In 2012, the Jumbos failed to win a single game. In 2013, the Jumbos again ended up 0-8. Last year, the Jumbos began the season with a pair of streak-breaking wins, to finish 4-4 on the year. It looked like attaining a winning season was an unattainable goal for Tufts. The team had not managed such a record since 2007, and a 6-2 season seemed like a ridiculous aim.
Coach Jay Civetti, who became head coach in 2011, saw firsthand the devastating effects of a combined 0-24 record through his first three seasons as a head coach.
“Twenty-four straight losses,” Civetti said. “It was hard in the moment. It was difficult at different points knowing that there was a lot of work going in, that there was a lot of improvement being made, but it was never enough. It was hard for me to know to know how much work my staff was doing and to still lose; it was even harder to know how much the players were putting in.”
This year, however, the Jumbos achieved what had once seemed impossible. The team finished 6-2 for the first time since 2001 and demonstrated that Tufts could once again be a football team to be reckoned with. For the seniors, who saw their Tufts careers start 0-16, this season was exactly how they had hoped to end their college careers.
“I’ve done a lot of thinking about [the 0-8 seasons],” senior offensive lineman Akene Farmer-Michos said. “It was paramount, as a group, that we didn’t let our standards drop. We had to keep working. The leadership had a huge impact on us; they kept us driven. We expected to be at this level this year. Together we executed and brought the team together.”
The season started out well for the Jumbos. The team jumped out to an early lead in their Sept. 26 game against Hamilton, but its failure to score in the second half almost cost Tufts its victory, as Hamilton managed to tie the game up and had a shot at a 47-yard field goal with less than a minute left in the game. The Jumbos forced overtime, however, during which junior kicker Willie Holmquist kicked the winning field goal.
At their homecoming game against Bowdoin, Tufts offense finally clicked. Junior running back Chance Brady ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the Jumbos' 43-24 victory in front of over 5,500 fans, setting a benchmark for his fantastic season.
“[The feeling was] that we should be 3-0,” Civetti said. “We were playing good football; we can compete with anybody. We talked all season about building this beast -- a metaphor for our team, our persona -- so an overtime win, a come from behind win, a dominating win at home, those were the first three.”
It would be easy to be content with a 3-0 record to start the season, but the team knew it still had a lot of work to do to guarantee a winning record, or to even have a shot at their goal of the NESCAC championship.
Although the team had its share of struggles throughout the season, the Jumbos managed to make the most of their strong start. The team dropped two home games -- the first against an impressive Trinity squad in which it ultimately lost in overtime.
“[The Trinity game] still gnaws at me a little bit,” Civetti said. “Every coach has a game. I wish I could have that one back. Everybody else looks at that game and is amazed that we took them to OT, [but] I’m looking at it saying we should be [different] in those situations.”
The second loss came at the hands of NESCAC champion Amherst, who got out to an early lead and shut down the Tufts run game to beat the Jumbos 32-7.
For much of the season, the Jumbos' focus was solely on the individual accomplishments ofthe team; they had no shortage of individuals who put up memorable performances this season. Leading the pack was NESCAC leading rusher Brady, whose 975 yards were 200 ahead of the next-best tailback. Brady’s astounding 121.9 yards per game were a credit to his individual ability, as well as that of his offensive line, who aided him as he rushed for 11 touchdowns.
“Chance Brady is the best running back I’ve ever blocked for,” Farmer-Michos said. “It’s all about cohesion, unity and understanding what your job is every snap, and I think the standards were set early in preseason about how we wanted to play offensively.”
Sophomore linebacker Zach Thomas led the NESCAC in sacks, as he managed to put the quarterback on his back nine times this season. He, alongside sophomore defensive end Micah Adickes, ensured the Jumbos were the league leader in sacks this season.
Kickers are not often the focus of attention from the public, but junior kicker and punter Willie Holmquist’s foot was vital to the success of the Jumbos all season long. His year culminated in his breaking of the Tufts record for most field goals made, with 11 this season.
“We really believed in our ability to win,” Holmquist said. “I feel like that was a big change from my freshman year, two years ago, when we were 0-8. This year we really set the bar, we had ambitious goals, and going forward, this is just a benchmark for things to come.”
Among the most impressive individual performances of the season was that of first-year corner Tim Preston, whose six interceptions put him first in the NESCAC. Preston credits a great deal of his success in his impressive first season to the lessons he learned from those on the team who had been through some of the darkest years of Tufts football.
“As a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect coming into a college program,” Preston said. “Having the seniors and team leaders treat me like I’d been part of the team for a long time made the adjustment very easy for me.”
These accomplishments certainly mean a lot to the individuals who worked hard to earn them, as well as the team as a whole. Civetti explained that these accomplishments demonstrate that the program is headed in the right direction.
“It means that you’re recruiting the right players,” Civetti said. “And that you’re putting your players in positions to be successful. You’ve created an environment where the team is what wins the game, but you also have to have individuals step up and make plays.”
It would be easy to forget the 2012 and 2013 seasons where the Jumbos went a combined 0-16. The seniors have not forgotten the first two seasons they played here. To many, this season marks a new era for Tufts football.
Not long ago, Tufts football was not on the minds of any students. The team went three consecutive seasons without winning a single game; many lost hope in Tufts ever assembling a winning season again. Civetti, however, knew his team was better than the records indicated, and trusted in the players to break that streak. The Jumbos are a combined 10-6 over the last two seasons -- a far cry from the 0-16 the seniors saw in their first two seasons.
“We’ve knocked on the door,” Civetti said “People are aware now; you’ve gone from the hunter to the hunted. People are looking at you a little differently than they did in the past. We’re still on the hunt to win a championship. We’re going to have to have some guys step up, but the next game cannot get here fast enough.”
