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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Tiger Football Finally Catches a Break As It Tops Dartmouth in Season Finale
By Bill Alden
When it comes to fantastic finishes, the Princeton University football team has recently found itself on the wrong end of the late drama.
Earlier this fall, the Tigers suffered one-point losses to Cornell and Penn on successive Saturdays, making them the first Ivy League team to drop back-to-back one-point games in 42 years. A missed extra point kept Princeton from forcing overtime against Cornell while a missed field goal prevented the Tigers from topping Penn.
In 2003, Princeton lost three times on the last play of the game as it went 2-8. In dropping those heartbreakers to Columbia, Harvard, and Yale, the Tigers fell prey to a Hail Mary touchdown pass against the Lions, missed a kick that could have beaten the Crimson in regulation, and lost a fumble in overtime against the Bulldogs.
Last Saturday, however, the bounces finally went Princeton's way in dramatic fashion. Locked in a 10-10 tie with visiting Dartmouth with 5:28 left in the contest, the Tigers lined up for a 42-yard field goal attempt. The Big Green crashed through the line and blocked the kick.
Tiger holder Colin McDonough picked up the rebound and seemed headed for a rough landing on the turf. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Tiger lineman James Williams snatched the ball away from McDonough and bolted 24 yards for a touchdown to give Princeton the margin of victory as it held on for a 17-10 win before 13,852 at Princeton Stadium.
Afterward, Princeton head coach Roger Hughes was happy to accept the gift that fell his club's way. "Obviously it was a crazy game," said Hughes, whose club finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Ivy League play, placing it in a three-way tie with Brown and Yale at fourth in the league standings.
"I've been preaching to the kids the last two or three years about just keep playing hard and good things are going to happen and we got a break. I'm very proud of their effort. Obviously, it's a great way to finish the season."
Williams, for his part, still seemed dazed as he tried to sort out what happened in the instant before he took off on his run to glory.
"I saw the field goal get blocked and the next thing I knew Colin McDonough is running up inside of me with the ball," said Williams. "I figured I'd try to push him ahead for a first down. Two Dartmouth guys hit him and I thought I'll just step in here and see if I can get the ball. He said he gave it to me but I think I took it."
Princeton's seniors, in particular, hit the field Saturday determined to take a win and end their careers on a high note. "I wanted to go out there and play my butt off and do anything I could to get a win for the team," said senior star linebacker Zak Keasey, who finished the day with a career-high 22 tackles.
"I wanted to end my career on a high note and the defense wanted to show that we could play a complete game. I think we were pretty close to that today. The guys up front played hard and that helped me to be able to make all the plays that I did."
The defense did dominate early as Princeton held Dartmouth to a first-half field goal and 117 yards of total offense in taking a 10-3 lead at the half. The Big Green did break through in the third quarter when they put together a 69 yard scoring march that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Charles Rittgers to Andrew Hall.
After Williams' heroics, the Princeton defense dodged a bullet as it turned away Dartmouth after Big Green receivers dropped balls in the end zone.
Keasey and the Princeton defense saved their best for last as they picked up three sacks in four plays on Dartmouth's last possession of the game.
"I was just trying to fire everybody up," said Keasey recalling that last series in which he and classmates Peter Kelly and Chris Browne recorded the sacks. "It was our game to win. The guys were really fired and up and we really got after them."
For Keasey, ending his career in that fashion was particularly sweet since he missed last season after he was ruled academically ineligible to play. "I was happy to come back," said Keasey, who plans to take a shot at pro football.
"I was a little worried that I'd get a little rusty. It took a couple of games to get things turned on. I felt like I didn't miss a beat. I tried to savor every play, you never know when it's going to be your last."
The 6'0, 240-pound native of Clarkston, Mich, acknowledged that he didn't savor every moment this fall as Princeton went from a 4-1 start to its final mark of 5-5.
"I think we are better than our record shows," asserted Keasey, an All-Ivy selection as a sophomore who will undoubtedly earn that recognition this fall as well.
"We lost three or four games by a handful of points. It was a tough season; we could've done a lot better. I'm happy with the way the guys responded after the losses and the work ethic shown by this team."
Hughes, for his part, agreed that Keasey and his classmates had added a new diligence to the program.
"The seniors have established a good work ethic and a new culture around the team," explained Hughes, whose club wasn't dazzling last Saturday as it was outgained by 263 yards to 228 by 1-9 Dartmouth and turned the ball over four times.
"The kids are holding themselves more accountable. I think that's why we got off to such a good start. We played three almost perfect games this year, we won two and lost one. I think we weren't even close to that last year."
Last Saturday, however,
Hughes was perfectly content with his team
being more lucky
than good.
