Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tufts football seeks revenge against tough Trinity team

2017-10-07-Football-vs-Bowdoin-0725
Tufts running back Jay Tyler, '20, eyes a Bowdoin defender in the homecoming game against the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday, Oct. 7.

On Saturday, the Tufts Jumbos (3–1) will attempt to snap a losing streak that dates back to the George W. Bush administration. Not since 2007’s come-from-behind 16–10 victory have the Jumbos beaten the Trinity Bantams (4–0).

Trinity was the only team to beat Tufts in 2016, eking out a 36–28 victory in Hartford, Conn. The Bantams finished the season as the undefeated NESCAC champions with an impeccable 8–0 record.

Yet, with all due respect to William Shakespeare, the past is not always prologue. According to Tufts coach Jay Civetti, the Jumbos no longer feel weighed down psychologically by past defeats.

“Historically, Trinity obviously carries a certain brand to it,” he said. “Coach [Jeff] Devanney and his staff have been together for a really long time. They do a tremendous job, and they’ve got great players. But as we have matured as a program, I don’t think that the conversation [about the losing streak] is as prevalent.”

Instead, the focus has shifted from external pressures to internal improvements.

“We respect all of our opponents,” Civetti said. “And with where we’re at, we’ve spent way more time focused on ourselves and getting better. There’s enough things on film that we can improve upon.”

Senior quad-captain defensive lineman Doug Harrison explained that while the players were aware of the contest’s high emotional stakes, their preparation remained unaffected.

“We’re definitely aware that, especially for our seniors, we’ve lost three years straight to Trinity,” he said. “It’s the only team that we have not beaten in the NESCAC, and that definitely holds a personal drive for us … But we treat every game the same. We practice the same. We watch the film the same. Everything’s going to be [following] the script [for] the way we handle any other team.”

The Bantam challenge begins with its offense. Of the 11 Trinity offensive starters from last year’s game against Tufts, six return. Of those six, five received All-NESCAC honors last year, including three members of the All-NESCAC First Team: senior tri-captain quarterback Sonny Puzzo, junior running back Max Chipouras and senior tri-captain left tackle Chris Simmons.

After helming an offense that led the NESCAC with 38.1 points per game last season, Puzzo has posted impressive figures through the first four games of 2017. The West Caldwell, N.J. native has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for a total of 957 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Puzzo’s most frequent target is sophomore wide receiver Koby Schofer, who paces the Bantams in receptions (24), receiving yards (417) and receiving touchdowns (3). In the third quarter of last week’s 41–13 rout of the Hamilton Continentals (0–4), Schofer took a Puzzo pass 90 yards to the house for the second-longest passing touchdown in program history.

Chipouras, meanwhile, leads Trinity’s rushing attack. Last year, the junior from Longmeadow, Mass. trailed only Tufts running back Chance Brady (LA '17) in carries (202 vs. 156), rushing yards (1099 vs. 910) and yards per game (137.4 vs. 113.8). With Brady’s graduation, Chipouras may now rightfully claim the title of most dominant NESCAC running back. Through four games, the Bantam back has amassed conference-high totals in rushing yards (394) and rushing touchdowns (six).

Puzzo, Chipouras and the rest of Trinity's skill position players benefit extensively from the protection of an experienced and talented offensive line, whose sack rate of 4.63 percenttrails only the Williams Ephs (3–1) among NESCAC teams. In a massively talented unit, Simmons is the standout player. In 2014, the Manchester, Conn. native became the first offensive lineman in conference history to be named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Simmons earned All-NESCAC First Team honors in 2015and 2016, and he was also named as one of the 2017 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Athletes of the Year.

Civetti praised the Bantams’ quarterback, skill position players and offensive linemen.

“Sonny Puzzo is one of the best [quarterbacks] that’s played in this league,” he said. “Chipouras and Chance [had] been neck-and-neck, so now, it’s Chipouras’ league. I mean, they lost a couple wide receivers, but like typical Trinity, they just reloaded. Their offensive line [is] big and nasty. They’re the real deal.”

Civetti explained that rather than drastically changing its tactics in an attempt to take away one aspect of the Trinity attack, Tufts’ defense would adopt a balanced approach.

“We just play our game. Although every week, we come up with something [new] tactically,” he said. “I think our offense actually is similar to their offense in terms of scheme, so that probably helps a little bit in terms of preparing our guys.”

An essential component of slowing the Bantam offense will be putting pressure on Puzzo. The Jumbos have excelled at this area of the game defensively, recording 15 sacks this season (just one behind Williams for the conference lead). For comparison, at this point last year, Tufts had recorded only nine quarterback takedowns.

Already, three senior Jumbos have at least two sacks in 2017: Harrison, defensive lineman Micah Adickes and linebacker Zach Thomas. Civetti credited both the players and their coaches for assembling a formidable pass rush.

“You’re talking about three all-conference [caliber] kids … [The players] have worked really hard to get better as individuals and as a front line,” he said. “I think [defensive line coach] Kyle Mcallister has done an awesome job with those guys. He’s helped them improve thus far and he’s put them in the right position.”

Harrison, too, credited Mcallister.

“I believe that our addition to the coaching staff of Kyle Mcallister has really helped out our game,” the senior quad-captain said. “He’s improved little things for me specifically that I have not had in the past … and I know he’s benefited a lot of the other guys such as [Adickes] and [Thomas] as well.”

Despite losing a high number of starters from last year, the current iteration of the Trinity defense remains impressive. Of the eight Bantams that populated the 2016 All-NESCAC First and Second Teams — including linebacker Spencer Donahue, the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year — seven graduated in May.

The sole holdover is senior tri-captain linebacker Liam Kenneally, who has just one sack so far this year after recording six in 2016. Another standout Trinity linebacker is junior Shane Libby, who ranks tenth in the NESCAC in tackles for loss (3.5). Also of note is senior linebacker Carty Campbell, whose game-sealing fourth-quarter interception in Trinity’s 17–9 victory over Williams earned him NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week plaudits for Week 3.

Among the members of the Bantam secondary are senior cornerback Dominique Seagears and junior defensive back Sameir Madden. Challenging them is a Tufts offense that already has almost as many passing yards through four games this year (953) as it amassed in eight games during 2016 (1,078). Junior quarterback Ryan McDonald will likely look to connect with junior wide receiver Jack Dolan, who ranks second in the NESCAC in catches (26) and third in receiving touchdowns (four).

Harrison summed up the team’s mindset heading into the big game.

“We like how we match up,” he said. “We know what’s at stake for us and what could possibly be done, and it’s an exciting time for us.”

The Jumbos and Bantams face off at the Ellis Oval on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.