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Princeton University Athletics
Act I, scene i - Opening Day
September 17, 2002 | Football
Sept. 17, 2002
The long wait for college football will end soon enough for the Princeton faithful. Forty-four weeks since their 2001 season-ending victory over Dartmouth, the Tigers will take the field Saturday at 1 p.m. against the No. 2 Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
The game can be heard live on either WBUD AM 1260 or the Princeton athletics web site. To listen to the live broadcasts on the internet, you must subscribe to the new Tigers Pass. The link for this pass is located at the top of the web site.
Princeton (0-0) at Lehigh (2-0)
The Date Sept. 21, 2002
The Kickoff 1:00 p.m.
The Site Goodman Stadium * Bethlehem, Pa.
The Series Princeton leads 36-9-2
Last Year Lehigh defeated Princeton 34-10
Last Week Princeton has not played yet
Lehigh was off
The Coaches P: Roger Hughes (third season, 6-13)
L: Pete Lembo (second season, 13-1)
TV/Radio The game can be heard live on WBUD AM 1260 and on the Princeton athletics web site.
Lehigh Notes in PDF Format
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Game Notes
Opening Act - Princeton has lost three consecutive season openers and five of its last six. Its last two openers were losses to Lehigh, including a 34-10 loss at Goodman Stadium last season. The Tigers do own a 3-2 record against Lehigh in its season opener, but its last win was a 21-0 decision in 1898.
More Openers - Princeton is 105-24-3 all-time in season openers.
Last Openers - Princeton has lost four consecutive season openers once, from 1958 to 1961.
Rest or Rust - Princeton has played zero games in the last 308 days. Lehigh has played two games in the last 24 days.
'Twas The Night Before Camp - Lehigh played its first game of the season the night before Princeton began its first practice.
Poll Position - Princeton was picked No. 2 in the 2002 preseason Ivy League media poll. Lehigh is currently the No. 2 team in Division I-AA.
Patriot Games - Princeton owns a 125-37-6 all-time record against Patriot League rivals. Of all foes in the league, Princeton has beaten Lehigh the most (36 times).
Five Alive - The Mountain Hawks have had the advantage in recent years, winning five straight contests over the Tigers. Last season, Lehigh overcame as 3-0 halftime deficit with a 24-point third quarter to earn a 34-10 victory.
Close Call - Lehigh has won 25 straight regular season games. During that stretch, the closest game was a two-point victory over Princeton (20-18) in the Tigers' 2000 season opener.
Grounded - Lehigh limited Princeton's rushing attack to 62 yards on 31 attempts last season. Only one other team limited the Tigers to under 100 yards rushing during the season (Colgate). The Tigers averaged 155.3 yards on the ground per game last season.
Out Of The Gates - Lehigh has won its first two games, including a win over D-I Buffalo, by a combined score of 106-26. In those games, the Lehigh offense is averaging 556 yards.
Spreading The Wealth - In its first two games of the season, 10 different Mountain Hawks have scored touchdowns. Last season, nine different Princeton players scored touchdowns.
Oh Captain, My Captains - Princeton's 2002 captains will be senior wide receiver Chisom Opara and senior linebacker Drew Babinecz.
Three-peat - Princeton is looking for its third straight win, dating back to the 2001 season. The Tigers ended last season with wins over Yale (34-14) and at Dartmouth (35-14).
History Lesson - The last time Princeton ended a season with back-to-back Ivy wins, the Tigers proceeded to win the Ivy title the next year. After defeating Yale (19-6) and Dartmouth (20-13) to close out the 1994 season, Princeton went 8-1-1, 5-1-1 in the league, and claimed its eighth Ivy championship.
For Starters - Princeton returns 18 starters from last season, including ten on the defensive side of the ball. The only defensive starter lost to graduation was first-team All-Ivy selection Chris Roser-Jones (OLB).
In A Second(ary) - The Tigers' starting secondary has been together for three seasons. Cornerbacks Blake Perry and Paul Simbi combined for four interceptions, nine passes defensed and 74 tackles last season. Free safety Brandon Mueller finished second on the team with 66 tackles, and strong safety Kevin Kongslie earned first-team All-Ivy honors with a team-best five interceptions and 43 tackles.
Junior Mints - Although Princeton does return 10 starters on defense, it is not a senior-driven unit. Seven of the 11 starters are juniors, and another, cornerback Jay McCareins, is a sophomore.
Climbing The Charts - Opara can become the fifth wide receiver in Princeton history with 100 career receptions if he catches three more passes. The last receiver with at least 100 receptions was Phi Wendler '00.
Line 'Em Up - Princeton returns all nine starters on its two lines. On the offensive line, tackles Kevin Manning and John Holownia, and guards Chris Havener and Lance Baird will join center Roger Patterson for a second season of duty. Defensively, Joe Weiss and Tim Kirby will return on the ends, while Jeff Micsky and George Pilcher return as tackles.
Split-ting Headache - The offensive line will be protecting another experienced starter. Junior quarterback David Splithoff started each game of the 2001 season, making him only the second quarterback to start a full season since 1991 (John Burnham in 1998).
More Split - Splithoff completed 31 passes against Lehigh, the most for any Princeton quarterback since Doug Butler completed 32 against Lafayette in 1983.
Young Guns - A pair of freshmen stepped up offensively during the final weeks of last season. In the win over Yale, wide receiver B.J. Szymanski caught four passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while classmate Jon Veach ran for 108 yards and a score against Dartmouth.
Sixth Sense - Senior tailback Cameron Atkinson needs to average 57.9 yards per game this season to become the sixth Princeton running back to top 2,000 yards in a career.
Sign Of Peace - A broken clavicle suffered in the preseason sidelined starting tight end Mike Chiusano for the entire 2002 schedule. Sophomore Tyler Peace, who didn't catch any passes last season, and junior Randy Bly will each see time at the position.
Zak Attack - Junior linebacker Zak Keasey led Princeton in tackles last season with 71, including 48 unassisted and eight for losses.
Just For Kicks - One of the key losses to graduation last year was All-Ivy kicker Taylor Northrop. Three players are competing for both the kicking and punting jobs: sophomore Joe Nardello, freshman Eliot Bishop and freshman Derek Javarone.
World Wide Webb - Junior cornerback Clark Webb made 19 tackles in the 2000 season, but he took last season off to study at Oxford University. He is listed as the backup left cornerback on the depth chart.
Big Brother - Sophomore Jay McCareins' older brother Justin scored a touchdown to lead Tennessee past Philadelphia in the NFL opener for both teams.
The Crystal Ball - Princeton will play its home opener next Saturday night against Lafayette. The game, which will begin at 7 p.m., will be televised by RCN, CN8 and will also be available via satellite.
Last Year
Princeton 10
Lehigh 34
Bethlehem, Pa. - Brant Hall threw for 213 yards and ran for 119 more and two touchdowns to lead Lehigh to a 34-10 win over Princeton in front of 10,893 at Goodman Stadium.
Princeton led 3-0 at halftime after a 37-yard Taylor Northrop field goal on the final play of the second quarter, but Lehigh scored 24 straight points in the third quarter to take control. Princeton answered with a three-yard touchdown pass from David Splithoff to Blair Morrison that capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter to make it 24-10, but Lehigh added a field goal and an interception return for a touchdown to seal it.
Splithoff, who was coming off a season in which he started two games as a freshman before missing the remainder of the season with a broken jaw, completed 31 of 39 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. His 31 completions were five off the school single-game record and the most by a Princeton quarterback in a game since Doug Butler completed 32 against Lafayette in 1983. Chisom Opara had nine receptions for 81 yards, while Nate Lindell caught five passes in his first game after returning from a torn ACL.
Brandon Mueller led Princeton with six solo tackles and two assists, while Bob Farrell had eight tackles. Zak Keasey had six unassisted tackles, three of which were for loss. Paul Simbi had an interception.
Last Week
Lehigh 69
Georgetown 0
Bethlehem, Pa. - The third ranked Lehigh football team put together a total team effort on Sept. 7 as it dismantled Georgetown 69-0.
Jermaine Pugh scored from eight yards away just four minutes into the game and the Mountain Hawks never looked back. The victory marked Lehigh's Division I-best 25th consecutive regular season win and the Mountain Hawks' 24th straight triumph at Goodman stadium.
With over 9,000 people in attendance the Lehigh squad was clicking on all cylinders, as the defense repeatedly forced Georgetown into either a punt or a turnover. Senior Matt Salvaterra had a solid game for the Mountain Hawks as he compiled seven tackles, one blocked punt and a fumble recovery. Chad Schwenk, starting at quarterback for the first time this season, passed for 288 yards and four touchdowns.
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Princeton is playing its first game of the 2002 season.