For Homecoming, Jumbos look to repeat win

Tufts football opened up its season with a convincing 24-17 win over Hamilton, but it will have a tougher test this week against Bates.

The Bobcats finished last season with a 4-4 record and have beaten the Jumbos in their past four matchups. The Bobcats lost their first game this season to Amherst, arguably the best team in the NESCAC, by a score of 14-6.

Amherst scored on a passing touchdown from sophomore quarterback Alex Berluti in the first quarter, and his team did not give up the lead for the rest of the game. Bates could not muster a single point until late in the fourth quarter, when senior quarterback Matt Cannone ran for a short touchdown with just over one minute left in the game.

Cannone didn't start his season on the highest of notes. He threw for 113 yards and three interceptions against the ferocious Amherst defense. He also ran the ball 27 times for just 57 yards.

One of the deciding factors on Saturday will be whether Tufts can halt the normally potent Bates rushing attack. Last week the Bobcats ran the ball a whopping 54 times, but could only pick up 133 yards, averaging 2.46 yards per carry.

Against Hamilton, the Jumbos' defense had a lot of success pressuring the quarterback, and they held senior tailback Jeffrey Hopsicker to just 54 yards on the ground. But in one of the few mishaps last Saturday, Tufts allowed sophomore quarterback Chase Rosenberg to break free for a 45-yard run down to the five-yard line late in the first quarter. Cannone can be a potent threat in the running game, and the Jumbos need to find a way to keep him contained in the pocket.

Aside from hoping his team can stop the Bobcats' rushing attack, coach Jay Civetti will be warning against penalties leading up to Saturday’s game, due to the amount of penalties his team committed in the second half of the game against Hamilton.

“Obviously there were some costly penalties there at the end that are inexcusable," Civetti said. "That’s part of a program; as you begin to learn how to win, you’ve got to put yourself in a position to solve problems and not create them. Our guys played hard [last week]. Effort and attitude is something I preach to them."

On the offensive side of the ball, Tufts will look to emulate its ground attack from its win over Hamilton. Sophomore running back Chance Brady rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, while senior running back Zack Trause added 55 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

While the running game was solid, as was Tufts' offensive line play, the offense finished with 199 fewer yards than Hamilton, and the Jumbo offense averaged only 3.5 yards per play over 68 plays. Despite last weekend’s important victory, there are still plenty of improvements that need to be made by the time the Bobcats reach Somerville.

“Yeah, you know, I think just all around, every aspect," senior quarterback Jack Doll said regarding the aspects of the game on which the Jumbos need to improve. "There’s a number of things that we didn’t execute properly, and there’s a lot of things that we need to work on across the board.”

Another key factor to watch on Saturday will be the Jumbos' passing attack. Last week, Tufts was in complete control against Hamilton for most of the game, which allowed them to focus on pounding the ball to their effective running backs. Against Bates’ improved defense, though, the home team will not be able to get by with just the 113 passing yards they racked up last week, and will need a much more balanced offense.

While Doll was the starting quarterback against Hamilton, coach Civetti subbed in sophomore quarterback Alex Snyder on two different series. Though he failed to complete any of four pass attempts, Snyder has excellent size and arm strength and could be used in key passing downs against the Bobcats.

Tufts is now 1-0 and has a potentially winnable game against one of the middling NESCAC teams. If the Jumbos are able to beat the visiting Bobcats this weekend, all of the teams in the conference will begin to realize that the 2014 Jumbos are a legitimate threat.