Midway through the second quarter of Tufts' season−opening game against Hamilton on Saturday, with the Jumbos leading 7−0, sophomore cornerback Sam Diss found himself on the edge of a play, preparing to defend a simple screen pass. But before he knew it, Hamilton senior quarterback Luke Wilson had overthrown his intended receiver, and Diss was off and running with a 74−yard touchdown interception return that put the Jumbos fully in control.
"I saw the screen coming, so I went up to play it," Diss said. "Then he overthrew the screen and [the ball] was lying right in my lap."
The result was never again in question, and the Jumbos cruised to a 21−10 victory at Zimman Field.
With the debut of its fast−paced, hurry−up offense, Tufts was slow to develop a rhythm in the first quarter. With up to five wide receivers in the game at once, the Jumbos at times appeared to be as confused as their opponents. Nevertheless, the Jumbos broke through offensively early in the second quarter when sixth−year senior quarterback Anthony Fucillo completed a 52−yard pass down the middle of the field to classmate — and fellow tri−captain — Pat Bailey, the Jumbos' leader in rushing, receiving and return yards in 2009.
On the play, Bailey had run the wrong route, cutting to the middle of the field instead of to the outside. But Fucillo kept his composure, hitting Bailey in stride.
"There were two guys running across the field when there was only supposed to be one," Tufts head coach Bill Samko said. "A very well−designed play, I must say."
While the offense was fine−tuning its new approach, the Jumbos' defense held its ground. Despite giving up 90 rushing yards to Hamilton junior running back Dylan Isenberg in the first half, the defense held the Continentals in check for most of the game, conceding a lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter long after the result had been decided.
"I definitely saw more penetration from the defensive line and defense in general than the scrimmage," junior tri−captain defensive end Donnie Simmons said. "I also saw a little more gang tackling. A lot more people running to the ball, a lot more energy, a lot more push and drive."
"I think [junior linebacker] Ferras [Albitar] had an unbelievable game; the D−line had a great game; Diss had a great game," senior linebacker Matt Murray said. "[It was] just a complete team effort."
The Jumbos had a scare in the third quarter when Fucillo, who had been marching the Jumbos down the field on a drive that featured five consecutive completions, injured his hand on a fourth−down run. Fucillo, who missed all of last season because of a broken leg, created a feeling of déjà vu for the Tufts faithful who watched him clutch his hand as he walked off the field. Fucillo returned to the field the following drive but then sat out the rest of the game as a precaution while the quarterbacking duties were delegated to sophomore John Dodds.
"It was just kind of a precautionary thing," Fucillo said of spending the final three possessions on the sideline. "It was also good to get John Dodds in there; [he] looked great again, just like in the scrimmage."
Senior Billy Mahler, who scored Tufts' final touchdown on a 2−yard reception in the third quarter, was one of Fucillo's favorite targets and finished the game with six receptions for 85 yards. Classmate Greg Stewart chipped in with five catches for 67 yards.
Tufts did not move the ball much on the ground, which came as a result of the team's new spread offense. The Jumbos netted just 67 yards on the ground, often on plays in which freshman running back Ryan Pollock was put in motion into the backfield and ran for short yardage up the middle.
With a victory over the Continentals, Tufts improved its opening day record since 2000 to 8−3. Tufts will now be gearing up for its homecoming game this week against the Bates Bobcats, who were blown out 44−0 this weekend during a visit to reigning NESCAC champions Amherst. Despite their satisfaction with the opening day win, the Jumbos are already focused on next week's affair.
"It was good to see us play together for the first time," Simmons said. "The sky's the limit for us; that was just the beginning."
