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! #EAThttps://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.