Jumbos’ urgency to respond on the next drive, they were stuffed on fourth and 2 when senior running back Dom Borelli only got 1 yard on the carry.

The Jumbos soon got the ball back after senior linebacker Stephen Timmins intercepted and returned Jernigan’s pass for 29 yards, setting the Jumbos up at the Panthers 16-yard line. On third down, senior quarterback Jacob Carroll found graduate student wide receiver Frank Roche in the end zone to tie the game at 7.

The score was the first of two touchdowns Roche received from Carroll in the game. Roche spoke about the connection the two have developed.

“We worked hard in the offseason to establish a connection and just worked throughout the season to keep building on that," Roche said. "I think the trust that he put in me throughout the season helped a lot with some of the balls that he would throw to me.”

The Panthers took a 14–7 lead early in the second quarter when Maxim Bocham caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jernigan. When the Jumbos got the ball back, Carroll was intercepted by Middlebury defensive back Finn Muldoon. Despite the Tufts defense forcing a three and out on Middlebury’s next drive, Carroll was picked off for the second time, this time by Middlebury defensive back Kevin Hartley.

The Panthers then embarked on a nine-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a 22-yard field goal. Down 17–7, Carroll’s second-quarter struggles continued. After a 25-yard connection with Roche, Carroll threw his third interception of the quarter, junior linebacker Pete Huggins notching the interception this time. The first half came to a close with the Panthers leading the Jumbos, 17–7. 

Despite the three-interception quarter from his quarterback, Civetti held a positive outlook heading into halftime.

“For the defense to hold them to 17 points in the first half [after] three turnovers and only 17 points … for it to be 17–7 at that point ... you know, versus a team that was playing for a championship, I was certainly impressed with the way those kids were playing,” Civetti said. 

The Panthers extended their lead to 24­–7 late in the third quarter when Jernigan found Bocham for a 13-yard touchdown, his second of the day.

The Jumbos did not back down, responding with a 56-yard touchdown from junior wide receiver OJ Armstrong to make the score 24–14. Middlebury was unfazed by Tufts’ comeback attempts, pushing the lead to 31–14 with a touchdown from running back Alex Maldjian to begin the fourth quarter.

The Jumbos stayed within striking distance after junior kicker Matt Alswanger sunk a 27-yard field goal to make it 31-17. All of a sudden, the Jumbos found life after sophomore defensive lineman Jovan Nenadovic recovered a Maldjian fumble. But the Tufts momentum was killed with four minutes left in the game once Carroll threw his fourth interception of the day and his second to Hartley.

With just 13 seconds left, Carroll found Roche for a 2-yard touchdown to make the score 31–24, giving the Jumbos a chance if they could recover the onside kick. But Middlebury pounced on Alswanger’s kick, securing its undefeated season and NESCAC championship title. 

At the end of the game, Carroll led all players with 367 passing yards, Maldjian led all players with 136 yards on the ground and Frank Roche led all receivers with two touchdowns on eight catches for 103 yards. Sadly, Roche fell just 11 yards shy of breaking the Jumbos first-ever 1000-yard receiving season.

Among all NESCAC players for the entire season, Carroll finished first with 247.2 yards per game and second with 19 passing touchdowns.Roche finished first in receiving yards per game with 109.9 and second in receiving touchdowns with 10. On defense, senior linebacker and co-captain Greg Holt led the conference averaging 10.0 tackles per game and Nenadovic tied for first with 7.5 sacks on the year. 

With the conclusion of the season, Roche took some time to reflect on the Jumbos’ accomplishments this year.

“I think the record, 4–5, is not what we were hoping for. Every year we go into the season looking to compete for a NESCAC Championship. Obviously, that was not the result," Roche said. "But I think there are a lot of positives that we can take out of the season. I think young guys stepping up with injuries that we had was definitely positive, the [offensive] line really improved throughout the season, and I think just as a whole, the main focus of getting better every day remained the same even when things weren’t going so great.”