For many reasons, Saturday's Homecoming game against the Trinity Bantams provides a huge opportunity for the football team.
As usual, the stands will be filled with alumni and students, but this year, the school will be honoring the 1986 football team at halftime. With an 0−3 record going into the game, the Jumbos want to come out with a strong showing in front of what will be their biggest crowd of the season.
"We realize that a lot of people will be coming [to the game] this week. We want to represent the school well," junior wide receiver Marty Finnegan said. "This is a huge opportunity for us. I feel like we could beat any team on any day, as long as we stick to our game plan."
The Bantams will not be beaten easily, however, as Trinity averages 28 points and over 200 rushing yards per game. Defensively, the Jumbos will have to stop the two−headed monster in Trinity's backfield of sophomores Evan Bunker and Ben Crick, both of whom are in the top 10 in rushing yards thus far in the NESCAC.
"They have great players, a great football tradition, they're very well−coached, and they execute very well," interim head coach Jay Civetti said of Trinity.
Coach Civetti had an impressive collegiate football career at Trinity from 1997−2000, starting all 32 games of his career there, as well as being named an All−American, which makes the Homecoming game that much more exciting for him.
"I'm a Jumbo. They're just another opponent, and it's exciting [to play them] regardless because they're the next opponent," Civetti said of the upcoming matchup with his alma mater.
Trinity enters the contest with a 3−0 record and is ranked at or near the top of the NESCAC in most major statistical categories. The one crack in the Bantams' armor is their pass defense, which is ranked just sixth in the league.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest struggles for the Jumbos through three games has been their red zone offense. Most notably, two promising drives inside the 10−yard line ended with interceptions that were returned for touchdowns last Saturday against Bowdoin. Tufts has only scored three touchdowns on nine red−zone trips, and efficiency in that area is something the team knows it needs to improve on.
"We need to get better; we can't turn the ball over in the red zone," Civetti said. "I thought the defense executed well at certain times, but we have to make sure we play 60 minutes of physical, fundamentally sound football. We just have to keep working."
Civetti also stressed the importance of ball security, noting that the necessary game plan is in place and the key is simply eliminating mistakes.
In the end, the game will be a tough test for an inexperienced team. However, the squad is determined to keep their heads high and their effort level exactly where it needs to be.
"We're going to bring it every game, there's absolutely no let up in us," junior defensive back Tommy Castle said. "We're going to stay within ourselves and play our game, the coaches have been preaching to us and we're behind them. We're going to play to the end, there's no giving up on this team."
