Saturday night lights: Football team set for home opener

The Jumbos will return to Ellis Oval on Saturday for their first home game of the 2018 season against the Wesleyan Cardinals.With kickoff set for 6 p.m., it will be the second-ever home night game in program history — the team played its first against Wesleyan in the 2016 season opener.

The two teams will battle each other again under the lights on Saturday. It will also be the second straight season in which Tufts and Wesleyan face off in Week 2. In last year's matchup, at Wesleyan's Corwin Stadium, the hosts claimed a 24–17 overtime victory.

In that game, the Jumbos took an early lead thanks to a strong offensive performance. Both the ground and aerial attacks were led by senior quarterback and co-captain Ryan McDonald. The Annandale, N.J. native opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter and finished the game with 155 passing yards and 122 rushing yards, both team-highs.Senior wide receiver Jack Dolan scored the Jumbos' second touchdown with an 85-yard punt return to put the visitors up 17–3 with just over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals responded by reeling off 21 unanswered points, as senior quarterback and co-captain Mark Piccirillo threw for three touchdowns. The final score, a 14-yard pass to then-senior wideout Mike Breuler, gave Wesleyan a 24–17 overtime lead. On the Jumbos' subsequent dive, McDonald's third-down pass was intercepted by then-senior linebacker and co-captain Shayne Kaminski to end the game.

Tufts coach Jay Civetti acknowledged the history between these two teams, but is not letting last year's overtime loss affect his team's plans for Saturday.

"It shouldn't be about last year," Civetti said. "Because, on the flip side of that, you could look at the 2016 season in which we came back and won that game in the fourth quarter. Part of it is using those experiences to gain knowledge, but also realizing that the only game that matters now is the 2018 game."

Civetti and the Jumbos enter the rematch with momentum, having recorded a convincing 29–2 win over the Hamilton Continentals on Sept. 15.McDonald tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns in the victory, becoming the sixth Jumbo to accomplish that feat.

Civetti discussed the offensive advantages that McDonald's versatility and running ability create.

"It challenges defenses to have to account for the quarterback," Civetti said. "That leaves other people in positions to be able to execute. Everyone in the league knows Ryan's a talented runner, so I think defensive coordinators will choose to challenge him as a thrower. That's the [aspect of his game] that Ryan's spent a lot of time working on, and I'm looking forward to him continuing to develop as a quarterback."

On the defensive side of the ball, the Jumbos' defense did not skip a beat in its first game, despite having lost several key players to graduation.The Continentals' offense was held scoreless, as the hosts only managed to record a safety in the third quarter.

Junior linebacker and co-captain Greg Holt spoke about the defensive unit's performance after the loss of so many starters.

"We've had guys step up," Holt said. "It was definitely a solid, defensive team win we had. Everybody on the [defensive] line was making plays, [as were] the linebackers and corners. Everybody was focused on doing their job and playing for each other."

Holt led the way for Tufts at Hamilton, leading the team in tackles (eight), tackles for a loss (2.5) and sacks (two). The Jumbos totaled six sacks and three interceptions in shutting down the hosts' offense. Senior defensive back and co-captain Alex LaPiana, junior linebacker Tyler Scales and senior defensive back Tim Preston each picked off a pass.

Wesleyan also comes into Saturday's matchup with a 1–0 record after comfortably defeating Middlebury, 52–21, in Week 1.Piccirillo threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions against the visiting Panthers and was efficient with his passes, completing 12 of 19 attempts.

The Cardinals ran the ball significantly more than they threw it, with 45 rushes to just 19 passes. Sophomore running back Sean Penney had a breakout game against Middlebury, with three touchdowns despite carrying the ball 10 times for just 29 yards.

Holt is embracing the challenge of facing Piccirillo and the Cardinals' offense.

"We're excited to play such an explosive offense like Wesleyan's," Holt said. "We're coming into this week knowing that we're in for a good game. Our coaches have prepared us well, and we're just excited to play the Tufts football that we've been practicing all week."

With a 2–0 record on the line under the lights at Ellis Oval, Tufts and Wesleyan promise to entertain once again.