Rory Ziomek

The First Test at the Top: Weekend Preview 10/8

Dario Highsmith '20 looks to run through Colby this weekend on the way to a 2-1 record for the Cardinals (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics). — Dario Highsmith ’20 looks to run through Colby this weekend on the way to a 2-1 record for the Cardinals (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics).

Hear ye, hear ye, Week 3 NESCAC action is in order! What’s almost as good as watching NESCAC football on Saturdays? National polls suggest that NBN’s Weekend Previews come in a close second place. Quite a weekend we’ve got in store: Williams and Bates will battle it out to see who can avoid an 0-3 start, Tufts tries to prove that their close game against the Bobcats was a fluke, Trinity will attempt to put up 38 points for the third week in a row, and Colby will try to upset Wesleyan in a battle between two 1-1 squads. Oh and ho-hum, Amherst and Middlebury will battle for the top spot in the conference. Pete and I tag-teamed this weekend’s preview, so if you are looking to skip through Pete’s overly poetic analysis, I wrote the Trinity-Hamilton and Tufts-Bowdoin previews. Check it out below:

Amherst @ Middlebury, 1:30 PM, Middlebury, VT

For a more expansive preview of this one, check out Colby Morris’ excellent piece that went up yesterday. This game is on the short list for the most important game of the year, with Middlebury and Amherst both coming in undefeated after impressive blowouts in each of their respective games. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that this game may well decide the league championship, although Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan certainly have something to say in that regard.

The Panthers are led by quarterback Jared Lebowitz ‘18, who has 11 total touchdowns (10 passing, 1 rushing) and just one interception thus far this season. However, Amherst’s staunch defense will pose a very tough test to the first year starter. In contrast to the Panthers, Amherst comes in with quarterback uncertainty, with starter Alex Berluti ‘17 suffering a knee injury last week, forcing third-stringer Nick Morales ‘18 into action. Berluti may very well play, but either way, Amherst’s strong defense and powerful running game led by Jack Hickey ‘19 should mitigate any issues under center. This game may well come down to which offense can break through first, or it could be a shootout that comes down to one crucial stop. In any event, it’s shaping up to be a classic.

PS: Look how unbiased that was, Rory! I did it!

PPS: Go Panthers

Rory Ziomek (5-0): Amherst – 24, Middlebury – 21

Pete Lindholm (5-0): Amherst – 28, Middlebury – 31

Liam O’Neil (5-0): Amherst – 24, Middlebury – 17

Colin Tiernan (5-0): Amherst – 24, Middlebury – 20

Colby Morris (4-1): Amherst – 21, Middlebury – 28 (OT)

Sid Warrenbrand (5-0): Amherst – 31, Middlebury – 14

Nick DiBenedetto (5-0): Amherst – 30, Middlebury – 31

Williams @ Bates, 1:00 PM, Lewiston, ME

Look, every game can’t be Amherst vs. Middlebury. This is maybe the least sexy match-up of the weekend, with both teams struggling mightily so far. However, the game offers a golden opportunity for either of these teams to pick up a win, so it’s still an intriguing matchup to check the score of while you’re waiting in line for the bathroom at the Middlebury-Amherst game.

Bates put up a very good fight against Tufts last week, losing 12-7 and throwing a shutout for the entire second half. They showed a very strong defense, limiting explosive Jumbos running back Chance Brady ‘17 to 140 yards and no touchdowns. Unfortunately, they had some pretty severe offensive struggles of their own, totaling only 220 total yards of offense. Williams is coming off a shellacking at home against Trinity, in which they gave up 517 total yards of offense and only gained 201. This should be a tight one, with Bates getting the edge because they’re at home and my younger sister goes to college there.

RZ: Williams – 13, Bates – 20

PL: Williams – 10, Bates – 13

LO: Williams – 7, Bates – 16

CT: Williams – 10, Bates – 17

CM: Williams – 7, Bates – 14

SW: Williams – 17, Bates 21

ND: Williams – 14, Bates – 10

Wesleyan @ Colby, 1:00 PM, Waterville, ME

If you ask me, this game has serious upset potential. Colby is a long trip for Wesleyan, and the Mules already have a road win under their belt in Williamstown. Wesleyan, on the other hand, lost a tough early season game to Tufts in which they blew a double digit lead in the second half. Throwing history and reputation aside, both these teams are 1-1 right now, and numbers never lie (except when they do).

At their best, Wesleyan uses an explosive running attack led by electric freshman Dario Highsmith to march down the field. They punctuate those runs with safe, cagey passes from quarterback Mark Piccirillo ‘19. However, as Tufts showed in Week One, the Wesleyan offense can be stalled by the same kind of stout defense that Colby showed at Williams. It would be surprising if Colby pulled this one off, but the possibility is there.

RZ: Wesleyan – 24, Colby – 17

PL: Wesleyan – 20, Colby – 10

LO: Wesleyan – 31, Colby – 7

CT: Wesleyan – 30, Colby – 10

CM: Wesleyan – 24, Colby – 10

SW: Wesleyan – 35, Colby – 14

ND: Wesleyan – 35, Colby – 7

Trinity @ Hamilton, 1:00 PM, Clinton, NY

It took me three clicks on the NESCAC website to find the most glaring disparity between the Bantams and the Continentals: their offensive outputs. While Trinity has absolutely annihilated teams so far, putting up 38 points in each of their games thus far, the Continentals are averaging a mere 3 PPG. I don’t think anybody expected Hamilton to make it through their opening stretch unscathed, but frankly, they have been obliterated by Amherst and Wesleyan in consecutive games. Liam mentioned this in his Top 10 Games of 2016 article a few weeks ago, but the scheduling gods certainly didn’t spare Hamilton this year, and Week 3 looks to be another opportunity for a powerhouse to dismember the Continentals’ defense.

Chipouras looks to continue his insane pace against Hamilton tomorrow (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics).

Hamilton is tied with Williams for the second-worst clip of rushing YPG allowed in the league, giving up 221.5 YPG on the ground to their opponents. Meanwhile, Trinity just runs, runs, and runs more, and is averaging 305 YPG on the ground through the first two weeks! Max Chipouras ‘19 was one of my early picks for player of the year for a reason; he has shown flashes of Boobie Miles with his 154.5 rush YPG rate that has placed him atop the conference. I’d be surprised if Trinity doesn’t run away with this one.

RZ: Trinity – 38, Hamilton – 10

PL: Trinity – 45, Hamilton – 6

LO: Trinity – 36, Hamilton – 10

CT: Trinity – 40, Hamilton – 0

CM: Trinity – 34, Hamilton 7

SW: Trinity – 42, Hamilton – 9

ND: Trinity – 40, Hamilton – 6

Tufts @ Bowdoin, 2:00 PM, Brunswick, ME

Speaking of dominant running backs, Smash Williams, aka Chance Brady, is heading up to Bowdoin this weekend to try to dethrone Chipouras as the NESCAC’s leading rusher. Brady trails Chipouras, but just barely, accumulating 145.5 YPG on the ground so far. The issue for the Jumbos at this point is that they can’t decide who they want to throw the ball. Is it going to be JD McCoy or Matt Saracen? Alex Snyder ‘17 and Ryan McDonald ‘19 have both seen plenty of snaps thus far, but neither has excelled, and Coach Civetti has had to lean on Brady to shoulder the load offensively. If Tufts wants to compete for the title this year, it’s crucial that they demonstrate the ability to attack through the air effectively. The Jumbos only rank ahead of Bates in passing yards…the Bobcats run the option…see what I’m getting at?

Bowdoin hopes to get on the phone with Matt Patricia before Saturday's game to talk defensive strategy. — Bowdoin hopes to get on the phone with Matt Patricia before Saturday’s game to talk defensive strategy.

“So, Rory, when are you going to start talking about the game?” Here’s how my tangent becomes relevant: if Bowdoin can stop the run, they have a pretty good chance to win this game. Because of how reliant Tufts is on their ground game, the Polar Bears may be tempted to stack the box and force the Jumbos to throw. This strategy worked decently well for Bates, right? I mean, there was a minor tsunami in Somerville last Saturday, but still, the Bobcats played a “bend don’t break” style of defense à la Matt Patricia and the New England Patriots, and they found themselves right in it until the end of the game. However, aside from stopping the run, Bowdoin needs to score, which is arguably their biggest challenge of the weekend. Coming off of games against Middlebury and Amherst, it’s not surprising that Bowdoin has struggled offensively to begin the 2016 season, but if their defense can keep them in the game, Bowdoin may only need a couple good drives to find themselves victorious. That being said, I don’t think anything will slow down Brady tomorrow (insert Pete’s comment about me being biased here).

RZ: Tufts – 28, Bowdoin – 13

PL: Tufts – 17, Bowdoin 14

LO: Tufts – 34, Bowdoin – 6

CT: Tufts – 24, Bowdoin – 13

CM: Tufts – 21, Bowdoin – 6

SW: Tufts – 28, Bowdoin – 6

ND: Tufts – 20, Bowdoin – 10

The Top 5 Stay at the Top: Stock Report 10/3

Will anyone be able to slow down Amherst?

Well, this weekend really didn’t prove much in terms of standings. Predictable yet relatively boring games ruled the league on Saturday, with the Bates-Tufts game being the only standout. By standout, I mean that the outcome ended up in single-digits, but even then, this game wasn’t too fun to watch either. The Bobcats and Jumbos combined for a whopping 74 yards through the air on a dirty, ground-game oriented tilt that ended in a 12-7 Tufts victory featuring a plethora of gritty action.

The rest of the games proved victorious for the favorites: Wesleyan beat up on Hamilton 34-6; Middlebury dominated Colby 35-14; Amherst dummied Bowdoin 31-10; and Trinity walloped Williams 38-13. Let’s just leave it at this – the favorites did what they were supposed to do. Without further adieu, let’s get to the stock report.

Stock Up

Quarterback Jared Lebowitz ’18 (Middlebury)

Lebowitz’s stock continues to rise as he was named NESCAC offensive player of the week once again this week. He threw for 320 yards and 5 touchdowns in only the first 3 quarters against Colby. His one interception that he threw was a tipped ball that happened to fall in the hands of Ian Dickey ’18. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 10 touchdown passes in the first two weeks of the season for Lebowitz. As of now he’s on pace to break McCallum Foote’s record of 31 touchdown passes set in 2012, but this rate will likely slow down once the Panthers begin to face tougher opponents. Nonetheless, keep an eye on this kid as the season progresses. Matt Milano, who?

Place Kicker Willie Holmquist ‘17 (Tufts)

In a pretty ugly game, Holmquist was a standout for the Jumbos. In a 5-point win for Tufts, the senior kicker hit both of his two field goal attempts, including a 48 yarder! That’s an absolute boot at any level, not to mention the fact that it was raining cats and dogs in Somerville. There is a reason that Holmquist was a first team All-NESCAC selection last season, and if he keeps bangin’ home 3-pointers like he has been, he could very well repeat on the all-conference team.

Running Back Max Chipouras ‘19 (Trinity)

It’s not that I overlooked Chipouras in last week’s stock report, but given last year I almost expected him to run for 144 yards. But to follow that up with a 165 yard/2 touchdown performance on the ground? I hear ya, Max, I hear ya. After some quick mental math (no big deal) I calculated that the sophomore Bantam is averaging 154.5 YPG. To put that in perspective, the leading rusher last season was Tufts’ Chance Brady ‘17 who ran for 121.9 YPG. Chipouras came in third with 81.1 YPG in 2015. This pace is unsustainable, and like Lebowitz, Chipouras will soon meet his match when he faces a upper tier defense, but for now let’s just enjoy watching the show that this kid is putting on.

Stock Down

Colby’s QB situation

Colby’s QB situation feels like the New England Patriots – nobody knows who is going to be taking snaps on Sunday (Saturday). Unfortunately, Bill Belichick isn’t the head coach of the Mules. Last week, Gabe Harrington ’17 went down with a knee injury and didn’t suit up against Middlebury. Gabe was replaced by Jack O’Brien ‘20 last week, who led the Mules down the field for a game winning field goal in the Williams game. O’Brien started the game against Middlebury but was pulled in the second quarter for Christian Sparacio ’18. Sparacio was 10-23 for 109 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints. He also ran for 30 yards and a touchdown. Stats can be somewhat misleading, however, as Sparacio really only found success in the fourth quarter when Middlebury had their second team defense out there. Colby really needs Harrington back in order to regain some consistency in their offense.

Homefield Advantage in Williamstown

After a devastating Week 1 loss to Colby on a last second field goal, the Ephs hosted Trinity this weekend, hoping to build off their valiant comeback and show the league that they can hang in there with anyone. Unfortunately, Trinity denied these hopes, and for the second week in a row, trounced their opponent. Williams has just two home games left in 2016, in which they play host to Middlebury and Wesleyan…not exactly an easy home schedule. The hometown crowd has got to come out in full force or the Ephs could find themselves on the wrong end of an 0-4 home sweep this season. Maybe the Ephs are just road warriors? I guess we’ll see this coming weekend up in Lewiston.

Amherst Doubters

On one hand, the doubters can still hang their hats on the fact that Amherst has beaten two relatively unimpressive teams in Hamilton and Bowdoin. On the other hand, Amherst has outscored their opponents 65-10 through two weeks and show no signs of relinquishing the title belt in 2016. Week 3 will be the first real test for the Purple and White when they travel to Middlebury in a battle of the two biggest offensive titans in the league. Middlebury does average about 15 more YPG than Amherst, but Amherst is the only defense that is allowing under 10 PPG, which I think will be an issue for the Panthers on Saturday. Our preseason prediction of 6-2 for Amherst is hanging in the balance at this point…

Let the Big Dogs Eat: Weekend Preview 10/1

(Courtesy of Brewster Burns/Bates College)

After a thrilling first weekend of games a week ago, everyone is pumped for Week 2 of NESCAC football. We saw some big blowouts and some thrilling finishes — will we see more great action tomorrow? Fingers crossed. Colby Morris has provided some insight into the first four games below, while Sid Warrenbrand has previewed this week’s game of the week: Hamilton @ Wesleyan. Read below so you know what to keep an eye out for this weekend!

Additionally, below each game preview, we have included a new feature that we will become an integral piece of the game previews this season. Seven of our writers have provided their predictions for this weekend’s games. We will be keeping a tally of correct and incorrect predictions for the remaining 7 games of the season, and whoever has the most correct predictions at the end wins eternal bragging rights. We’ve all included our score predictions, so if someone nails the score on any of the games we’ll make a note of that as well. If you want to matchup against the NBN staff, tweet your predictions to us @CACSportsBlog !

Now, for the preview…enjoy!

Middlebury (1-0) vs. Colby (1-0), 1:00 PM, Waterville, ME

Colby is coming off of a thrilling end result, but only found themselves in the win column after an ugly game against a weak Williams team. Jabari Hurdle-Price ’19 was perhaps the lone bright spot for the Mules’ offense, and will likely be the only way that the home squad can take the ball to the house against the Panthers. Their defense held up well last weekend, and will surely be put to the test against what looks to be a title contending Middlebury team. Middlebury looks to be one of the top dogs in the NESCAC after first year starter Jared Lebowitz ’18 led the team with 6 total touchdowns last week, spreading the love to his receivers Ryan Rizzo ’17 (who was hampered by a knee injury last year, but is a dynamic playmaker) and the speedy Conrado Banky ’19 (who is on my personal 2016 breakout player watch list). After allowing only 3 points last weekend, it’s easy to say the Panthers’ only potential weakness is their special teams with a relative lack of a kicking game – this is likely the only facet of the game that Colby will have the advantage in. Kicking shouldn’t be an issue, however, so long as the Panthers keep getting into the end zone.

Look for Middlebury to roll to 2-0.

Rory Ziomek: Middlebury – 38, Colby – 7

Pete Lindholm: Middlebury – 26, Colby – 10

Liam O’Neil: Middlebury – 35, Colby – 7

Colby Morris: Middlebury – 33, Colby – 10

Colin Tiernan: Middlebury – 30, Colby – 10

Sid Warrenbrand: Middlebury – 37, Colby – 6

Nick DiBenedetto: Middlebury – 13, Colby – 7

Bowdoin (0-1) vs. Amherst (1-0), 1:00 PM, Amherst, MA

This game might end up being Amherst’s 2nd stringers vs. Bowdoin in the second half, considering the walloping that the Polar Bears took last weekend. The only real bright spot for the Bears was a solid showing from their special teams with three blocked kicks and a field goal of their own, considering their offense and defense didn’t do much else. Amherst isn’t likely to throw Bowdoin any bones, and they will come out firing, shooting for their 21st straight win after posting a shutout against Hamilton last week. QB Alex Berluti ’17 showed that he was more than an average backup and is at least a competitive signal caller in the NESCAC, comparable to Brock Osweiler circa 2015. Berluti may well end up receiving several D1 offers after this game, and maybe even an invitation to play for the Texans if all goes as planned. Berluti and goal line back Jack Hickey ’19 will find themselves racking up the touchdowns this Saturday.

Amherst wins their 21st in a row.

RZ: Amherst – 31, Bowdoin – 3

PL: Amherst – 45, Bowdoin – 0

LO: Amherst – 54, Bowdoin – 10

CM: Amherst – 31, Bowdoin – 6

CT: Amherst – 21, Bowdoin – 16

SW: Amherst – 31, Bowdoin – 0

ND: Amherst – 40, Bowdoin – 7

Bates (0-1) vs. Tufts (1-0), 1:00 PM, Somerville, MA

Tufts played pretty evenly with the visiting Cardinals last weekend, giving up 84 yards rushing and a TD to QB Mark Piccirillo of Wesleyan before staging a dramatic fourth quarter comeback. Alex Snyder ’18 had a weak passing game for the Jumbos, but Chance Brady ’17 picked up the slack with a huge day on the ground, rushing for the final two scores of the day. In Connecticut, Bates started surprisingly strongly against powerhouse Trinity, but faded quickly after their short lived 7-3 lead through the first quarter. Bates seems to be a pretty one-dimensional rushing team as Sandy Plashkes ’19 managed only 36 yards in the air. However, if they can manage to mix up their game plan, and break off some big rushes, Tufts’ defense could find themselves guessing and end up in trouble. Plashkes could (but probably won’t given the difficulty in maintaining that pace) continue to break off huge 57 yard runs every week, channelling his inner LaDainian Tomlinson from under center.

This has the makings of a potential trap game for the Jumbos if they sleep on the lurking Bobcats, but Tufts is still heavily favored.

RZ: Bates – 10, Tufts – 31

PL: Bates – 13, Tufts – 27

LO: Bates – 7, Tufts – 31

CM: Bates – 21, Tufts – 20

CT: Bates – 14, Tufts – 27

SW: Bates – 9, Tufts – 28

ND: Bates – 20, Tufts – 21

Williams (0-1) vs. Trinity (1-0), 1:30 PM, Hartford, CT

Williams put forth a close game last weekend, but a dismal effort. Their offense combined for just 308 yards of total offense, but included a solid rushing game with 188 yards at an average of 3.9 yards/carry. The Ephs’ secondary was the highlight of their game as Ben Anthony ’20 picked Colby off in his first game and Amyhr Barber ’19 added one of his own. We are speculating that Jansen Durham ’20 will get the starting nod after his efforts in the fourth quarter against Colby, and if he can start off strong this weekend then Williams could make strides in the right direction. Unfortunately for the Ephs, they won’t be able to work out their problems so easily as they take on Trinity, who absolutely demolished Bates to a tune of 38-7. Unsurprisingly, Max Chipouras ’19 continued his dominance with 144 yards rushing, but Lucas Golon ’19 also emerged out of the backfield with a huge day of his own in the backfield, rushing for 126 yards and two scores. Sonny Puzzo ’18 also shined, flashing maturity demonstrated by his efficiency (17-26 passing), finding Darrien Myers ’16 three times in the end zone. Trinity’s secondary is sure to intimidate Durham in his first game in Hartford, as Spencer Donahue ’16 will be lurking, hungry to find the end zone this game after his 88 yard interception return against Bates.

Williams might not be as bad as they seemed in week one, but Trinity is just as good as they appear. Bantams roll.

RZ: Trinity – 35, Williams – 10

PL: Trinity – 30, Williams – 3

LO: Trinity – 30, Williams – 0

CM: Trinity – 35, Williams – 13

CT: Trinity – 45, Williams – 0

SW: Trinity – 24, Williams – 10

ND: Trinity – 31, Williams – 14

Game of the Week:

Hamilton (0-1) at Wesleyan (0-1), 12:00 PM, Middletown, CT

Normally, there wouldn’t be two winless teams chosen as the game of the week, but this game has a lot of meaning for both programs. First, there is Wesleyan, who dominated the first three quarters against Tufts in a hostile Somerville atmosphere. The Cardinals collapsed in the 4th quarter and Tufts pulled off a stunning victory. The pressure is now on Wesleyan, who in the last three seasons have a record of 19-5. Everyone expects them to be a top dog in the NESCAC and this week’s game against Hamilton will let the whole league know how good they really are. Hamilton, on the other hand has not recorded a winning season since 1996 and looks to flush their 34-0 beatdown by Amherst by actually showing up against Wesleyan. If Wesleyan has a slow start against Hamilton, there is potential for a good ball game, but that seems highly unlikely in this matchup.

Wesleyan X-Factor: Quarterback Mark Piccirillo ’19

Marky football had himself a ballgame against Tufts as he was 20-32 with 187 yards in the air and ran for 84 yards on 18 carries on the ground. Although Wesleyan did not end up on top, this was an encouraging effort by Piccirillo as he did not record a single turnover against one of the better defenses in the NESCAC. His dual-threat abilities will be a nightmare for the Hamilton defense this upcoming Saturday. Expect Piccirillo to find the end zone multiple times in Wesleyan’s home opener.

Hamilton X-Factor: Running Back Trevor Pinkham ’19

Another sophomore, Pinkham had a tough first college start at running back as he was limited to just 16 yards on 8 carries against Amherst. Given that he was going up against arguably the best team in the NESCAC, week 2 will dictate the type of player he is. Tufts Senior running back Chance Brady was able to rush for over 100 yards in the 4th quarter alone against the Cardinals. Pinkham, like Brady, is a powerful running back, and given the opportunities he may just wear down the Cardinals defense like Brady did in the 4th quarter of last weekend’s game.

Everything Else

Hamilton would love nothing more than to shock the Cardinals in the Wesleyan home opener on Saturday. Everyone expects Wesleyan to win big, but Hamilton is still playing for something bigger than themselves. They are on the verge of not having had a winning season in 20 years and are working to turn things around. Think about that, most of the guys on this Hamilton team were not even alive for their last winning season. This game means a lot to them. Not to mention, Hamilton hosts Trinity next weekend, and if they can pull off one win in their first three games against these tough opponents, then they are in a good place.

On the other hand, Wesleyan needs this victory more than anything right now. They are coming off a devastating loss to Tufts and want to reestablish themselves towards the top of the NESCAC power rankings. The Cardinals are aware of their missed opportunity last weekend and will look to win big against Hamilton. Like I said earlier, I believe that Piccirillo will have a monster game both in the air and on the ground. He will be a huge reason why Wesleyan’s offense is going to have success. On defense I expect Shane Kaminski ’18 to establish himself as one of the league’s best linebackers. He is coming off a 50-tackle sophomore campaign and is fully capable of putting up even better numbers this season.

This matchup will come down to whether or not Wesleyan dominates Hamilton from the opening kickoff. They are far more talented on both offense and defense, but also have the ability to lose their rhythm as we saw in the 4th quarter of their opener against Tufts. Wesleyan is at home which gives them an even bigger reason to want to win. The last time they lost to Hamilton was in 2011 when they lost in a 7-6 shootout which happened to be their only loss in their first four games of that season. Hamilton has what it takes to steal a victory like this and even spoil a season, but I think that is doubtful. I believe that Wesleyan will win big in front of their Cardinal faithful.

RZ: Hamilton – 10, Wesleyan 24

PL: Hamilton – 14, Wesleyan – 10

LO: Hamilton – 10, Wesleyan 24

CM: Hamilton – 17, Wesleyan 21

CT: Hamilton – 13, Wesleyan 35

SW: Hamilton – 9, Wesleyan 32

ND: Hamilton – 31, Wesleyan 45

Football’s Back, Baby: Stock Report 9/26

Amherst dominated this weekend, proving why their win streak has run to 20 games (Courtesy of Bates Athletics/Phyllis Graber Jensen)

Week 1 of 2016 was exactly what we’ve all been waiting for since the NESCAC football season ended last November. We had a couple blowouts in favor of familiar faces (Amherst, Middlebury, Trinity), and a couple of games that went right down to the wire. The Colby-Williams game was crazy, but not in a pretty way. This was a low-scoring, offensive battle…AKA, it was a battle to see who could have a worse day offensively. Luckily, it ended on a high note, as Colby needed their final drive to take the lead with under a minute left (read below for more details on the ending). Over in Somerville, MA, on the other hand, fans witnessed a battle between two great teams. It involved some terrific defensive plays, a 4th quarter comeback, and a whole lot of excitement as the Jumbos stormed back to win in front of their fans at the first home night game in Tufts football history. Below is our first stock report of the year – check it out to see whose stock rose and whose plummeted over the first weekend of the season.

Stock Up

Running Back Jack Hickey ‘19 (Amherst): If it wasn’t already certain, Hickey solidified himself as the goal line back for Coach Mills’ offense this weekend, punching in 3 touchdowns in Amherst’s absolute (yet unsurprising) domination of Hamilton this weekend. The 6’1” 218 pound sophomore fits the bill perfectly for short yardage situations, and he will certainly continue to get touches as Amherst nears the goal line. Hickey ended up with 67 yards on 18 rushes, but if it wasn’t a blowout these numbers might have been MUCH higher.

Linebacker Greg Holt ‘20 (Tufts): Holt surged onto the scene in the Saturday nightcap with a game-high 14 tackles. The freshman showed us that he is not going to gradually get his feet wet in college ball, he is going to dive headfirst into the action. It seemed like Holt was everywhere on Saturday, and if he keeps up that level of play along with fellow Jumbo linebacker Steve DiCienzo ‘18 (another Tufts linebacker who had 11 tackles of his own), the Powder Blue and Brown defense will be a nightmare for their opponents.

Quarterback Jared Lebowitz ‘18 (Middlebury): In the biggest blowout of the weekend, Lebowitz threw 5 touchdown passes and added a rushing touchdown to go along with them, accounting for all 6 of Middlebury’s touchdowns against the Polar Bears. There were some questions about whether the Middlebury aerial attack could be maintained after the departure of Matt Milano ‘16, but Lebowitz has silenced the doubters. Bowdoin is obviously in the lower tier of the conference, but still a strong showing from Coach Ritter’s gunslinger, who tallied 369 yards on the day.

Kicker John Baron ’18 (Colby): The Mules needed Baron to come up clutch on Saturday as he lined up for the game-deciding field goal with just seconds left against Williams. After a failed 2-point conversation earlier in the game, Colby was down one during the final possession. If Baron makes the kick they win, if he misses they lose. Last year Baron missed an extra point against Bates which ended up being the difference in the game (10-9), but this week’s NESCAC Special Teams player of the week has clearly wiped that from his memory. Two words: cash money.

Stock Down

Hamilton Offense: It goes without saying that the Amherst defense played a heck of a game on Saturday, but seriously, Hamilton, 168 yards of total offense? 6 rushing yards on 18 attempts?? You can’t combine these numbers with a -3 turnover differential and expect to win football games. Film, film, and more film is in store for the Continentals.

NESCAC Ball Boys: There were five fumbles in each of the Bates-Trinity, Colby-Williams, and Wesleyan-Trinity games on Saturday. FIVE. Interestingly enough, Trinity had more fumbles than Bates (Trinity-3, Bates-2), but it didn’t hurt them as the Bantams won handily, 38-7. However, both Wesleyan and Williams had more fumbles than their opponents, likely leading to each of their downfalls. Either the teams were a bit too accustomed to no-contact practices or the PSI was far too high in the game balls…you be the judge. All I know is that these coaching staffs are going to be extra hard on their ball carriers in practice this week.

Wesleyan’s Killer Instinct: The Jumbos looked pretty horrible for three quarters, but they hung around because Wesleyan just couldn’t put them away. After a touchdown with 6:50 to go in the 2nd quarter, Wesleyan seemed to hold a pretty commanding 14-3 lead. Things just looked and felt like a blowout waiting to happen. But the Tufts defense kept them in the game until the 4th quarter rolled around, and boom, a Cardinals missed field goal was followed up by a 33 yard run by Chance Brady ‘17, which set the stage for a 39 yard pass to Mike Rando ‘17 a couple plays later. From that point on, the Jumbos had the momentum, and it felt like Wesleyan was just trying to hold them off as opposed to continuing their attack.

Breakout Players of 2016

Plenty of last year’s stars are back and ready to repeat their performances last season, but there will without a doubt be a number of a breakout players in 2016, just like there are every year. For some guys, it takes a little extra time to adjust to the college game. For others, it is a matter of waiting for an older player to graduate. Whatever the reason, it is always a certainty that a handful of players will splash onto the scene each year, just one of the many facets of college athletics that makes them so fun to watch. Below is a list of some guys to look out for as breakout players in 2016, compiled through talking to coaches, word of mouth and far too much time looking at the NESCAC.com website.

Running Back Jack Hickey ‘19, Amherst

Confidence: High

Hickey was part of a three-back r

ushing committee in 2015, and he still managed to run 319 yards. However, that’s not the most impressive part: Hickey averaged a savage 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman last year. That’s absolute craziness. The 6’1”, 218 lb. tailback is a force,and with leading rusher Kenny Adinkra ‘16 gone this year, Hickey should blow up. Expect Coach Mills to pound the ball on the ground with Hickey early one while quarterback Alex Berluti ‘17 gets his feet wet.

Outside Linebacker Dago Picon-Roura ‘19, Trinity

Confidence: Medium-High

Pulling down interceptions from the linebacker position is not the most common thing in the world, but in just 7 games last year Dago Picon-Roura grabbed two of them. Now a sophomore, Picon-Roura is a big, physical, hard-hitting player. Expect a big boost in tackle numbers now that he has gotten his feet wet in the collegiate style of play. Trinity lost a key piece in linebacker Frank Leyva ‘16, opening the door for Picon-Roura to become an integral part of what is shaping up to be one of the toughest defenses in the NESCAC.

Quarterback Jared Lebowitz ’18, Middlebury

Confidence: Medium

Last year Lebowitz sat behind 2014 Co-Offensive Player of the Year and 2015 First Teamer Matt Milano after transferring from D-1 UNLV. Lebowitz was named the No. 40 pro style QB in the 2012 high school class, and redshirted in his first year for the Rebels before playing in a limited capacity in 2014. Middlebury is likely to stick to their style of play and rely

Lebowitz will be looking to continue the tradition of stellar Panther quarterbacks.

heavily on the pass, although Lebowitz is an athletic signal caller who even lined up at receiver last year for the Panthers. He is a good runner—representing Middlebury’s first dual threat QB since Donnie McKillop ’11.

Quarterback Alex Berluti ‘17, Amherst

Confidence: Medium

With last year’s starter Reece Foy ‘18 succumbing to a season-ending knee injury in August, Berluti steps in with the pressure of extending a 19-game win streak. While his predecessor certainly set the bar high for Berluti, the senior has the advantage of an extra few inches over Foy, which will certainly help him read the defense. Amherst plays best when they can mix between run and pass plays pretty evenly, so Coach Mills will certainly be relying on Berluti to help this offense maintain the fluidity that has won it three straight NESCAC titles.

Wide Receiver Ben Berey ‘17, Tufts:

Confidence: Medium-Low

My confidence isn’t medium low in Berey because of anything he does, but rather because of Tufts’ system. Relying heavily on the combination of Chance Brady ‘17’s rushing attack and screen passes to wideout Mike Rando ‘17, Berey hasn’t been the primary option throughout his college career. However, with the loss of Jack Cooleen ‘16, it may just be time for Berey to step into a huge role for the Jumbos. On a team where the leading receiver (Cooleen) had three touchdowns, Berey had two, and I think that quarterback Alex Snyder ‘17 and Berey will hit their stride this season as opposing defenses focus most of their efforts on shutting down the Tufts ground game.

Running Back Peter Boyer ‘19, Bates

Confidence: Low

In a very run-heavy offense, Peter Boyer looks like he is going to get the nod as the starting tailback on opening day. While Boyer has limited in-game experience during his collegiate career, he did average 4.3 yards per carry last season. However, the lack of confidence stems from Boyer’s small sample size: he had just 10 rushing attempts in 2015. The nature of an offense that utilizes the option is that lots of different guys get touches, but if Boyer can keep up the efficiency he showed a spark of last season, he could emerge as Bates’ number one option.

Will Clinton, New York Become a Destination Opponents Fear?: Hamilton Football 2016 Season Preview

Who is going to be throwing the ball to Charles Ensley '17 this year for the Continentals? (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics) — Who is going to be throwing the ball to Charles Ensley ’17 this year for the Continentals? (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

Projected Record: 3-5

Projected Offensive Starters (*Five Returning)

QB: Cole Freeman ‘18

HB: Marcus Gutierrez ‘18

FB: Jason Nastovski ‘18*

WR: Charles Ensley ‘17*

WR: Chase Rosenberg ‘17

TE: Jordan Jenkins ‘17*

LT: Rob McClure ‘17*

LG: Stephen Kelley ‘19

C: (to be determined)

RG: Richie Nelli ‘19

RT: Matt Snider ‘17*

Projected Defensive Starters (*Nine Returning)

DE: Tyler Hudson ‘17*

DT: Nick Sobczyk ‘17*

DT: Poppy Green ‘17*

DE: Brent Lobien ‘17*

LB: Matt Glebus ‘17*

LB: Mickey Keating ‘17*

LB: Sean Tolton ‘19

CB: James Giattino ‘17*

SS: James Taylor ‘17

FS: Colby Jones ‘19*

CB: Conor Powers ‘17*

Projected Specialists (*Two Returning)

PK: Zach Altneu ‘18*

P: Billy Wagner ‘20

KR/PR: Alex Waugh ‘18*/Charles Ensley ‘17

Offensive MVP: WR Charles Ensley ‘17

Losing LaShawn Ware for the year is pretty brutal, but luckily 2015 All-NESCAC selection Charles Ensley is back for the Continentals. Ensley had 665 receiving yards last year, coming to an average of 83.1 Y/G, both of which were good enough to rank him at second in the league. The kid has wheels, which makes him a huge deep threat, so whoever ends up winning the quarterback competition (Cole Freeman ‘18 vs. Brandon Tobin ‘18) will be testing opposing secondaries to Ensley’s side of the field.

Defensive MVP: DE Brent Lobien ‘17

Brent Lobien wreaked havoc in the backfield last year, evidenced by his nine and a half TFL and five sacks. He had the third-most tackles on the Hamilton defense, and he forced a fumble and recovered two. Simply put, Lobien is a ball hawk, and he will help lead Coach Murray’s defense along with the other three seniors on the Hamilton defensive line.

Biggest Surprise in Camp:

Chase Rosenberg ‘17 is no longer going to be taking snaps under center. Instead, the senior has moved to wide receiver where he looks to become a secondary target behind Ensley. Rosenberg is an athletic 6’1”, so it makes sense that he has made the move since the primary quarterback battle features Cole Freeman ‘18 and Brandon Tobin ‘18. It seems like this switch is happening more and more since the emergence of Julian Edelman as one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. Let’s just hope Rosenberg’s quarterback, whether it turns out to be Freeman or Tobin, doesn’t get unfairly punished by league officials like Edelman’s has been…

Biggest Game: vs. Bowdoin, October 15th, 12:00pm

Hamilton ended the year on a high note by winning two of their last three games, but they are faced with a tough schedule to start the year as they face Amherst, Wesleyan and then Trinity. That’s why their matchup with Bowdoin in week four is the most important game on their schedule. It’s unlikely that they get through the first three unscathed, so getting back on track with a win at home against Bowdoin will be monumental for the Continentals.

Best Tweet:

1 week until the start of practice! We’ve almost made it! @HamCollFootball @HamCollSports pic.twitter.com/xtmqAo1HFe

— Jeffrey Friedman (@CoachJFriedman) August 22, 2016

Summary:

What killed Hamilton last year was their 0-5 start. Though the Continentals have won 2 of their last 3 games, they travel to Amherst and Wesleyan before finally playing at home, where they will host Trinity. I wouldn’t say that’s the easiest first three games of the season. Luckily, the Bantams have a significantly easier final 5 games: vs. Bowdoin, at Colby, vs. Williams, vs. Middlebury, at Bates. Bowdoin and Colby will likely be two of the worse teams in the league this year, and it is especially important that Hamilton has a home game following their tough opening stretch. Williams’ new coach, Mark Raymond, is a very highly touted head coach who had a great deal of success at St. Lawrence over the last 6 years. However, Raymond was only hired in February, so he has had limited time to work with his players, something the Continentals are hoping to take advantage of. Middlebury should be down this year compared to recent years after suffering the losses of Matt Minno ‘16 and Matt Milano ‘16, and writer Liam O’Neil is actually putting Middlebury on upset alert in this Week 7 matchup as shown in his Top 10 games of 2016 article last week. Playing at Bates is never easy, but Coach Murray’s squad could be in the midst of a hot streak at this point, so anything could happen.

It’s important to remember, however, that if Hamilton wants to win these games, they are going to need to make some huge strides on offense. They ranked dead last in YPG last year, in large part due to their abysmal rushing attack, which gained just 2.3 yards per carry last year! Simply put, Hamilton could not string together drives last year, evidenced by their league worst 15.1 first downs per game. And even when the Hamilton offense did manage to get into scoring positions, they struggled to convert those chances into points. Though the sample size is small (6 attempts), Hamilton only hit 16.7% of their field goals – in other words, they hit ONE FIELD GOAL last year. For a team with a pretty respectable defense, getting 3 points where you can is crucial. For example, in their opener against Tufts, the Continentals lost by 3 points in overtime. They also missed two field goals.

On the defensive side of the ball, however, Hamilton is in very good shape once again. They do lose their top two tacklers, but defensive end Brent Lobien ‘17 and linebacker Matt Glebus ‘17 are back to anchor the Hamilton defense along with seven other returning starters. Coach Murray is confident that their defense can keep them in games (they were 5th in the conference in points allowed) and I understand why. This is an experienced group (9 of the 11 starters are seniors), and they play a physical style of football that starts up front. Lobien and defensive tackle Nick Sobczyk ‘17 tied for fourth in the league with 5 sacks last year, and the other end Tyler Hudson ’17 was right behind them with 4 sacks. This group can get pressure on the quarterback, so the question becomes whether or not the offense can convert defensive stops into points. As of now, it’s hard to say yes, but maybe Hamilton can prove people wrong this year.

Previewing the Player of the Year Race

Before I get into POY discussion, I’m happy to announce that Pete Lindholm, one of our writers from Middlebury, is going to be joining me this year as co-head of NBN. Pete has written for the site a bunch in the past, and it’s clear that he is both extremely invested and extremely talented. Thanks to Pete for agreeing to take on the role of Managing Editor this year. Again, if anyone reading this is interested in helping out with the site in any way, please shoot Pete and I an email at nothingbutnescac@gmail.com and we’d be more than happy to discuss different positions with you. Now, on to NESCAC Football….

Trinity RB Max Chipouras almost beat out Chance Brady '17 for the award last season. Is 2016 his year?(Courtesy of Greg Sullivan) — Trinity RB Max Chipouras almost beat out Chance Brady ’17 for the award last season. Is 2016 his year?(Courtesy of Greg Sullivan)

It’s never too early to start thinking about the NESCAC Player of the Year race, so I’ve compiled a list of some of the conference’s top players here below. Some are old names, some are new ones, but one thing is true across the board: all of these guys are studs. Check out the following list of guys to keep an eye on in 2016.

Offense

Chance Brady '17 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics) — Chance Brady ’17 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)

RB Chance Brady ’17, Tufts

You can’t not throw the reigning POY into the conversation, but even if I wasn’t aware that Brady had won the award last year, there would be no debate that he should be in the conversation for this award. He ran for 975 yards last year, averaging 121.9 YPG on his way to scoring 11 touchdowns. The kid is an absolute grinder, and barring injury, he will be in POY consideration as we get to the end of the season.

Max Chipouras '19 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics). — **Max Chipouras ’19 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics).**

RB Max Chipouras ’19, Trinity

Chipouras is the only player that gave Brady a run for his money last year, and also the only player in the conference to score more touchdowns than Brady with 12. Though he ran for about 300 yards less than Tufts’ stud back, Chipouras also had 49 less touches. Chipouras averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 81.1 yards per game last year – as a freshman no less! Now that he’s got a year of college ball under his belt, expect Chipouras to absolutely take off. I’m not saying he’s the favorite to win POY, but I’m not not saying it.

Sonny Puzzo '18 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics). — **Sonny Puzzo ’18 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics).**

QB Sonny Puzzo ’18, Trinity

Last year, Puzzo came behind only Matt Milano ‘16 and Austin Lommen ‘16 in passing yards, both of whom graduated in May. With Amherst quarterback Reece Foy ‘18 likely out for the year after blowing out his knee, Tufts’ Alex Snyder ‘17 boasts the next highest total of passing yards, which Puzzo tops 220.1 YPG to 179.4 YPG. What held Puzzo back in 2015 was not his ability to completed passes, but rather the fact that he completed passes to opposing players at a rather high clip, totaling 8 interceptions on the year as opposed to just 5 touchdowns. If Puzzo can do a better job of taking care of the ball, he has all the tools he needs to have a POY type of season, especially if his adversaries focus most of their energy on shutting down Chipouras.

Jabari Hurdle-Price '17 (Courtesy of Colby Athletics). — **Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17 (Courtesy of Colby Athletics).**

RB Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17, Colby

If you look at Hurdle-Price’s numbers in 2015, it’s hard to tell what kind of player he is. On one hand, he ran for 91.0 YPG, the second highest rushing average in the league. On the other hand, he had the most touches in the league with 189 carries, so it seems like he probably should be racking up rush yards. Even with that many carries (two more than Brady), however, Hurdle-Price was 247 yards shy of Brady in overall yards, and also had 5 less touchdowns. I have no doubt that Hurdle-Price has the ability to make a leap in efficiency this year, but that is partially up to the Colby offensive line. If the Mules can put Hurdle-Price in positions to succeed with good field position and effective blocking, their workhorse will not fail them.

Charles Ensley '17 (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics). — Charles Ensley ’17 (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics).

WR Charles Ensley ’17, Hamilton

Throw Ensley on the championship roster and I think he gets the POY nod without question, but being on a bottom half team the last few years has definitely held him back in the POY discussion. Other than Matt Minno ‘16 of Middlebury, no one has more receiving yards or receiving touchdowns than Ensley, and he ranked just eighth in receptions last year! What that should tell you is that Ensley has absolute wheels, which is why is 78 yard reception last year against Middlebury does not surprise me whatsoever. If the Continentals find some consistency under center with either Cole Freeman ‘18 or Brandon Tobin ‘18, Ensley will be a high-end WR1 in most fantasy leagues this fall.

Honorable Mention: RB Jaylen Berry ’18, Wesleyan; WR Bryan Vieira ’18, Trinity; TE Bryan Porter ’18, Bowdoin; RB Nick Kelly ’17, Amherst; RB Tyler Grant ’17, Bowdoin

Defense

Mark Upton '17 (Courtesy of Bates Athletics) — **Mark Upton ’17 (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)**

LB Mark Upton ’17, Bates

Upton finished second in tackles last season with 71 from the linebacker spot. He also added 8 TFL and 4 sacks, rounded out by 3 forced fumbles. The kid has a nose for the ball, and when he has you in his crosshairs you better brace for impact. Upton rightfully earned First Team All-NESCAC honors last season, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t at least match that performance this season.

Addison Pierce '17 (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics). — Addison Pierce ’17 (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics).

LB Addison Pierce ’17, Middlebury

Another linebacker, this one hailing from Middlebury, who has a knack for penetrating the backfield. Pierce had 7 TFL last season including 2 sacks, contributing to his total of 58 tackles on the season. Pierce steps in as the leader of the Middlebury linebacker committee this season after Tim Patricia ‘16 graduated in May, and I’m anticipating a breakout season for the senior looking to build on his impressive 8.3 tackles per game average. Look for Pierce to disrupt offensive flow and create chaos behind the line of scrimmage for Coach Ritter’s defense this season.

Zach Thomas '18 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics). — Zach Thomas ’18 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics).

DE Zach Thomas ’18, Tufts

While Mike Stearns’ versatility makes him the most valuable player on the Tufts defense, Zach Thomas gives him a run for his money as the best defensive player for the Jumbos. Thomas led the NESCAC with 9 sacks last season – 9! That’s over a sack a game. To put that in perspective, Gil Araujo ‘16 of Middlebury was the only other player in the league with over 5.5 sacks. If I’m an opposing coach, I’m doubling Thomas on the end whenever I can, because the kid can clearly get to the quarterback. Now in his junior year, Thomas has set the bar high for himself, but I expect him to surpass expectations and continue to anchor the Jumbos defensive line along with his classmate Micah Adickes ‘18.

Justin Sanchez '17 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics). — **Justin Sanchez ’17 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics).**

FS Justin Sanchez ’17, Wesleyan

When you think of playmaking safeties around the league, you think of Justin Sanchez. The senior free safety led Wesleyan with 56 tackles last year, highlighting his ability to step up and make plays. Sanchez had 2 interceptions last season as well as 2 forced fumbles in 2015. This versatility is exactly what Wesleyan needs this year in their quest to climb back to the top of the conference. If Sanchez plays at his usual high level, opposing offensive coordinators will struggle with calling plays.

Liam Kenneally '18 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics). — Liam Kenneally ’18 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics).

LB Liam Kenneally ’18, Trinity

Kenneally is a playmaker, end of story. His 61 tackles in 2015 was the fifth highest total in the league, and led the Trinity defense by 20 tackles!! On defense that allowed just 10.1 PPG last year, Kenneally was the glue that held them together, and he will be just that player again in his junior season this year. With such a veteran presence in the secondary, teams will likely attack the Bantams on the ground, which will give Kenneally the opportunity to step up and do what he does best – make plays. Kenneally could very well win the defensive POY award, especially if Trinity’s defense is as much a force as it was last year.

Honorable Mention: DE Brent Lobien ’17, Hamilton; DB Cameron Rondeau ’19, Bowdoin; OLB Mike Stearns ’17, Tufts; LB Evan Boynton ’17, Amherst; DB Alex Brandeis ’17, Williams

Watch Out for the Jumbo Stampede: Tufts Football 2016 Season Preview

Alex Snyder '17 hopes to keep the upward progression going for the Jumbos in 2016 (Courtesy of the Tufts Daily). — Playcaller Alex Snyder ’17 hopes to keep the upward progression going for the Jumbos in 2016 (Courtesy of the Tufts Daily).

Projected Record: 6-2

Projected Offensive Starters (*Eight Returning)

QB: Alex Snyder ‘17*

RB: Chance Brady ‘17*

WR: Mike Rando ‘17*

WR: Ben Berey ‘17*

WR: Mike Miller ‘18

TE: Nik Dean ‘17*

LT: Liam Thau ‘18

LG: Alex Kim ‘17*

C: Jack Price ‘17*

RG: Gian Calise ‘18

RT: Josh Thibeault “19

Projected Defensive Starters (*Eight Returning)

DE: Zach Thomas ‘18*

DT: Doug Harrison ‘18

DT: Micah Adickes ‘18*

DE: Tucker Mathers ‘17

OLB: Steve DiCienzo ‘18

MLB: Markus Edmunds ‘19

OLB: Mike Stearns ‘17* (started as a safety last year)

CB: Tim Preston ‘19*

SS: Brett Phillips ‘18

FS: J.P. Garcia ‘18*

CB: Alex LaPiana ‘19*

Projected Specialists (*Two Returning)

PK/P: Willie Holmquist ‘17*

KR/PR: Mike Rando ‘17*/Ben Berey ‘17/Jack Dolan ‘19

Offensive MVP: RB Chance Brady ‘17

Chance Brady returns in the backfield for Tufts looking to build on a tremendous junior season in which he earned First Team All-NESCAC Honors as well as the title of Offensive MVP for the conference. Brady was also selected to the New England Football Writers All-New England Team. These honors are not surprising if you consider that he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last year (975), coming in at an average of 121.9 Y/G. On top of that, he ran in 11 touchdowns, leading the Jumbos in scoring. To be frank, I don’t see any reason why he can’t repeat these kind of numbers again in 2016.

Defensive MVP: OLB Mike Stearns ‘17

Fellow captain Mike Stearns will shoulder the load for the Tufts defense this year as he moves to his third position in four years at outside linebacker. Though Stearns’ tackle numbers went down from his sophomore to junior year (from 76 in 2014 to 28 in 2015), this should not be a concern for Jumbos football fans since he was playing through a groin pull for the majority of the year, limiting his action significantly. When healthy, Stearns has proved throughout his career that he is one of the best defensive players in the conference.

Biggest Surprise in Camp: LB Greg Holt ‘20

Greg Holt has started out his Tufts career with a bang, asserting himself as a valuable member of the Jumbos from the get-go. He’s an aggressive but intelligent linebacker who plays a downhill brand of football and has a nose for the pigskin. Holt has been fighting for a role in the linebacking corps throughout camp, and is clearly going to be an integral member of Coach Civetti’s defense.

Biggest Game: vs. Wesleyan, September 24, 6:00PM

I get it. It’s the first game of the year. Literally anything can happen over the following 7 weeks that can completely change the complexion of the season, and change the relevance of game one. However, if Tufts wants to compete for the title this year, they need to beat the other teams working towards the same goal. Wesleyan absolutely fits the bill in that regard. On top of that, this is the only night game of the year for any team, and it’s the first home night game in Tufts football history. The Jumbos need to get out to a hot start and beating Wesleyan will be an enormous confidence boost for them to start the year.

Best Tweet:

I know I’m a bit biased because I go to Tufts, but if that doesn’t give you the chills you need to get your pulse checked.

Only 45 days until kickoff at the Oval on 9/24! Check out this Evan Anthony-produced video following the ‘Bos! #EAT https://t.co/AI4CMDmzT9

— Tufts Football (@tuftsfootball) August 11, 2016

Summary:

After improving their record each year over the course of the last three seasons (2013: 0-8, 2014: 4-4, 2015: 6-2), the Jumbos are looking to do so once again. Achieving this will be no easy task. The Jumbos missed Wesleyan on their schedule last year, but that was a rebuilding year for the Cardinals who are now primed and ready to make another run at the title. Even worse, when Tufts plays the other three powerhouses – Amherst, Middlebury, and Trinity – they have to travel to play in enemy territory. This does not bode well for the Jumbos.

It’s not all bad news for Tufts, however. Actually, there is plenty of good news to go around. As mentioned above, they return the reigning NESCAC POY. Quarterback Alex Snyder is also back with plenty of veteran options to throw to out wide, and even if the Jumbos can’t consistently cross the goalline (which I don’t anticipate being an issue for them), there is a pretty good chance that they’ll at least put up three points with All-NESCAC kicker Willie Holmquist returning for his final year. The well-balanced Tufts offense put up the second-most points in the league last season, trailing just the champions, Amherst, and I fully expect them to be near the top of the league in points scored once again.

One issue for Coach Civetti’s squad last year was their inconsistency on defense, especially in the secondary. While the Jumbos tied for second with 13 interceptions in 2015, they also allowed by far the most passing yards per game (289.5). Teams attacked the young cornerbacks in Tim Preston and Alex LaPiana, but I’m guessing with a year of experience under their belts, these two will be much more consistent coverage players this season.

In their only non-competitive loss of the year, against Amherst, Tufts got behind early, and were forced to go away from their gameplan of pounding the ball on the ground. The two teams had comparable passing numbers (Amherst: 170 yards, Tufts: 142 yards), but Amherst absolutely dusted the Jumbos on the ground, 185 to 19 rush yards. Tufts lost 36 yards on just three sacks, crushing their momentum time and time again. These kind of lapses didn’t occur often for Tufts throughout the year, but against great teams like Amherst, these lapses simply cannot occur. Period. These drive-killing plays set Amherst up with short fields, and it led to a blowout loss for Tufts.

Again, it’s just consistency that Tufts needs to have this season. They showed last year that they could blow out teams, that they could win close games, and that they could hang with the giants (sometimes). Coach Civetti was probably one first down away from beating Trinity before the Bantams won in overtime, and he even coached the ‘Bos to a phenomenal win against Middlebury to cap off the season. You can definitely point to some areas where Tufts has some work to do, but there is no denying the fact that they are a legitimate title contender in 2016.

Welcome Back – Football Season is Afoot

Trinity is looking to take back the title for the first time since 2012 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics).

It’s finally the moment you’ve all been waiting for. That’s right, Nothing But NESCAC is back in action with football season just around the corner. We have a heck of a season ahead of us, and honestly, I couldn’t be any more excited. The league is shaping up to be quite competitive, and a handful of teams will be fighting for the top spot. There is plenty to look forward to during the 2016 season: Williams hired Mark Raymond as their new head coach in hopes of bringing their program back to title contention, Tufts is set to host their first night game in history against Wesleyan, and there is strong potential for a four or even five team race for the conference crown. Get me to opening day.

NESCAC football is by no means the gold standard for a college football season. First of all, the season is just eight games long. A slow start or a bad game can be fatal in this league, and every team knows that, which is why every team always has hope at the beginning of the season. Then again, either Amherst or Trinity has finished at the top of the standings every year since 2010 when Williams ran the table (though 2013 ended in a three-way tie for first place between Amherst, Middlebury and Wesleyan). Will one of these two perennial juggernauts take the cake again this year? Or will another contender surpass them? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

The NESCAC is definitely different than most collegiate athletic conference, but that’s part of the reason that I love this conference. It’s also why I love writing for NBN. As Adam mentioned in his final farewell, he and Joe offered me ownership of the website after they graduated from Bowdoin and Middlebury in May. I was humbled to receive this offer, and I can’t thank the two of them enough for all the advice and support they have given me in the year since I started with NBN. I hope that the rest of the writers and I can continue what Adam and Joe started with the site.

One of my favorite things about the NESCAC is that academics and athletics work hand in hand. An old si.com article written by Douglas Looney perfectly describes this belief, the belief that this is how college athletics are meant to function. While NESCAC athletes dedicate a huge chunk of time to their teams, they are required to work just as hard in the classroom, something you don’t always see at some of the big-time Division I programs. I would strongly suggest taking a look at Looney’s article – though some of the information is outdated now, it’s a pretty intriguing take on the NESCAC.

Another huge difference between the ‘CAC and other athletic conferences is the fan support. There aren’t any Alabama- or Auburn-sized football stadiums in the conference, but one aspect that I love (as both a fan and a player) is that the athletes know most of the people in the stands. I can go to Tufts basketball games as a super fan and literally have conversations with my friends on the court, but I can also look into the stands from the baseball diamond and see my classmates, my neighbors and even peers that I see every day in the dining hall. In general, a NESCAC sporting event is not going to be the most raucous crowd of all time. Not even close. But that’s okay. I think most NESCAC athletes understand this and enjoy the fact that they know most of their fans.

I’m absolutely stoked for NESCAC football action to start up in a couple weeks, and I’m equally as excited to write about everything that goes on throughout the season. If you’re looking to join NBN, please don’t hesitate to email nothingbutnescac@gmail.com to inquire about how you can help. I am more than happy to answer any questions or concerns that you may have, and simply put, we can always use extra help with writing, live-tweeting games, web design, graphic design, etc. We know that NBN isn’t perfect, and we are constantly trying to build on our coverage and content, so feel free to reach out with any suggestions or article ideas as well.

Looking forward to a great year!

Rory Ziomek (Tufts ‘17)

The Rise of the Jumbos: Tufts’ Season in Review

Tufts is going to miss senior leaders Stephen Haladyna '16 and Ryan Spadaford '16. (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics) — Tufts is going to miss senior leaders Stephen Haladyna ’16 and Ryan Spadaford ’16. (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)

The 2015-2016 Jumbos will go down as the best team in Tufts men’s basketball team history. At 23-7, Tufts tied their ’05-’06 team with the most wins in school history, and their Elite Eight appearance is the first ever for the program. Following back-to-back 13-12 seasons, expectations were unclear for Tufts, but given their plethora of returning players, Coach Bob Sheldon’s squad hoped to improve on recent years.

Tufts started out on a good note, and were 9-2 heading into conference play. Then they walloped Bowdoin by 33 and smacked around Colby by 27 – things were looking good for the ‘Bos. The following weekend, Tufts headed to Middlebury and lost in OT, and after a blowout win against Hamilton, they lost their second straight overtime game to Wesleyan. They barely scraped by Connecticut College the next day, and the way the NESCAC was shaping up, Tufts was looking like a team that might just beat up on the bottom half while they failed to finish games off against the top half. A Bates beat down and a bad loss to Trinity seemed to align with this trend, but everyone’s perception of the Jumbos changed when Amherst rolled into town the next day. Tufts dominated Amherst, winning by 11 points and never trailing after the 16:05 mark in the first half. Tufts finished the regular season with two more wins, putting themselves at third in the NESCAC heading into the playoffs and with a lot of momentum.

After a good first round win against Williams, Tufts played pretty poorly against Amherst in the semi-finals. Vinny Pace ’18 was really the only bright spot for the Jumbos, as he dropped 33 points, but Tufts could not stop the balanced attack of Amherst, and ended up losing by three. Regardless of this loss, it was pretty clear that Tufts was going to make the NCAA tournament based on their 20-6 record and a handful of quality wins. The NCAA Tournament committee decided that Tufts’ resume was pretty impressive, and as result, Tufts hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

On the first possession of the opening round game against Southern Vermont, Pace drove to the hoop and came down awkwardly, injuring his knee pretty badly and ending his season. With their top scorer out, Tufts’ first option obviously became big man Tom Palleschi ’17, and Palleschi sure did impress. Over the last stretch of the regular season, Palleschi carried the Jumbos, and he continued to do so once Pace went down. That night against Southern Vermont, Palleschi scored 17 and followed that with 19 points, 16 points and 20 points in the next three rounds. But just one scorer wouldn’t have been enough for Tufts, so who else stepped up? The answer to that was senior tri-captain Stephen Haladyna ’16. Haladyna scored his 1000th point against Amherst in the NESCAC semi-finals, and with Pace down he was the obvious answer for the next shot-taker. Over the four NCAA games, Haladyna averaged 23.0 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and went 26-30 from the free throw line. Though the Jumbos ran out of juice against Amherst in the last three minutes in the Elite Eight, this team showed some extreme resilience by winning three games without their top scorer. Palleschi and Haladyna were two of the biggest contributors on both ends of the court during that stretch, while the rest of the squad clearly stepped it up as well.

Highlight Moment: 78-76 Win vs. Southern Vermont in the NCAA First Round

When Pace went down on the first play of the game, the packed house in Medford went dead silent. Everyone in the gym knew that Pace was an integral part of getting the Jumbos into the tournament, and a little doubt crept into everybody’s minds when he was helped off the court. Well, the Jumbos responded with one of their best all-around performances of the season. Palleschi was the anchor, totaling not just 17 points, but also eight blocked shots. Haladyna led the way scoring the ball with 24 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Fellow tri-captain Ryan Spadaford ’16 was not to be outdone however, as he added to the effort with 12 points and a game-high 14 boards – pretty impressive for a guard against the big bruisers of Southern Vermont. The well-rounded effort didn’t stop there, however. Tarik Smith ’17 didn’t shoot the ball particularly well on this night, but he found his niche and led the game with six assists. The bench also played an integral role in this win for Tufts: Ben Engvall ’18 played well, totaling his pretty consistent eight points while also grabbing seven boards, but the spotlight shined on freshman sharpshooter Ethan Feldman ’19 in this one. Despite his limited minutes during the rest of the season, Feldman stepped in and put on a clinic on how to shoot the rock, dropping 10 points in 11 minutes. This was a huge win for Tufts, and an extremely emotional one at that. They played as one unit, and it was truly impressive to watch.

Team MVP: Center Tom Palleschi

He might not have been the top scorer, but without this highly skilled big man, Tufts would not have been nearly as good as they were this season. That is not a slight to the rest of the team, but rather a nod to Palleschi. It’s pretty incredible how much attention Big Tom demands from opposing defenses, and his passing ability is a perfect complement to this. I haven’t seen a team play Tufts that doesn’t try to double down on the big guy, but Coach Sheldon intelligently surrounds him with shooters, so just one ball fake eliminates the possibility of a double team. Palleschi is so shifty down low, and his ability to step out and shoot the three-ball this year was huge for Tufts. On the other end of the court, he might be even more important. Palleschi’s 3.90 blocks per game ranked second in all of Division III, and he was one of just two players to block over 100 shots this season (he had 113 blocks in 29 games). Due to his redshirt year during what would have been his sophomore campaign, the Jumbos will get Palleschi back for another year, and they sure are happy to have him returning.

Biggest Surprise: The loss of Hunter Sabety was addition by subtraction

Entering the season, there was lots of talk about Sabety’s transfer to Hofstra. Many critics thought that Sabety’s departure would be a huge loss for Tufts, but it actually opened things up for Coach Sheldon, who took advantage of having a more guard-heavy lineup and incorporated a new fastbreak-based offense. The Jumbos dropped buckets at a crazy rate, and were head and shoulders above everybody else in scoring with an average of 86.0 ppg. Allowing other players to get more involved took away the ability of opposing defenses to collapse on Palleschi, and gave shooters like Spadaford, Haladyna and Pace to get more opportunities to reign down threes from deep. The fast-paced offense also served Palleschi’s shooting ability well, as he was often the last one up the court when they set up in their half-court offense. When opposing centers backed off of Palleschi, he made them pay, and he actually ended up leading the team in three-point shooting percentage at 47.6 percent. The new high-powered offense served the Jumbos very well, and I expect more of the same out of them next year.

Most Interesting Stat: Tufts lead the NESCAC in FTA by a lot

Seriously, Tufts got to the free throw line about a million times more than their opponents. They were 626-841 from the line on the season, which totals to 74.4 percent. The next high number of attempts came from Middlebury, who shot 441-660 on the year. That is 181 extra free throws! I understand that in conference, this number comes down significantly (Tufts still led, with 262 attempts, followed by Wesleyan at 242), but still, this difference is crazy. In their four NCAA games, Tufts shot 131 free throws. The most drastic difference came in their second round game against Skidmore, when Tufts attempted 44 free throws and Skidmore shot just 17. This sky-high number of free throw attempts over the course of the season is definitely related to the high-speed offense that Coach Sheldon implemented, and it is definitely going to be something to watch when next season rolls around.

Other Thoughts

I think it’s also important to note that Coach Bob Sheldon was the Northeast Region Coach of the Year, and Palleschi was named to the All-Northeast Region Second Team. Congratulations to the two of them on these accomplishments. The only other schools to have two players/coaches recognized were Babson (Joey Flannery ’17 and Isaiah Nelsen ’17), Bowdoin (Lucas Hausman ’16 and Jack Simonds ’19), and Johnson & Wales (Quarry Greenaway ’16 and Tom Garrick ’16). What’s one common denominator that jumps out? Tufts beat all three of these teams. The most impressive part about the Jumbos’ season to me is that they went up against the best competition week in and week out and still amassed a record of 23-7. They beat the #11, #12, #15 and #16 teams in the country, and played a total of nine games against opponents that qualified for the NCAA tournament. That strength of schedule certainly paid dividends for Tufts in March, and it will benefit this team in the future, as they only lose three seniors this year. The young Jumbos will be a very scary team in the NESCAC in 2016-2017.