Football to host Bowdoin for Homecoming game

Following a decisive 37–17 road victory over the Bates Bobcats (0–3), the Tufts Jumbos (2–1) return to Medford, Mass. for a Homecoming matchup against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (0–3). For Tufts coach Jay Civetti, the battering of Bates spoke to the positive adjustments instituted after the previous week’s defeat to the Wesleyan Cardinals (2–1).

“I think the Wesleyan loss taught us a lot of things about ourselves. I hope that any time you lose, you learn from it,” he said. “[Against Bates], you could see some areas of improvement that we identified throughout the course of the week following the Wesleyan game that we expected to see better. Thankfully, I think there [are] enough challenges out there for us to get better at and continue to improve upon.”

According to senior left tackle Liam Thau, the team came out of the game against the Bobcats with a cautious mindset.

“We’re confident, but we’re trying to be careful,” he said. “We’re trying not to get complacent.”

In last year’s engagement, Tufts trounced Bowdoin, 41–21, as junior quarterback Ryan McDonald demonstrated his capabilities while carving up the Polar Bears’ defense. The Annandale, N.J. native completed all nine of his passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 146 yards and two scores, including a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter.

If last week’s results against Bates are any indication, McDonald is well-equipped for another superlative performance. The junior quarterback was named the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 245 yards and four touchdowns while adding 81 yards on the ground.

McDonald’s favorite target was junior wide receiver Jack Dolan, who grabbed three touchdown passes in the first half. Through three games, Dolan already has more receptions (22) in 2017 than he had in the previous two years combined (16). Junior wide receiver Dan de Leon accounted for the fourth touchdown catch against the Bobcats with a 27-yard fourth quarter score.

In 2017, the Jumbos’ offense has consistently moved the chains in critical situations. No NESCAC team has converted more times on third down (21 times) or fourth down (5 times) than the Jumbos. Moreover, Tufts’ conversion rates on third and fourth down(38 percent and 56 percent respectively) are markedly higher than last year’s levels (34 percent and 18 percent).

Civetti attributed much of the team’s success in high-stakes scenarios this year to McDonald’s versatility, as enabled by the protection provided by the offensive line.

“A lot of it obviously has to do with Ryan being a dual-threat [quarterback] and being able to extend plays,” he explained. “When you have a kid that can run it or throw it and then can create beyond that, I think your percentages should be [as high as] they are [currently].”

Thau, too, credited both the man under center and the players in the trenches.

“We’ve got a very talented quarterback in Ryan McDonald,” he said. “[Additionally,] I take a lot of pride in the offensive line, and I think we’ve done a good job this year trying to lead from the front.”

Facing the Tufts offense is a Bowdoin defense that has ceded the most passing yards per game (291) and second-most rushing yards per game (186) of any team in the NESCAC. Two senior tri-captain linebackers, Latif Armiyaw and Tyler MacNeil, will seek to contain McDonald, first-year running back Mike Pedrini, and the rest of the Tufts ground attack. Armiyaw ranks 19th in the NESCAC in tackles (19) and fifth in tackles for loss (4).

Meanwhile, Bowdoin’s senior tri-captain defensive back Ryan Sanborn and senior defensive back Henry Little will attempt to keep Dolan, de Leon and company in check through the air. Through three games this season, Little has both a fumble recovery and an interception.

On the opposite side of the ball, first-year quarterback Griff Stalcup directs the Polar Bear offense. The rookie signal caller threw the first two touchdowns of his NESCAC career in last week’s 31—14 loss to the Amherst Mammoths (3—0). Stalcup's first touchdown pass landed in the hands of senior wide receiver Nick Vailas, who took a punt 75 yards to the house in last year’s game against the Jumbos.

This season, Bowdoin’s leading rusher is sophomore running back Nate Richam. The West Hartford, Conn. native experienced an uneven rookie season in 2016. Despite leading his team in carries (109) and hitting paydirt three times (including an 11-yard touchdown against Tufts), Richam fumbled five times (losing two). The second-year back has already lost one fumble this year, and the Jumbos will attempt to add to that total tomorrow.

To earn their fourth consecutive Homecoming victory, the Jumbos will have to avoid ceding the “chunk plays” — when one team gains a large number of yards in a single play — that have bedeviled the team so far this season. Through three games, Tufts has allowed 13 plays of 25 yards or more. For comparison, the Jumbos allowed just six plays of more than 25 yards during the first three games of last season. One way to reduce slip-ups is by ensuring consistency of execution.

“Consistency, I think, is the biggest challenge that you’re going to find in any college football program,” Civetti said. “I think we’re doing a good job managing our emotions throughout the course of a game, but now we’ve just got to solidify who we really are [and] what our identity really is, both offensively and defensively.”

Thau cited his head coach directly in support of consistency’s enduring value.

“Coach Civetti talks a lot about going back to our fundamentals: what we know [and] what we’ve been taught,” he said. “We’re taking it week by week. We like to say [that] we’re playing Tufts this week — not Bowdoin, or Bates or whoever [else] it is.”

The Homecoming contest kicks off at the Ellis Oval on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.