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Princeton University Athletics
Three's Company
October 08, 2002 | Football
Oct. 8, 2002
There is always an added level of drama in an Ivy League game. If you were at Wien Stadium last weekend, you know that to be true.
Princeton plays three non-league games in its season. One was the season opener against the No. 3 team in the country, so there was no problem getting up for that one. Another was the home opener, which is exciting for any football player.
So it's easy to wonder what makes Saturday's game against Colgate so special (1 p.m., Princeton Stadium; RCN TV, WBUD radio). It doesn't count to the league standings for either team, so where's the excitement?
Well, you'll never find a successful football player or coach who will tell you any game is unimportant. Spend the greater part of one week practicing and preparing for one team, and you get pretty fired up to finally get to hit them.
These are two teams on winning streaks, and neither wants to drop any momentum. Colgate has won three straight, including an overtime win over Bucknell last week. Princeton has won two straight, including a win that probably felt like it went into multiple overtimes against Columbia.
And for the Princeton players, there is the added significance of the opponent. The Tigers have beaten or hung tough against every Ivy League rival under Roger Hughes, and even losses to Lehigh and Lafayette have been dramatic. Colgate, however, has had its way with Princeton, winning the last two games by an average of 26.5 points.
Neither the Ivy League standings nor the Patriot League standings will be directly affected by today's result. But the winner is going to feel a whole lot better about itself once it gets into those games.
Colgate Notes in PDF Format
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The Facts
The Date
Oct. 12, 2002
The Kickoff
1:07 p.m.
The Site
Princeton Stadium * Princeton, N.J.
The Series
Princeton leads 23-19-1
Last Year
Colgate 35, Princeton 10
Last Week
Princeton defeated Columbia 35-32
Colgate defeated Bucknell 13-10 (OT)
The Coaches
P: Roger Hughes (third season, 8-14)
C: Dick Biddle (seventh season, 48-25)
TV/Radio
The game can be viewed on RCN and heard live on WBUD AM 1260 and on the Princeton athletics web site.
Game Notes
Four Score - Princeton has won four of its last five games, dating back to last season. It has also won three straight Ivy League contests for the first time since 1995.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark - Colgate is the only team to beat the Tigers by more than 11 points in both meetings during Roger Hughes' first two seasons at Princeton.
That Winning Feeling - Princeton's win over Columbia put the Tigers over the .500 mark for the first time since Princeton was 3-2 in 1998.
Five Alive - Junior quarterback David Splithoff is ranked fifth in Division I-AA passing efficiency. In three starts, his rating is 162.7.
Split Screen - David Splithoff has thrown at least one touchdown pass in five consecutive starts. The last Princeton quarterback to do that was Joel Sharp, who threw a touchdown pass in each of the first five games of the 1990 season.
Bombs Away - Three of David Splithoff's five touchdown passes this season have been at least 50-yard completions. For his career, nine of his 17 touchdowns have been from at least 50 yards.
Final Splithoff - David Splithoff is fifth all-time at Princeton in passing yards (2,890), despite having 154 fewer attempts than anybody above him. Splithoff is 734 yards behind fourth-place Bob Holly.
Day At The Veach - Princeton sophomore tailback Jon Veach had his best game of the 2002 season, rushing 11 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown came on his fifth consecutive carry during a third-quarter drive. His second score, an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter, gave Princeton the lead for good.
Take A Schott(el) - Princeton completed a Hail Mary to end the first half against Columbia. David Splithoff rolled right and threw a perfect pass into the waiting hands of senior wide receiver Patrick Schottel for a 50-yard score.
I'm Honored - Princeton defensive back Blake Perry was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after the junior led Princeton with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, three tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and a sack.
With Honors - Blake Perry is the second Princeton player to earn an Ivy League honor in as many weeks. Following the Lafayette game, freshman kicker Derek Javarone was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
Dressed To The Nines - Cameron Atkinson recorded his sixth career 100-yard rushing game. He moved into ninth place on the all-time list at Princeton with 1,687 yards, and he needs 28 more to tie Erick Hamilton at eighth place.
Climbing Ivy - Cameron Atkinson is currently second in the Ivy League in rushing. He is averaging 88.7 yards per game.
Spreading It Around - Seven different receivers caught passes in the win over Columbia. Four were wide receivers, one was a tight end, one was a tailback and one was a fullback.
Line 'Em Up - Princeton has kept its opponents from recording a sack in two of three games. Colgate has recorded 16 sacks in its first five games of the season.
Just For Kicks - Punter Joe Nardello, who had his previous punt blocked for a safety, hit a 57-yard punt from his own end zone to keep Columbia from having good field position late in the fourth quarter of last week's win.
Oh Captain, My Captain - Defensive captain Drew Babinecz was second to Blake Perry last weekend with 10 tackles.
Bly Away - One week after backup tight end Tyler Peace caught his first touchdown pass, starting tight end Randy Bly also caught his first touchdown pass in the win over Columbia, an 18-yard scoring play that gave Princeton a 35-24 lead.
A Night At The Opara - Chisom Opara ranks 21st in the nation in receptions per game (6.33) and receiving yards per game (99.0).
Home Sweet Home - Princeton opens a three-game homestand today. The Tigers will face Brown and Harvard at Princeton Stadium the next two weeks.
The Crystal Ball - Each of Princeton's final six games will be played against Ivy League opponents. The Tigers host Brown next (1 p.m., Princeton Stadium). The game will be televised on CN8 and RCN.
Scouting Colgate (3-2)
Colgate brings a three-game winning streak to Princeton Stadium, and can thank a talented defense for the last two wins. The Raiders have held their last two opponents (Columbia, Bucknell) to 8.0 points per game. Linebackers Ryan Disch and Tem Lukabu have each recorded at least 50 tackles this season, while three different defensive players have at least four sacks (Josh Sabo leads the team with five).
Offensively, Colgate runs a balanced offense that can beat you on the ground or through the air. Two players average more than 50.0 yards on the ground, led by Nate Thomas (70.0). Six different players have rushed for scores, including quarterback Tom McCune, who has ran for three touchdowns.
McCune is most dangerous with his arm, throwing for 199.8 yards per game and four touchdowns. In a low-scoring game against Bucknell last week, he still threw for 271 yards. His favorite receiver this season has been Luke Graham, who has 27 receptions for 442 yards and three touchdowns. J.B. Gerald is second on the team with 16 receptions for 185 yards and one touchdown.
Lane Schwarzberg has been perfect this season from inside 29 yards out, but is 0 for 3 from anything beyond that.
Colgate and Princeton have had one common opponent this season, Columbia. Two weeks ago, the Raiders turned six Columbia turnovers into a 38-6 victory in Hamilton, N.Y. The Lions returned home last Saturday and held three leads before Princeton rallied in the fourth quarter for a 35-32 win.
Last Weekend
Princeton 35, Columbia 32
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Princeton won its Ivy League opener by rallying from a trio of deficits and making timely big plays in a 35-32 win.
The Tigers took momentum into halftime when junior quarterback David Splithoff completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to senior Patrick Schottel on the final play of the half.
A one-yard touchdown run by Jon Veach gave the Tigers their first lead, but a safety and a touchdown by Columbia's Derek Smith gave the Lions a 24-21 lead. Veach, who replaced injured starter Cameron Atkinson, broke a tackle at the line and sprinted down the right sideline for an 18-yard touchdown with 12:31 remaining in regulation to give Princeton back the lead.
A touchdown pass to Randy Bly opened up an 11-point lead, but Columbia went on a 19-play scoring drive to get within a field goal. Brendan Dillon recovered the onsides kick to seal the win. Blake Perry led the defense with 11 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and one recovery.
Colgate 13, Bucknell 10 (OT)
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Lane Schwarzberg kicked two field goals, including a 23-yarder in overtime, to lead Colgate to a 13-10 win at Bucknell in Patriot League action.
Colgate carried a 7-3 lead into halftime, thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Tom McCune to Luke Graham late in the first quarter.
Following a 22-yard field goal by Chris Lundberg in the second quarter, Bucknell took a 10-7 lead with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Todd Wenrich to Jim Horan during the third quarter. Colgate was able to force overtime when Schwarzberg connected from 20 yards out. He could have won it on the final play of regulation, but his 38-yard attempt was blocked.
Bucknell opened overtime with the ball, but Lundberg missed a 26-yard kick. Colgate needed six plays to move the ball to the six-yard line before Schwarzberg gave the Raiders their third straight victory with the overtime winner.
Last Year
Colgate 35, Princeton 10
Princeton, N.J. - Tom McCune completed 19 of 26 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns to lead Colgate to a 35-10 win over Princeton in front of 12,304 at Princeton Stadium.
Princeton led 3-0 after Taylor Northrop's 33-yard field goal with 4:56 to go in the first quarter, but Colgate would score touchdowns on four straight possessions to take control. It was 7-3 when McCune threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Joe Parker early in the second quarter, and the Raiders added another touchdown with 10 seconds to go in the half to cap a 12-play, 89-yard march and make it 21-3 at intermission.
After another Colgate touchdown, Cameron Atkinson capped a 10-play, 70-yard Princeton drive with a 16-yard TD run, but Colgate ended the scoring with another touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
Colgate had 506 yards of offense in the game to 175 for Princeton. David Splithoff was 9 of 22 for 107 yards before leaving the game after two big hits in the fourth quarter. He was fine after the game.