The football team might still be winless, but encouragement for the future exists, especially with the effort the defense has put forth through Tufts' most brutal three-game stretch.
Against Trinity, Williams and Amherst, three NESCAC juggernauts with a combined 16-2 record this season, the Jumbos defense has held up its end of the bargain — especially in the second half, where Tufts limited the Bantams, Ephs and Lord Jeffs to an average of seven points in the final 30 minutes.
Compare that to 2010, when those same teams outscored the Jumbos 77-21 during that same span, and the marked improvements on defense become clear.
Before this season, according to junior defensive back Sam Diss, the Jumbos instilled some different coverages and revamped their base defense, working at the basics before adding more advanced concepts along the way.
"I think they're playing better team defense as a whole, guys are being a lot more conscientious and responsible of their gap assignments," head coach Jay Civetti said. "When you look at those three teams, they're top three in the league in rushing [ed's note: Williams is fifth in the NESCAC in rushing, though Trinity and Amherst are No. 1 and No. 2] and you look at the results and you see the conscious effort, it's encouraging."
Indeed, Tufts has struggled against the run this season. The Jumbos are second-to-last in the NESCAC in that category, allowing 194.2 rushing yards per game, a statistic that's still better than the 221.4 per game they coughed up in 2010.
On the flip side, Tufts tops the NESCAC this season with just 132.7 passing yards allowed per game, though opponents' play selection is partly behind their success. Teams have attempted only 121 passes against the Jumbos, the fewest any NESCAC squad has faced, while running the ball 283 times — more than they have against all other defenses in the conference. Opposing teams, despite limiting their pass attempts, are still completing 68.6 percent of them, the highest rate in the conference.
"I think a lot of it probably has to do with the situations of the games," Civetti said. "Offensively, we're not exactly holding up our end of the bargain as far as allowing us to be in the game from a points standpoint. Once it's the second half and they're up 14, they're probably not going to be throwing the ball anyway, especially when they know that our offense isn't as productive as it should be."
Despite the 0-6 record, defensive highlights exist across the board. Senior linebacker Zack Skarzynski tops the league with 13.0 tackles per game. In a 30-0 loss to Amherst on Saturday, senior Kyle Leggott and sophomore Ryan Eggar each had sacks on an injury-depleted defensive line, tripling Tufts' previous season total of one.
The Jumbos also lost to Trinity 9-0 but held the Bantams to their lowest point total since 2005.
"That was what we were looking for: playing consistent," said Diss of the Trinity game. "The touchdown came on one mental breakdown, but it was a solid effort. That's what we're trying to do every week."
In five of seven losses last season, the Jumbos led at halftime but were outscored 130-47 after the break. In 2011, Tufts has allowed just 56 combined points in the second half.
"But you have to put the full package together to put yourselves in a position to actually execute and win in the fourth quarter," Civetti said. "But when you look at the steady improvements of the team as a whole, certainly the defense's influence and ability to put us in those situations is a positive one."
Now, it's just a matter of executing, a running theme throughout the season that's yet to materialize fully come game time.
"We can talk about improvements and we can talk about the positives, which is great because it's where we want to be as a program, but there has to be a point where we finally say, ‘We know what we can do, so let's do it,'" Civetti said. "If you look at the top teams, they lead the takeaway category and in defensive statistics. You have to have a stout, strong consistent defense that can control the line of scrimmage."
