Tufts returns home to face Williams

This Saturday the Jumbos will return to Medford following their losses to Bowdoin and Trinity. Their opponents, the 1-3 Williams Ephs, will travel to the Ellis Oval in an attempt to inch their record closer to .500.

As with Tufts’ previous two rivals, Williams' team has a lot of success running the football. Senior running back Alex Scyocurka has rushed for 325 yards and five touchdowns (fourth and third in the NESCAC, respectively) through his first four games.

Junior quarterback Austin Lommen will be under center for the Ephs. He has been an average signal caller to date, as he is fifth in the NESCAC in both passing yards (715) and completion percentage (62.2 percent). Lommen’s Achilles heel this season has been his propensity to commit turnovers, having thrown four interceptions and fumbled once so far.

While Tufts’ run defense has struggled the past two weeks, there is reason to believe that a turnaround is on the horizon. The Jumbos have allowed more rushing yards per game than any other team in the NESCAC (186.8), but they have faced the two best running backs that the conference has to offer: Bowdoin’s Tyler Grant and Trinity’s Chudi Iregbulum. Scyocurka is a solid back, but his statistics pale in comparison to those two NESCAC-leading rushers.

The Tufts defense has struggled with open-field tackling recently, but the Jumbos still have several of the NESCAC’s most prolific tacklers. Sophomore cornerback Mike Stearns easily leads the conference in tackles with 58 (14.5 per game). Despite his sizable lead, the cornerback has had a lot of help from junior linebacker Matt McCormack (38 tackles), senior linebacker Tommy Meade (37) and senior defensive back Pat Glose (30).

While the Jumbos defense struggled to contain Grant and Iregbulum, it may also be faltering due to fatigue. Tufts ranks dead last in the NESCAC in offensive time of possession, holding onto the ball for just 25 minutes and 40 seconds per game. The Jumbos defense has consequently been on the field for an average of 57 percent of each game, which can lead to higher levels of exhaustion. Tufts’ over-worked tacklers have a lower probability of bringing down a well-rested star running back like the ones they have faced in each of the last two weeks.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Jumbos have been unable to run the ball frequently over the past two weeks. Since Tufts has often found itself behind, the team has needed to pass more in an attempt to get back in the game. Senior quarterback Jack Doll had 59 combined attempts in weeks 1 and 2, but had to throw the ball a combined 72 times in weeks three and four. Running the football effectively will help keep the defense and Doll’s arm rested.

Tufts has been able to rotate its running backs quite successfully this season, which helps to ensure that the team has fresh, well-rested legs at the position. The Ephs’ run defense is suspect (third worst in the NESCAC), and the Jumbos’ running backs, senior Zack Trause and sophomore Chance Brady, should be able to find a lot of holes in the Williams front seven on Saturday.

Tufts has undoubtedly been a better team at home than on the road this season. One reason for this could be the outpouring of student support at home games. Whenever the team is home, it has drawn a bigger crowd than any other team in the conference, averaging 3,833 fans per home game, which is miles ahead of second-place Wesleyan, averaging 2,600 per game.

This Saturday’s home game, against a team with a losing record, is the perfect opportunity for the Jumbos to get themselves back above .500. However, there are plenty of things that the team has to work on before then.

“Our offense really needs to get back to sustaining drives and sticking to what we do," coach Jay Civetti said. "[My happiness level] is hard to determine after a loss, but this is obviously the best that we’ve been in a number of years. That being said, we are not remotely satisfied [with a 2-2 record]. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season."