In the final game of his Tufts career, senior tri-captain running back Chance Brady left his mark on the gridiron in Tufts' 48-35 win over Middlebury. Brady’s dominant senior campaign continued, as he shattered the Tufts single season and career rushing yards records as well as the single-game touchdown record. He was selected as NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season as a result of his five touchdowns and 258 yards from scrimmage against Middlebury.
The 7-1 Jumbos finished the season in sole possession of second place in the NESCAC behind the unbeaten Trinity Bantams.
The Jumbos knew going into the game that they would be hard-pressed to contain junior quarterback Jared Lebowitz who entered the contest with 25 passing touchdowns on the season. The Jumbos made every effort to shut him down, limiting Lebowitz to just one touchdown in the first half. Both teams scored on their opening drives, but the Jumbos benefited from the strong play of senior tri-captain linebacker Mike Stearns. Stearns seemed to have Lebowitz’s number all day, reading a pair of passes on early drives and coming up with vital interceptions.
"Every game I try to go out and make a play that can impact the game," Stearns said. "I think the first one, I saw the tight end split as a receiver and I figured out what was coming, so I was able to get a jump on it. It's just about watching film, studying up and being able to execute."
In the first half alone, Brady found the end zone three times, once on a short run and twice on passes from sophomore quarterback Ryan McDonald, for 24 and 49 yards respectively.Senior kicker/punter Willie Holmquist’s two first-half field goals padded the Jumbos' lead and he totaled twelve points on the day thanks to converting six out of six extra points.
McDonald also broke a long run late in the first half and took the ball into the end zone from 30 yards out to put the Jumbos up 34-7 going into halftime. The Jumbos picked up 27 points in the second quarter, cementing their lead.
"We figured that their game plan would be to load the box to try and limit me and Ryan [McDonald]," Brady said. "We threw the ball to the outside to get the perimeter guys going, and that worked very well for us. By exposing them on the flank they had to respect us out there and Ryan and I did what we went there to do."
The Jumbos' blistering scoring pace continued into the start of the second half, as junior linebacker Wes Hartmann recovered a fumble on the kickoff, earning the Jumbos an excellent field position at the Panthers' 27-yard line. Brady punched in a seven-yard rushing touchdown on the ensuing drive to put the Jumbos up 41-7 with 13:32 remaining in the third quarter.
Middlebury quickly struck back when Lebowitz found sophomore receiver Conrado Banky for a 26-yard touchdown pass to cap off the minute-long 75-yard drive.
Unwilling to go down without a fight, Lebowitz brought his team back from the brink of disaster. The teams traded possessions back and forth, but Middlebury found the end zone again at 7:49 when sophomore running back Diego Meritus took a short pass 11 yards into the end zone to pull the Panthers within 20 points.
Brady found the end zone for the fifth and final time in the game with 3:54 in the third quarter, as he found a hole to exploit for an 18-yard touchdown run off the left tackle to put the Jumbos out of reach of the potent Panthers offense. The Panthers then replied with a 60-yard touchdown pass to first-year tight end Frank Cosolito on a fourth-and-2 play to pull the score to 48-28.
Throughout the second half, Lebowitz seemed to have a good read on the Tufts’ defense, finding receivers who broke away from coverage. He also used his feet to get a first down if his arm wouldn’t do. Lebowitz took off while under pressure for a 34-yard touchdown run with 7:46 to play for the final score of the game, pulling his team to within two scores at 48-35.
"We knew that they were going to come after us," Stearns said. "It was just about being disciplined and executing our assignments. We wanted to get pressure on [Lebowitz], we wanted to be physical, jamming the receivers. I think we were able to do that for the most part."
While both teams traded possession back and forth, the Jumbos relied on Brady to run out the clock and a timely interception from junior defensive back J.P. Garcia on a drive that started at 0:42 prevented any late game heroics from Lebowitz.
Though the Panthers came alive in the second half, coach Jay Civetti credits the Jumbos' success to their ability to stop the rushing attack.
"We wanted to make them one-dimensional," Civetti said. "We pride ourselves on stopping the run and we wanted to make sure that we didn't give them any more opportunities to do more than they were already capable of doing."
The Panthers had just 76 yards rushing on 29 attempts, while the Jumbos ran for an astounding 346 yards on 64 attempts. Lebowitz did everything he could to put his team on his back, passing for 411 yards and four touchdowns, but his three interceptions ultimately decided the game.
Brady was Tufts' leading rusher with 185 yards on the ground, as well as the leading receiver with 73 yards on two receptions, both of which ended up as touchdowns, his first two receiving touchdowns this year.
McDonald added 161 rushing yards and 145 passing yards in the final game of his sophomore campaign. He finished the year with five rushing touchdowns, the most in the conference for a quarterback. McDonald's 647 rushing yards rank third in the NESCAC, behind Brady and Trinity sophomore running back Max Chipouras.
Brady’s new milestones include the most career rushing yards in Tufts history (2,692) surpassing running back Tim Fanikos (LA ’90). Brady also set the single season rushing record with 1099 yards this year, breaking Kevin Kelley’s (LA ’01) record of 1079. Brady’s five touchdowns in the game also edged out the single game touchdown record that he previously shared with three other players.
"Personally it feels very good [breaking the records]," Brady said. "I feel like over the course of my career I didn't hold anything back. I can honestly say I have no regrets. It crushes me to have not won a ring, but I would be a fool not to see what an amazing journey it's been."
The Jumbos improved for a third straight year. After finishing 4-4 in 2014 and 6-2 last year, the 7-1 Tufts Jumbos have demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with and a tough opponent for any NESCAC team. A far-cry from the 0-8 season the seniors endured in their first years here, the Jumbos ended with a NESCAC title just out of reach. This was the team's best record since 1998 and the first time since 1990-91 that the Jumbos achieved back-to-back winning seasons.
"It was an emotional day and an emotional week for all the seniors," Stearns said. "We put that away. We couldn't let that affect the game, and I think that we came out strong and were fortunate enough to get the win but it was tough. It was tough to be on the field for the last time."
Stearns was not the only senior to acknowledge the emotions of his last game.
"I think I play my best game when I'm level headed," Brady said. "But after the game I crumbled. I've been playing this game since I was nine or 10 years old. This game has shaped my life. I'm very honored and tremendously proud of the guys that I finished my career with."
Tufts finishes second in NESCAC, best record since '98
