| NEWS |
  
|
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
|
Tiger Football Squanders Lead in Loss to Colgate But Shows How Much It Has Grown as a Team
By Bill Alden
Last October, the Princeton University football team hit rock bottom when it was dismantled by powerful Colgate 30-3 to drop to 0-4 for the first time in the program's storied history.
The fact that the Raiders went undefeated in the regular season and ended up playing in the Division 1-AA national championship game provided little solace to the Tigers who were pushed all over their own field as Colgate outgained them 421 yards to 231.
Last Saturday, Princeton travelled to Colgate, bringing a 3-0 record into the game and a determination to show that it wasn't going to back down to the 20th-ranked Raiders.
Princeton made its point as it built a 26-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter. While the Tigers ultimately squandered that lead and fell 29-26 before 7,893 at Andy Kerr Stadium, Princeton head coach Roger Hughes saw some major growth in his squad.
"Looking at the film, I'm still in shock that we lost that game," said Hughes. "We matured as a team compared to last year when Colgate manhandled us. I thought we backed down last year. This year we fought them toe-to-toe."
The Tigers didn't waste any time Saturday in showing that things were going to be different as Matt Verbit hit Brian Brigham with a 34-yard scoring strike on Princeton's first play from scrimmage. Princeton pushed its lead to 10-0 when Derek Javarone booted a 28-yard field goal which came after an interception by Tim Strickland.
Colgate, which came into the afternoon with a 14-game winning streak at home, responded by going on an 80-yard scoring march, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by All-American running back Jamaal Branch.
The 6'0, 225-pound Branch struck again near the end of the half as he raced 76 yards to the Princeton seven-yard line. Two plays later, Colgate went into the lead as Chris Brown hooked up with Luke Graham for a seven yard touchdown pass.
Going into the break down 14-10, Princeton had reason to be reeling. Yet, befitting the fighting spirit around the program this season, the Tigers weren't daunted.
"We could've gone in the locker room wondering what we were going to do," recalled Hughes. "I said fellas keep fighting. I could sense a new attitude."
The Tigers demonstrated that new attitude seconds into the third quarter as Branden Benson broke into the clear and sprinted down the sideline for an 84-yard touchdown run. However, Javarone's extra point attempt was blocked leaving Princeton ahead 16-14.
Princeton added to its lead when Javarone hit a 19-yard field goal with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter. On Princeton's first possession of the fourth quarter, senior running back Jon Veach got rolling as he rushed for 38 yards on seven carries to spark a 48-yard scoring march which culminated when he scored on a one-yard plunge.
With a lead of 26-14 and a little more than nine minutes remaining, the Tigers seemed on the verge of running Colgate out of their own building. The Raiders, however, went to the air to thwart Princeton's upset bid. With just under six minutes left, Brown hit Mike Christie for a 49-yard completion that put Colgate at the Princeton one-yard line. Branch bulled into the end zone for a touchdown as Colgate narrowed the gap to 26-21.
After Princeton went four plays and out in its next possession, Colgate went on the march again. After a couple of Branch runs and a Princeton personal foul, Brown hit DeWayne Long with a 19-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 remaining. Long caught another pass for a two-point conversion to give Colgate a 29-26 lead.
The Tigers got the ball on their own 16 and proceeded to pick up two first downs. Princeton was stymied once and for all when a Verbit pass was picked off with seconds remaining.
Not satisfied with moral victories, the players were left furious by the near-miss. "They were angry not to get the victory," said Hughes, recalling the scene in the locker room after the game. "Justin Stull stood up in the locker room and announced that the season starts tomorrow and we aren't going to let this happen again."
Looking at things from a coach's perspective, Hughes was able to see areas of progress. "We made improvements in our run defense and cut down on defensive penalties," said Hughes, whose club outgained Colgate 352 yards to 349 with Benson rushing for a career-high 133 yards and Veach chipping in 67 yards rushing of his own.
"We ran the ball very effectively. Brandon is becoming much more patient. He's running behind his blockers, he had a great breakaway run. I thought that both he and Jon ran very well."
Stickland's performance mirrored the good and the bad of the Tigers' effort as he tied a school single-game record by making three interceptions but was ultimately burned on the game-winning touchdown.
The lessons learned collectively should serve Princeton well as it heads into the meat of its Ivy League schedule, starting with a clash against visiting Brown (3-1, 0-1 Ivy) this Saturday.
"You can't relax," asserted Hughes. "I'm not saying that we did that but when we went up 12 we then gave up the big drive. We just have to make the big plays at the crucial times. We still take away a lot from this game. Colgate was ranked 11th in the country a few weeks ago and we battled them. We showed that we can do that with any team that we will be playing."
