Tufts faces Colby in home finale

The Tufts football team will be playing its final home game of the season on Saturday against the Colby Mules who are currently 1-5. The Jumbos have yet to lose a game at Zimman Field this year, and statistically speaking, the team has been consistently much better than its upcoming opponents. 

“We definitely learned things [last Saturday]. We’ve just got to get back at it,” coach Jay Civetti said. "We have to play the next game and really look to get better. Playing at home is great. The crowd is great. It’s a place where we have had success. We have faced adversity and have overcome it. Learning how to defend your home-field is one of the first steps to winning [and] we just try to take pride in what we do."

Tufts is coming off a 30-3 loss to Amherst last weekend while its counterpart, Colby, lost an overtime thriller to its bitter rival, Bates.

The Mules began their season with four straight losses and were unable to score more than ten points in any of those games. However, Colby is undoubtedly playing its best football of the season after barely losing to a usually competitive Bates team following its victory over winless Hamilton on Oct. 18.

Sophomore quarterback Gabe Harrington will start for Colby. In the team's loss to Bates on Saturday, he posted a highly unusual stat line. Harrington completed just 13 of his 38 attempts, but still managed to throw for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He ranks fifth in the NESCAC in passing yards with 1,111 on the season and is third in touchdown passes with 10. The sophomore’s primary issue this season has been his inaccuracy. Harrington is just 104-205 for a 50.7 percent completion rates and is tied for second in the conference with seven interceptions.

The Colby offense is one of the most pass-heavy in the conference. Harrington has attempted the second most passes of any quarterback in the NESCAC, and his two favorite wide receivers -- sophomore Ryder Arsenault and senior Nick Joseph -- are both tied for second in the conference in receiving touchdowns with four. Tufts' pass defense has allowed the third most passing yards (207.2 per game) in the NESCAC this season, so expect Harrington to be throwing early and often.

Luckily for the Jumbos' defense, they will finally be facing one of the weaker rushing attacks in the conference. Tufts’ past four games had been against the four best running backs in the NESCAC: Bowdoin’s Tyler Grant (first in the conference in rushing with 586 yards), Trinity’s Chudi Iregbulum (second with 555), Amherst’s Nick Kelly (third with 495) and Williams’ Alex Scyocurka (fourth with 385). Colby sophomore running back Jabari Hurdle-Price is ninth in the NESCAC in rushing yards with 279 and has reached the end zone just once this year.

Finding a way across the goal-line has been a big issue for the Mules this season. The team has only been in the opposing team’s redzone 12 times this season (last in the NESCAC) and it has only scored on seven of those 12 possessions (the 58 percent success rate is last in the conference as well). These factors should allow Tufts’ defense to succeed in what could be a low scoring affair with the Jumbos potentially missing their starting quarterback.

For the first time this season, Tufts senior quarterback Jack Doll’s health status is in question. Doll was injured in the first quarter against Amherst and was unable to return. While the senior has thrown just six touchdown passes this season, he does lead the NESCAC in completion percentage (68.9 percent) and is fourth in passing yards (1,119). Tufts’ offense appeared to struggle in his absence against Amherst last Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if Doll will be able to suit up, and if not, if sophomore quarterback Alex Snyder can step up and win his first career college football game.

Considering Tufts undefeated home record, the Jumbos appear to still be the favorites even with a backup quarterback taking all the snaps.

“I would not say that our home and away records have been a coincidence," senior defensive end James Brao told the Daily in an email. "Having a great fan base this season has definitely given the team confidence at home games. However, on the road, it has been a lack of execution that has hindered our performance, and not a lack of emotion. At the end of the day, its the same team playing whether at home or on the road. [As the season winds down], the main point of emphasis has been to play our best football, both as individuals and as a team. This means knowing assignments, practicing well during the week and executing on Saturdays."

A win this weekend will ensure that Tufts will not finish the season with a losing record. Coming away victorious from Middlebury in the last week of the season will be quite challenging, so this Colby game is crucial in the team's pursuit of a .500 season.