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Princeton University Athletics
Saturday Night Fever
September 20, 2000 | Football
Sept. 20, 2000
LEHIGH (2-0) at PRINCETON (0-1)
The Date Sept. 23, 2000
The Kickoff 7:07 p.m.
The Site Princeton Stadium * Princeton, N.J.
The Series Princeton 36-7-2
Last Year Lehigh defeated Princeton 31-0
Last Week Princeton lost to Lafayette 24-17, Lehigh defeated Pennsylvania 17-10
The Coaches Princeton: Roger Hughes (first season, 0-1), Lehigh: Kevin Higgins (seventh season, 46-24-1)
TV/Radio The game can be heard live on the Princeton Radio Network, which includes flagship station WHWH AM 1350 in Princeton, WHTG AM 1410 in Eatontown and the Princeton Web site (www.goprincetontigers.com), as well as on student-run station WPRB FM 103.3. The game can also be seen on RCN, which will televise the game live and on tape delay Saturday and Tuesday at 8 p.m.
This Week's Note of the Week
Old friends -- Princeton head coach Roger Hughes and offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan and Lehigh defensive coordinator Tom Gilmore were all on John Lyons' staff at Dartmouth a year ago. Lehigh assistant head coach Pete Lembo also coached with Hughes, Rackovan and Gilmore at Dartmouth. Five more notes no media person should be without
In a rush -- Princeton had 66 of its 120 rushing yards against Lafayette in the fourth quarter.
More rush -- Princeton averaged 2.3 yards per carry in the first three quarters and 5.5 yards per carry in the fourth quarter against Lafayette.
Still more rush -- Princeton had 19 rushing yards in last year's game against Lehigh.
Picked clean -- Linebacker Chris Roser-Jones, who leads Division I-AA in interceptions per game at 2.0, has four career interceptions. Every other Princeton player combined has three career interceptions.
Patriot games -- Lehigh has won eight straight and 13 of its last 15 games against Ivy League opponents.
Others receiving votes
Night and day -- This week's game is the second home night game in Princeton history. The first was last year against Lehigh.
Yard marker -- Of the 787 yards of total offense in the Princeton-Lafayette game, 520 came in the second half.
History lesson -- When Chris Roser-Jones returned an interception for a touchdown against Lafayette, it marked the first time since Jim Anderson returned an interception 100 yards for a TD against Cornell in 1984 that Princeton's first touchdown of a season was by the defense.
Your Cheatham heart -- Fullback Marty Cheatham carried three times for 16 yards against Lafayette. He did have a single carry all of last year as Princeton's starting H-back.
I'm honored -- Taylor Northrop, who had the longest punt (65) and longest field goal (37) in the league last week, was named Ivy special teams Player of the Week for the third time in his career.
Dillon gym -- Sophomore Brendan Dillon, who did not make the travel squad a year ago, had three receptions against Lafayette in his first varsity action.
Size matters -- Lafayette had two receptions of at least 55 yards against Princeton, and both were by wide receivers who stood 6' 3". The average size of the four receivers on Lehigh's two-deep is 5' 11".
World wide Webb -- Sophomore cornerback Clark Webb, who missed all of last year with a broken collarbone, had a team-high 10 tackles against Lafayette in his first collegiate game.
Flag day -- Princeton was called for nine penalties for 88 yards against Lafayette. Four of the nine penalties were for pass interference.
The defense rests -- Cornerback Paul Simbi made nine tackles and had eight passes defensed against Lafayette.
Tight-en up -- Tight end George Citovic, who started all 10 games a year ago, had six receptions for the entire 1999 season. Citovic had four receptions in the Lafayette game in Week 1 of the 2000 season.
Fresh face -- Blake Perry had nine tackles against Lafayette. Perry became the first freshman ever to start a game on offense or defense at Princeton.
More fresh -- Brandon Mueller, the freshman nickelback, had five tackles and a sack in his first college game.
Young guns -- Of the 44 players on Princeton's offensive and defensive two-deep, 22 are freshmen and sophomores.
A night at the Opara -- Chisom Opara had 157 all-purpose yards against Lafayette, more than the next four Princeton players combined.
Catching on -- Princeton's wide receivers combined for 12 receptions against Lafayette after coming into the game with a combined 14 career receptions between them.
Getting his kicks -- Taylor Northrop's 65-yard punt against Lafayette was a career-long, eclipsing his previous best of 54.
Just in case it comes up -- There has not been a punt returned for a touchdown either by Princeton or an opponent against Princeton since 1994, there has not been a kickoff returned for a touchdown either by Princeton or an opponent against Princeton since 1992.
More just in case -- Princeton has played four overtime games since the rule was instituted in 1996. The Tigers are 0-4 in those games.
Elite company -- Offensive tackle Dennis Norman, a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection, has an opportunity to become the fourth three-time selection in school history. The first three were Derek Graham '85, Damani Leech '98 and Matt Evans '99.
Don't mess with Texas -- Cornerback Clark Webb was a high school baseball teammate of Princeton junior Chris Young at Highland Park High in Dallas.
Geography lesson -- Princeton has more starters from California than from any other state.
More geography -- Princeton's 22 starters come from 12 different states.
Be like Mike -- Mike Higgins is the fourth linebacker in the last six years to be a Princeton captain (Dave Patterson, Tim Greene, Chuck Hastings). Each of the previous three was named either first-team or second-team All-Ivy League.
Crossing the line -- Princeton starts five players who played on the opposite side of the ball at various times at Princeton: Ross Tucker (DL to OG), Marty Cheatham (DB to FB), Paul Simbi (RB to DB), Kyle Brandt (RB to DB to RB) and Nick Freitag (RB to LB to DT).
Track meet -- The Princeton football team features three membes of Princeton's 2000 outdoor Heptagonal champion 4x100 relay team: Cameron Atkinson, Patrick Schottel and Paul Simbi.
More history -- Last year's shutout of Princeton was Lehigh's first in the series. Princeton has shut Lehigh out 29 times.
Still more history -- Thirty-seven of the 45 meetings between Princeton and Lehigh were played before 1936.
Princeton Offense WR 3 NATE LINDELL (So., 5-11, 180 *?Poway, Calif.) 81 Brendan Dillon (So., 6-2, 180?*?Gays Mills, Wisc.) LT 76 DENNIS NORMAN (Sr., 6-4, 280 * Marlton, N.J.) 77 Kevin Manning (Fr., 6-5, 275 * Dalton, Pa.) LG 69 LANCE BAIRD (So., 6-5, 290 * Weston, Fla.) 79 Matt Peluse (Jr., 6-5, 290 *?Glen Rock, N.J.) C 62 BRIAN WILSON (Sr., 6-2, 275 *?Springfield, Pa.) 72 Roger Patterson (So., 6-2, 265 * Eagle River, Alaska) RG 65 ROSS TUCKER (Sr., 6-5, 295 * Wyomissing, Pa.) 73 Chris Havener (So., 6-4, 280 *?New Britain, Pa.) RT 66 John Raveche (Sr., 6-5, 300 *?Hoboken, N.J.) 78 John Holownia (So., 6-5, 300 *?East Setauket, N.Y.) TE 84 GEORGE Citovic (Sr., 6-5, 235 *?Middleburg Hts., Ohio) 48 David Camarillo (Sr., 6-2, 205 *?Aptos, Calif.) WR 21 CHISOM OPARA (So., 6-2, 210 * Lutherville, Md.) 18 Patrick Schottel (So., 6-3, 195 * Roseville, Minn.) QB 12 TOMMY CRENSHAW (Jr., 6-2, 210 * Pompano Beach, Fla.) 16 Jon Blevins (Sr., 6-3, 210 * Westlake, Ohio) TB 34 KYLE BRANDT (Sr., 6-0, 205 *?Lincolnshire, Ill.) 20 Ismael El-Amin (So., 5-11, 195 * Chicago, Ill.) FB 9 MARTY CHEATHAM (Sr., 6-1, 200 *?Palos Verdes, Calif.) 39 Tim Bowden (So., 6-0, 210 * St. John, Kansas)
Princeton Defense DE 97 MICHAEL LONG (Jr., 6-3, 260 *?Los Angeles, Calif.) 95 Joseph Weiss (Fr., 6-2, 230 * Somers Point, N.J.) DT 94 NICK FREITAG (Sr., 6-1, 245 *?Michigan City, Ind.) 53 Aron Tremble (Sr., 6-2, 235 * San Diego, Calif.) DT 96 Jason Rotman (Sr., 6-4, 240 *?Deerfield, Ill.) 71 Roger Hopkins (So., 6-3, 245 *?Piscataway, N.J.) DE 59 NATHAN PODSAKOFF (Sr., 6-2, 240 *?Bloomington, Ind.) 93 Tim Kirby (Fr., 6-4, 230 * San Mateo, Calif.) LB 55 Steven Koopman (Sr., 6-1, 200 *?Indian Springs, Ala.) 52 Zak Keasey (Fr., 6-1, 215 * Clarkston, Mich.) LB 51 MiKE Higgins (Sr., 6-0, 210 * Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.) 46 Bob Farrell (Jr., 6-0, 215 *?Tulsa, Okla.) LB 98 CHRIS ROSER-JONES (Jr., 6-0, 210 *?State College, Pa.) 49 Rob Currey (So., 6-1, 210 *?Fowlerville, Mich.) CB 1 Paul Simbi (So., 5-8, 185 * Roseville, Minn.) 44 Taylor Smith (Sr., 5-10, 185 * New Orleans, La.) SS 45 KEVIN KONGSLIE (So., 6-0, 180 * Salem, Ore.) 19 Donald Scott (So., 5-9, 175 * Bolingbrook, Ill.) FS 33 BLAKE PERRY (Fr., 6-0, 180 * Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.) 5 Jon Ganter (Jr., 5-10, 185 *?State College, Pa.) CB 24 CLARK WEBB (So., 5-9, 185?*?Dallas, Texas) 37 Brandon Mueller (Fr., 6-0, 185 * Valencia, Pa.)
Princeton Specialists PK 6 TAYLOR NORTHROP (Jr., 5-11, 175 * Jupiter, Fla.) KO 6 TAYLOR NORTHROP (Jr., 5-11, 175 * Jupiter, Fla.) P 6 TAYLOR NORTHROP (Jr., 5-11, 175 * Jupiter, Fla.) LS 84 GEORGE Citovic (Sr., 6-5, 235 *?Middleburg Hts., Ohio) H 3 GARY BAUMWOLL (Jr., 6-0, 190 * Randolph, N.J.) PR 17 ANDY BRYANT (So., 5-9, 190 *?Laramie, Wyo.) KR 29 CAMERON ATKINSON (So., 5-7, 170 *?Mantua, N.J.) and 21 CHISOM OPARA (So., 6-2, 210 * Lutherville, Md.)