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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Football | Positional switch pays off for three Jumbos

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There are some days when Ian Levinsky still longs to catch a touchdown pass, to be an integral part of the offense again and feel the glory of surging into the end zone.

As it turns out, blindsiding a quarterback feels pretty good, too.

When coach Bill Samko and offensive coordinator Jay Civetti in February made the executive decision to switch the football team's offense to a fast−paced spread attack, the Jumbos found themselves no longer needing the fullbacks and tight ends that were previously a staple of its traditional I−formation set. With as many as five wide receivers lined up at any given time, players like Levinsky were left homeless with nowhere to fit into the no−huddle scheme.

That is, until they found a home on the other side of the ball.

Levinsky and Nick Croteau, both juniors, and sophomore Sam Gardner make up the three Jumbos who, as a direct result of the formational change on offense, were nudged over to the defensive line. Thus far, the trio has thrived in its new role.

"It's been a great move," Levinsky said. "We talk about it every day. It's more about going forward and really full−on; we're just having a lot of fun out there being able to smash people."

According to Samko, part of the reason why the coaching staff felt so comfortable switching to the spread formation was because of the quality of athletes at the "big−skill" positions like tight end and fullback. Natural playmakers such as Levinsky, Croteau and Gardner, reasoned Samko, would fit in regardless of their position on paper.

"I think most guys here really don't have a huge personal ego. It's really about team stuff, and they were willing to make moves for the team," Samko said. "We thought about this before we implemented the system. We have a real hard time finding a lot of big−skill guys, because there just aren't enough of them out there. So part of the benefit of going to this system is that it allows you to move some pieces around."

At the high school level, it's hardly uncommon to witness the most athletic players starring on both offense and defense, but specialization becomes more imperative as the physicality and skill level increases in the collegiate game. For Levinsky and Croteau, the positional switch heading into the offseason came as a total surprise. Yet both had doubled as defensive linemen before coming to Tufts, thus shortening their adjustment period.

"I had heard that they were going to the spread, but I didn't know whether they would keep me at tight end or make me into a receiver. I didn't think that they would make me into a defensive lineman," Croteau said. "But it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. It probably took me less time to learn the defense than it would have to learn the new offense."

"For me, it was just about unlocking what I learned in high school and remembering what to do," Levinsky said.

Had the switch not occurred, the Jumbos would be without two starting defensive linemen in Croteau and Gardner, in addition to a regular contributor in Levinsky. In 2009, Croteau led all Tufts receivers in yards per catch, while Gardner saw special teams action as a freshman while playing behind All−NESCAC fullback Noah Hatfield−Biondo (LA '10).

Through three games in 2010, Levinsky has added a pair of tackles, and he recovered a fumble in the season−opener against Hamilton, while Croteau, who has played sparingly since suffering an injury early in the season, has tallied three tackles. Gardner has been a rock on the defensive line, recording 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a team−high 4.5 tackles for loss while starting in all four of the Jumbos' contests.

All told, the three have contributed to a defensive unit that's fourth in the NESCAC in scoring defense, first in pass defense and fifth in sacks. In this sense, moving to the spread offense has benefited the defense as well.

"Just in terms of volume, we've had two more rotational guys who have gotten a lot of reps, and Ian is right on the cusp of that," Scott Rynne, the team's defensive coordinator, said. "There are three guys right there who we wouldn't have, had there been a fullback and a tight end in our offense.

"I think they've been flourishing, and I've been very impressed with what they've done," he continued. "I think where we've been in preseason and in the first half of the season, those guys have done everything we've asked them to do and have been solid defensive contributors."

As Tufts attempts to end a three−game losing streak when undefeated Williams arrives at Zimman Field on Saturday for the Parents Weekend game, the defensive line will be anchored by some relatively fresh faces. For now, though, the trio is simply enjoying the thrill that comes with being a little bit more reckless on defense.

"You get to do a lot more yelling and screaming as you just try to make a play out there," Levinsky said. "Offense is much [calmer] and cool as you try to do everything right and do your job. On defense, though, it's all about being reckless and flying around and making tackles."