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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJSportAction) caption: |
Tiger Football Digs Out of Early Hole But Rally Falls Short in Loss at Brown
By Bill Alden
It would have been understandable if the Princeton University football team had taken the easy way out last Saturday at Brown.
Playing in a driving rainstorm and getting battered by bruising Brown running back Nick Hartigan, the Tigers trailed by 17-0 with 3:44 left in the first quarter.
A less determined team would have folded its tent and taken its whipping before rushing back to its heated bus for the long ride home.
Instead, Princeton kept its cool in the face of the storm and the Brown onslaught. "There was no panic,” recalled Princeton head coach Roger Hughes. "Even when we were down 17-0, we were taking things one play at a time."
Sure enough, Princeton started to make some plays as it chipped away at the Brown lead. On the Tigers’ third possession, senior receiver Greg Fields ignited things as he rushed for 10 yards and then made a 23-yard reception to get Princeton into Brown territory for the first time all afternoon.
Showing his running ability, junior quarterback Jeff Terrell ran for 38 yards and then recovered his fumble in the end zone to get the Tigers on the board.
Led by its quarterback Joe DiGiacomo, the Bears built the cushion back up to 17 points as he found Lonnie Hill on a 36-yard scoring strike.
On Princeton’s next possession, junior fullback Rob Toresco provided a big spark as he raced down the sideline on a 45-yard run that put the Tigers on the Brown three yard line. Princeton then went into its no-huddle offense and Terrell hit tight end Jon Dekker for a two-yard touchdown pass.
Going into the locker room trailing by 24-14 at the half, the Tigers had new life. Hitting the field after the intermission, the Tigers showed that energy right off the bat.
With the resourceful Terrell taking off on an 18-yard scamper and then hitting Brian Shields on a 22-yard pass play and finding Toresco on a 34-yard strike, Princeton was knocking at the door. Toresco finished the 82-yard march as he bulled in for a 2-yard touchdown plunge to narrow the gap to 24-21.
After holding Brown to a three downs and out, the Tigers got excellent field position as they took over possession at the Brown 37.
Terrell hit Dekker for 10 yards and then the speedy Fields sprinted 24 yards to get Princeton on the Brown three. Terrell scored his second touchdown of the contest as he plunged in from the one.
So with 21 unanswered points in just over 16 minutes of play, Princeton had amazingly fought all the way back to lead the Bears 28-24.
But Brown answered back as DiGiacomo led the Bears on an 81-yard scoring march which culminated with his five-yard touchdown pass to David Turner.
With the field becoming a nearly unplayable quagmire, that last score proved to be the difference as Brown held on for a 31-28 win before 5,031 hardy fans.
In reflecting on the disappointing setback, Hughes praised All-American running back Hartigan, who ended up with 245 yards rushing, for putting the Tigers in a hole.
"I give Hartigan all of the credit," said Hughes, whose club fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Ivy League play with the loss.
"The conditions were in his favor and he took full advantage of that. They have a great running game and they were able to get it going. We also made some offensive miscues that hurt us; we had some bad penalties."
Hughes was proud of how his team battled back from that early deficit. "We fought back," asserted Hughes, whose team was outgained 451 yards to 351 on the afternoon by Brown which moved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Ivy play.
"The defense got used to the conditions and started playing their schemes better. Their quarterback is good but we were playing hard and making adjustments."
Princeton also has a good quarterback in Terrell, who showed superb composure in getting Princeton back in the game. The 6’3, 220-pound native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio did it with his left arm and legs as he hit on 13-of-24 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
"They were bringing the heat on Jeff," said Hughes, whose other offensive sparkplug was Fields with 40 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving, and 88 yards on returns. "It turned into an option game and he showed some great decision making."
Despite the loss, Princeton’s Ivy League fate is still in its hands. With Yale and Penn currently at 2-0 in league play and coming up on Princeton’s schedule, the Tigers can earn at least a share of the title if they reel off five straight wins to end the season.
The first step in that process will be a stiff test to say the least as Princeton heads up to Harvard (3-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy). The Tigers are mired in a nine-game losing streak in the series, with their last win over the Crimson coming in 1995.
"We haven't beaten those guys in a while," said Hughes. "The last two games up there were very close. Our seniors are looking to get a win."
Hughes is confident that the team can get over the hump against Harvard. "We have our league destiny in our hands," added Hughes. "We feel like we missed an opportunity last Saturday. It's just a play here or a play there. We just need to clean things up a bit."
While last Saturday's rally fell short, Princeton has shown that it is not about to take the easy way out.
