A Jumbo opportunity for Tufts
If there was one coach at yesterday’s New England Football Writers luncheon who looked like he couldn’t wait to get in the bus to head out of town for the next road game, it was Tufts coach Jay Civetti.
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The Jumbos, who have clinched a fourth straight winning season for the first time since a 1988-1991 run, play at Middlebury this week with an opportunity to tie for the best record in NESCAC.
No. 10-ranked Tufts (6-2) is in sole possession of third place, trailing Amherst and Trinity (both 7-1). The Jumbos fell to Amherst, 19-13, and lost to Trinity, 38-24. Meanwhile, Middlebury (5-3) sits in fourth place and the Panthers are after their third straight six-win season.
Of equal importance, the Tufts seniors have won 24 games during their careers and one more win would tie the 1982 class for most program wins in the modern era. Last week, Tufts belted Colby, 48-0, its biggest winning margin against a NESCAC foe since the 1914 squad posted wins of 61-7 against Bates and 60-7 over Bowdoin. “The past week was a great win for our program and it came on Senior Day,” Civetti said. “We ran 62 plays by halftime to their 17. So, it was the first time we came out swinging and really dominated.”
The Tufts defense, which previously blanked Bowdoin, 28-0, for its other shutout victory, has 21 sacks while ranking third in the NESCAC in yards allowed (260.4) and points allowed (13.4). The anchor has been junior linebacker Greg Holt, who has 250 career tackles.
“They’re a little different type team from the past six or seven years when they’ve had some prolific passers,” Civetti said of Middlebury. “Now, they’re little more balanced.”
Gaining gold
UMass senior wideout Andy Islabella and Trinity senior running back Max Chipouras were the weekly Gold Helmet winners.
Isabella caught nine passes for a program-record 303 yards in a wild 62-59 tripleovertime win against Liberty. Isabella eclipsed the former standard of 262 yards set by Victor Cruz against James Madison in 2008. Chipouras gained 203 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns in a 27-16 win over Amherst.
“I think that if we keep playing the way that we’ve been playing and not try to do too much, we should be OK. The coaches prepare us well,’’ said Chipouras, a 22year-old economics major.
big test for Harvard
Harvard (4-4, 2-3 Ivy League) continues to chase a winning season as it preps for a visit to Franklin Field in Philadelphia to face Penn (6-2, 3-2). Harvard leads the series 48-38-2, but the Quakers, under coach Ray Priore, have taken three straight from the Crimson. Harvard coach Tim Murphy is 9-15 lifetime against Penn.
Harvard is coming off a 5218 thrashing of injuryplagued Columbia, in which senior quarterback Tom Stewart completed 15-of-26 passes for a career-high 393 yards (No. 8 in program history). Stewart threw for five scores to tie for the most in the Crimson’s 145-year history. Stewart’s initial pass of 92 yards to junior Jack Cook was the longest TD pass in school history, erasing one of 85 yards by Chet Boulris to Hank Keohane at Yale in 1959.
“Quite frankly, they were a little bit of a banged up team but we played very well,” Murphy said.
“As far as the Penn game, it’s sort of like going from the frying pan into the fire. We go down to the City of Brotherly Love and try to get a winning record. We’re not where we want to be but we’ve been in every single game.’’ ... UMass- Dartmouth (5-4, 4-3 MASCAC) also looks to wrap up a winning campaign when it hosts rival Fitchburg (1-8, 1-6). Corsairs sophomore Stephen Gacioch has completed 141of-245 for 1,907 yards and 17 TDs on the season and led UMD to a 20-0 win over Mass. Maritime last week. Mass. Maritime visits Bridgewater (6-3, 5-2) in the 40th Cranberry Bowl at noon Saturday.