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Princeton University Athletics
Caught Red Handed
October 30, 2002 | Football
Oct. 30, 2002
After three weeks, the Princeton football team finally gets to pull out its white jerseys, get on the bus and go somewhere new. Following a 2-1 homestand, the Tigers will travel to Ithaca, N.Y. to battle the Cornell Big Red Saturday at 1:00 (WBUD AM 1260, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com).
The Tigers have not beaten Cornell since 1998, when Princeton debuted its brand new stadium to a sellout crowd. The Tigers haven't left Schoellkopf Field with a win since 1992, although they came as close as possible two years ago.
With a win Saturday, Princeton would put itself in position to play a critical game on Nov. 9 against the Penn Quakers. But don't tell any of the Tiger players or coaches that. Anything beyond Saturday is the furthest thing from their minds.
They're just ready to get back on the road.
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Just The Facts
The Date Nov. 2, 2002
The Kickoff 1:00 p.m.
The Site Schoellkopf Field * Ithaca, N.Y.
The Series Princeton leads 52-30-2
Last Year Cornell 10, Princeton 7
Last Week Princeton lost to Harvard 24-17; Cornell defeated Brown 10-7 (2OT)
The Coaches P: Roger Hughes (third season, 10-15); C: Tim Pendergast (second season, 4-11)
TV/Radio The game can be heard live on WBUD AM 1260 and on the Princeton athletics web site.
Game Notes
Seeing Red - Princeton is looking to claim its first win at Schoellkopf Field since the 1992 season, and its first win over the Big Red anywhere since 1998. The last two losses have been by a combined total of four points.
Slipping Away - Princeton's last loss at Cornell, a 25-24 defeat in 2000, ended when All-America kicker Taylor Northrop '02 slipped on the wet astroturf on an extra-point attempt in the final minute. Princeton would recover the ensuing onsides kick, but officials waved off the play after ruling the kick did not go 10 yards.
Just For Kicks - A late kick also affected Princeton's 10-7 loss last season to Cornell. Taylor Northrop hit the crossbar on a 57-yard field goal attempt in the final minutes. The ball bounced up and fell just in front of the crossbar.
Four Score - Princeton has already topped its win total of each of the last three seasons with a 4-2 start to the 2002 campaign. The Tigers had records of 3-7, 3-7 and 3-6 coming into this season.
One And Done - Senior tailback Cameron Atkinson needs to rush for one yard Saturday to become the sixth Princeton player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. Atkinson had rushed for a career-best four straight 100-yard games before rushing for 34 yards last week at Harvard.
I'm Honored - Cameron Atkinson is one of 14 members of the 2002 National Scholar-Athlete Class. He is one of three Division I-AA members of the class and the lone Ivy League representative. Atkinson, a chemistry major, will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on Dec. 8 when the 2002 Hall of Fame class is inducted.
Three For All - Senior wide receiver Chisom Opara needs 38 receiving yards to be the third Princeton player ever to record 2,000 receiving yards in a career.
Lasting Legacy - The last Princeton player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a career is Marc Washington '97 (1993-96, 2,005). The last Princeton player to have over 2,000 receiving yards is Derek Graham '85 (1981-84, 2,798).
Welcome Back - After missing the Colgate game with an injury, senior wide receiver Chisom Opara has made 19 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
A Night At The Opara - Chisom Opara is fourth all-time at Princeton with 135 career receptions. He needs two more to tie Judd Garrett'90 for third on the list.
You Always Remember The First Time - Sophomore backup quarterback Matt Verbit threw his first career touchdown pass last weekend in the fourth quarter against Harvard. Verbit completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chisom Opara to cut the deficit to 24-17.
On A Roll - Junior defensive end Tim Kirby was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll for this first time this season following his performance against the Crimson last weekend. Kirby had eight tackles (three solo), three tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one sack.
The Closer - Princeton's sophomore defensive back Jay McCareins has ended three potential game-winning drives in the last three weeks with leaping interceptions (one against Colgate, two against Brown). After his performance against Brown, he was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
Zak Attack - Junior middle linebacker Zak Keasey leads Princeton with 53 tackles (35 unassisted). Keasey also led the team in tackles as a sophomore with 71 (48 unassisted). He is also tied for the team lead with four sacks. Junior defensive end Joe Weiss also has four.
G.I. Joe - Joe Weiss leads the Ivy League with 11 tackles for loss. After missing half of last season with a pair of broken hands, he has started each game of the 2002 season and has 33 tackles, four sacks, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Bombs Away - Five of David Splithoff's eight touchdown passes this season have been at least 50-yard completions. For his career, 11 of his 20 touchdowns have been from at least 50 yards.
More Bombs - Dave Splithoff has thrown three of the four longest passes in the Ivy League this season. The only player to throw for more yards on one play is Penn's Mike Mitchell (82 yards).
The Crystal Ball - Princeton will return home next weekend to take on the Penn Quakers at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on locally on CN8 or RCN, or nationally on satellite (KU Band, SBS 6, Transponder 6). It can also be listened to on WBUD AM 1260 or on the Princeton athletics web site (www.GoPrincetonTigers.com).
Final Four - Penn owns a four-game winning streak over the Princeton Tigers, including a 21-10 victory last season. The last time that the Tigers defeated Penn on the field (the 1997 victory was awarded to Princeton via forfeit) was 1995, which is also the last season Princeton won an Ivy League title.
Last Year
Cornell 10, Princeton 7
Princeton, N.J. - Taylor Northrop's potential game-tying 57-yard field goal with 5:53 to go smacked off the top of the crossbar and came back into the end zone, enabling Cornell to hang on to a 10-7 win over the Tigers in front of 11,685 at Princeton Stadium.
Princeton led 7-0 against Cornell after a nine-play, 98-yard drive midway through the second quarter, a drive that ended when David Splithoff threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Chiusano. Princeton used a 30-yard Cameron Atkinson run and a 26-yard Splithoff to Patrick Schottel pass to set up the score.
Cornell, though, answered on its next possession, going 78 yards in 10 plays to tie it at 7-7 when Ricky Rahne threw a 14-yard TD pass to Keith Ferguson with 25 seconds remaining in the half.
The game stayed 7-7 through the third quarter, and the Big Red took their first lead when Peter Iverson snuck a 40-yard field goal over the crossbar with 13:25 to go. Princeton, starting at its 30, drove to the Cornell 20, but a false start, a hold and a sack backed the Tigers up 20 yards. Still, Northrop came on to attempt the 57-yarder, which hit the top of the crossbar dead center.
Last Weekend
Harvard 24, Princeton 17
PRINCETON, N.J. - Princeton was doomed by four turnovers and had a late rally fall short in a 24-17 loss to Harvard last weekend.
The Crimson jumped out to a 7-0 lead before senior tailback Cameron Atkinson evened the score at 7-7 with a 13-yard touchdown run, his sixth of the season. The Tigers recovered a fumble on the next drive but missed a field goal.
Harvard capitalized on back-to-back interceptions to take a 17-7 lead into halftime. Nick Palazzo scored on his second of three touchdown runs, and Jim Morocco kicked a 29-yard field goal with :03 remaining in the half.
The Crimson made it 24-7 before Princeton began its fourth-quarter rally. Derek Javarone hit a 30-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14 points, and backup quarterback Matt Verbit, who replaced the injured Dave Splithoff, threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chisom Opara with 3:42 remaining. Harvard got a late interception to thwart Princeton's final drive.
Cornell 10, Brown 7 (2OT)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Marcus Blanks scored on a 15-yard run with 52 seconds to play in regulation, then Trevor MacMeekin kicked a 42-yard field goal in the second overtime Saturday to give Cornell a 10-7 win over Brown.
Brown made a bid for the lead in the first overtime but Cornell blocked Paul Christian's 37-yard field goal attempt. Nate Spliter clinched the victory by intercepting Kyle Slager's pass in the second overtime.
Brown, off to its worst start since 1992, led 7-0 when Brandon Buchanon fumbled on Cornell's 34-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Cornell then marched 66 yards in 11 plays and tied the score 7-7 on Blanks' run.
Cornell committed eight turnovers, including six fumbles. Two of those fumbles came inside the Brown 22-yard line in the first half.
Cornell's Keith Ferguson caught 14 passes for 177 yards, breaking the school record for career receptions. He now has 178. .