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(Photo by Bill Allen/NJSportAction) caption: DEKKED OUT: Princeton senior tight end Jon Dekker takes off on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Terrell in the fourth quarter that helped seal the deal as Princeton topped Penn 30-13 last Saturday. The win lifted the Tigers to a 6-2 overall record and 4-1 in Ivy League play, tying them with Brown for first place in the league standings. Princeton hosts Yale this Saturday, looking to break a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.d of caption

By Bill Alden

Jay McCareins would've preferred to sleep in last week as Princeton University went on fall break after the students survived their mid-term exams.

Instead, McCareins and his teammates on the Princeton football team were up bright and early each day last week, toiling to find every edge possible as they prepared to play at Penn last Saturday.

With Princeton having not beaten Penn since 1995, the players seized the opportunity to get in additional film study as well as more work on the practice field and in the weight room.

The diligence paid major dividends as the well-prepared Tigers outwitted and outslugged Penn on the way to a sweet 30-13 whipping of Penn before a homecoming crowd of 20,026 at venerable Franklin Field.

By ending its Penn jinx, Princeton improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Ivy League play, leaving it tied with Brown atop the league.

Afterward, an ebullient McCareins savored the fruits of Princeton's labor. "It feels good," said the senior defensive back, who contributed an interception and also returned a blocked kick for Princeton's first-ever defensive extra point conversion.

"We all work hard; the coaches put in all that effort. You don't like getting up early in the morning on your week off from school but you're doing it for a reason. It's not so much for the history but for how hard this team is working. It shows proof that if you want it, you take it."

The Tigers' aggressiveness helped them excel in every phase of the game last Saturday. They outgained Penn 380-313, led by quarterback Jeff Terrell, who coolly hit on 16-for-25 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. The defense forced four turnovers while the special teams produced two crucial blocked kicks and a fumble recovery.

After seeing his team shoot itself in the foot year after year against Penn, Princeton head coach Roger Hughes had his team ready to roll with the punches.

"Our mindset going in there was that there was going to be ebbs and flows; Penn had its 1985 championship team back and it was homecoming," said Hughes.

"We just went in with the mindset that no matter what happened we were going to find the opportunity within that situation and we did. No matter what happens, turn it into a positive."

Princeton didn't waste any time displaying its positive mindset last Saturday. The Tigers got on the board first in spectacular fashion as Terrell found Derek Davis open down the middle for a 60-yard scoring strike midway through the first quarter to help put Princeton up 7-0.

Princeton increased its lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter as Rob Torseco scored on a seven-yard pass from Terrell to culminate a methodical 10-play, 69-yard scoring march.

Penn answered back with a 77-yard drive that was capped by a 25-yard touchdown jaunt by Joe Sandberg. Applying Hughes' upbeat approach, Princeton turned that negative into a positive as Brig Walker blocked the extra point attempt. Linebacker Luke Steckel scooped up the ball and took off down the sideline. Running out of gas at midfield, Steckel wisely lateraled the ball to McCareins, who raced to the end zone to give Princeton the defensive two-point conversion and a 16-6 lead.

The Quakers threatened again in the second quarter but those drives were snuffed out by a blocked field goal and two interceptions by Princeton safety Tim Strickland.

In the third quarter, Princeton's offense hit a lull and Penn took advantage. Late in the quarter, Quaker quarterback Pat McDermott hit Dan McDonald for a 21-yard touchdown pass to narrow the gap to 16-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, the momentum seemed to be swinging Penn's way as Princeton shot itself in the foot. After marching 49 yards to the Quaker one-yard line, Toresco fumbled at the goal line, giving possession back to Penn and put a charge into the homecoming crowd.

The Princeton defense, however, quieted the Penn fans as it stuffed the Quakers three plays in a row, forcing a punt. Starting with the ball at the Penn 35, Princeton struck quickly as Terrell found tight end Jon Dekker open in the flat and the 6'3, 250-pound senior rumbled into the end zone to put the Tigers up 23-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers came up big again on special teams as they forced a fumble and took over possession at the Penn 21. A few plays later, Princeton hammered the final nail into the Penn coffin as Toresco flew into the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run.

Hughes credited Terrell's decision-making under fire with helping to trigger the Tigers' big win. "It's been remarkable, I think it gets better and better every game," said Hughes.

"He's very smart about the offense; he understands how to do progressive reads. That throw he made on the touchdown to Dekker, he had a guy in his face but he made a great throw and we were able to execute that play."

For Terrell, the increase in his comfort level has coincided with Princeton's rise to the top of the league standings.

"From the beginning of the season, I feel a lot more comfortable," asserted the 6'3, 220-pound Terrell, who has now passed for 1,380 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season.

"I feel a lot more comfortable with the guys in the huddle. Those first couple of games, you have nerves and you get over that. We have a great opportunity to do something special."

After having tied for fourth in last year's Ivy race, this season's title run is particularly sweet. "Nobody picked us to even be in the race," said Terrell with his voice rising.

"So from day one, the 100 or so guys in that locker room had belief and we weren't worried about anybody else. We believe we're a good team and we're going to prove that as the season goes on."

Now Princeton gets prove that to another nemesis as it hosts Yale (3-5 overall, 3-2 Ivy) this Saturday, having lost three years in a row to the Bulldogs.

Princeton senior linebacker and co-captain Justin Stull believes that the Tigers are poised to end that losing streak.

"From day one, we've been about one game at a time one opponent at a time," said Stull. "This was a huge roadblock on our way but we overcame it. Yale is next."

And you can bet that the Tigers will be putting in the extra time this week to ensure that they keep their winning edge.