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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
|
McCareins' One-Man
Show Sparks Tiger Football As It Edges Columbia in
Overtime
to Start 3-0
By Bill Alden
Jay McCareins had to be exhausted but nothing was going to wipe the smile off his face late Saturday afternoon in the wake of his stunning one-man effort that helped the Princeton University football team edge Columbia in an overtime thriller.
For starters, the junior All-Ivy defensive back did his typical outstanding job as Princeton's top cover man, spearheading a defensive effort that saw the Tigers limit the Lions to a paltry 98 yards passing.
The 6'0, 190-pound native of Naperville, Ill. also sparked Princeton's offense, hauling in three passes for 42 yards as Princeton went on a 90-yard march in the waning moments of regulation that resulted in the Derek Javarone field goal that forced overtime.
But McCareins may have made his most critical impact on special teams, blocking a field goal attempt in the second quarter and an extra point attempt in the overtime that paved the way for Princeton's 27-26 triumph before 10,823 at Wien Stadium in upper Manhattan. To round out his day, McCareins returned two kickoffs for 55 yards.
As he reflected on his big day, McCareins made it clear that he's not one to shy away from the spotlight.
"I like the attention, I like getting the ball," said McCareins, who claimed he had never blocked a kick in a game at any level before last Saturday. "I like putting the other guys on my shoulders. It's a hard role but I like to lead by example."
McCareins is relishing the chance to get to play some offense for the Tigers. "I love it, I think it makes everything more special," said McCareins, who now has six catches for 65 yards on the year playing mainly in the Tigers' two-minute offensive package.
"I get the chance to have camaraderie with the whole team. If I go in on offense, the OGs [offensive guards] look at me and say Mac, come on, make a play. I can look at them and say let's give Matt [Verbit] some time. We look in each other's eyes and we're really believing."
McCareins said he had tapped his older brother, Justin, a star receiver for the New York Jets, for some advice on improving his receiving. "He basically says 'catch the rock,'" said McCareins with a chuckle. "He told me to run and catch the ball and do what you like to do. He has helped with routes and some other little things."
Princeton head coach Roger Hughes certainly wants McCareins to be around the rock in as many situations as possible.
"Clearly he is the guy we want people throwing at when he's on defense," said Hughes, whose team improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in Ivy League play with the heartstopping win. "He's the guy we want catching it when we're on offense. He's a big-time playmaker. We look like pretty smart coaches by using him on all of those plays."
In Hughes' view, McCareins' late heroics were the by-product of the team's intense drilling on crunch-time scenarios. "One thing we work very hard on in the offseason and in camp is making plays to win games," said Hughes, who noted that it was satisfying to turn the tables on Columbia which had beaten Princeton last fall on a 49-yard touchdown pass as time expired.
"I had told our team all along that they were prepared to go to the last few minutes of the game. Even in spring practice, we do two-minute drills all of the time. It's the first thing we put in our offense. I really believe we are one of the most prepared teams when it come to those situations. I think all that hard work and resolve paid off."
The Tigers needed to draw on all of their resources as they dueled Columbia in what turned out to be a classic topsy-turvy Ivy football contest.
Princeton drew first blood as it jumped to a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on a Branden Benson touchdown run, culminating an 11-play 57-yard drive which saw Benson gain 42 yards on nine carries. Columbia responded with a 66-yard touchdown drive but missed the extra point and went into the half trailing 7-6.
The third quarter was relatively quiet with a Javarone field goal accounting for the only scoring. The teams, however, produced plenty of fireworks in the fourth quarter. Columbia started the drama by taking the lead 13-10 after Rashad Biggers ripped through the Princeton defense on a three-yard scoring run.
Jon Veach responded for Princeton as he scored on a four-yard scamper with 7:31 remaining to put the Tigers back on top at 17-13. The Lions, who came into the afternoon with an 0-2 record, didn't fold as they put together a 14-play, 90-yard drive that culminated with a touchdown run by Ayo Oluwole with 2:11 remaining in regulation.
Showing their resolve, the Tigers went on a 64-yard march that ended with a 25-yard field goal to tie the score at 20-20 and force overtime.
In overtime, Biggers blasted through the Princeton defense on a 17-yard scoring jaunt but McCareins' blocked kick limited Columbia's lead to 26-20. Sensing their opening, the Tigers went in for the kill, scoring a touchdown on a Veach one-yard plunge and then clinching victory with a Javarone extra point.
While Princeton demonstrated plenty of character, the Tigers were far from sharp as they were penalized 11 times for 101 yards and had three turnovers. Moreover, Princeton was outgained on the ground 239 yards to 180 as the Tiger defense had major problems in dealing with Biggers and Oluwole.
Hughes sounded a note of caution in the joyous aftermath. "The one thing you have to guard against as a coach is the fact that winning covers up problems, " said Hughes, whose club plays at Colgate this Saturday. "Every week, we're looking to improve and we need to improve in a lot of areas. I think the unique thing about this team is its tremendous work ethic. They want to achieve."
McCareins, for his part, maintains that the Tigers are hungry to do whatever it takes to succeed. "We're counting on ourselves to be the aggressor," said McCareins.
"I think we have more than enough guys who want to make the plays. A lot of people are digging deep on every play. The mindset of this team is that every little bit counts, every detail counts."
Fortunately for Princeton, it has McCareins around to take care of the details on both sides of the ball.
