Tufts to wrap up season against Middlebury

Saturday will mark the end of the season for the Tufts football team. The upcoming game against Middlebury will be a bittersweet affair for the Jumbos, especially for the seniors, who may never have another opportunity to play organized tackle football.

“Senior leadership [has been crucial all year]," coach Jay Civetti said. "Guys just taking it upon themselves to do their job, and then individuals doing their job, and then the 10 other guys around them doing the same thing. [The game against Colby] was just a great team win, a great team effort across the board."

With marquee wins over Hamilton, Bates, Williams and Colby this season, the 2014 Jumbos have drastically altered Tufts' view of its football team.

The 2014 Tufts Jumbos will look to become the first to finish a season above .500 since 2007. The Middlebury Panthers, however, are a strong 5-2 opponent, and if it weren't for two one-possession losses, they would be undefeated.

Middlebury has been successful this season for two primary reasons: Its strong defense has allowed just 11.1 points per game, and its quarterback, junior Matt Milano, appears to be the frontrunner for NESCAC player of the year.

Milano leads the conference in nearly every important passing category. He is first in the NESCAC in passing touchdowns (18), passing yards (1,562), yards per game (223.1) and completions (150). One of Milano’s greatest skills is his ability to spread the ball around, as five different Middlebury receivers have at least 22 catches, making it nearly impossible for opposing defenses to know who to key in on each game.

While the Panthers do not run as much as some of the other NESCAC teams, first-year running back Drew Jacobs has proven to be more than capable, with 342 yards and a touchdown on the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Middlebury has the conference’s sack leader, junior defensive lineman Jake Clapp, as well as four of the NESCAC’s top 13 tacklers. In the secondary, the Panthers’ junior defensive back Dan Pierce is tied for third in the conference in interceptions with four.

Middlebury is not only one of the top teams in the NESCAC, but is also quite possibly the most balanced. The Panthers are second in the conference in points scored with 23.3 per game, and their 11.1 points allowed per game ranks third. The team excels in countless other areas, including receiving only 34 penalties this season (second fewest), leading the NESCAC in sacks (21) and converting on 10 fourth downs this season (most in the conference).

Whether Tufts wins or loses against this powerhouse of an opponent, nothing will diminish the team's accomplishments this season. The team, particularly its senior members, has had countless memorable moments in a wild 2014 season.

“My fondest memory [as a Jumbo] is a tie,” senior wide receiver Greg Lanzillo said. "I liked breaking the streak with all of the guys, the way we beat Hamilton, but [beating Colby] capped off everything, all the hard work that our senior class put in, guys that don’t go unnoticed, but we all did it for them and for the senior class. I’m really excited and happy about [how this season has turned out]."

“I think every year our senior class is going to be different," Civetti added. "These guys have just been the ones that have been able to finish it a little differently than those from years past. If we didn’t have the classes before, we wouldn’t be where we are now. I think the difference [in this year’s seniors] is just in the personality of the class. Next year’s senior class will be different as well. These guys have been the ones that first signed up when I became the head coach here. There’s a little bit of ownership to that that I think they take upon themselves."

This team entered the season on a 31-game losing streak, but has since proven to be a very tough opponent capable of competing against anyone in the conference. This has been especially true at home, where the team won all four of its games in front of a crowd that led the NESCAC in attendance with just under 12,000 fans on the season.

Despite ending the long losing streak in September of this year, the Jumbos have yet to end their 21-game road losing streak, a streak the team has a chance to snap this weekend against Middlebury.