.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Tiger Football Prepares To (Finally) Open 2004 Season
September 15, 2004 | Football
Sept. 15, 2004
PRINCETON - After completing 26 preseason practices and watching most schools in the country play two football games, the Princeton Tigers are ready to put the jerseys back on and open the 2004 season Saturday against Lafayette (7:08 p.m., CSTV, RCN, WHWH 1350 AM, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com).
9/18/04: Lafayette vs. Princeton Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Notes
For Openers -- Princeton has lost five straight season openers, including a 28-13 loss to Lehigh last season. The Tigers' last win on Opening Day came in 1998, when they defeated Cornell 6-0 in the first game ever played at Princeton Stadium.
Goodbye Lehigh -- For the first time since 2000, Princeton is not opening its football season with Lehigh. The last time the Tigers opened with a team other than the Mountain Hawks, they suffered a 24-17 loss at Lafayette.
Series Success -- Princeton has won 33 of 40 meetings all-time against Lafayette, including five in a row at home, while the Leopards have managed four wins and three ties.
On The Other Hand -- Two of Lafayette's four wins in this series have come in the last three meetings, both of which came at Lafayette.
Lights, Camera, Action -- This will be Princeton's seventh night game at Princeton Stadium. The Tigers are 2-4 in previous night games, including an 0-2 mark last season. The Tigers' last night victory was a 34-19 win over Lafayette two seasons ago.
Out Of The Gates -- Princeton jumped out to a 24-0 lead in its 34-19 win over Lafayette two seasons ago. Last season, Lafayette held a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 28-13 win.
The People's McCourt -- Lafayette senior Joe McCourt is the only running back to rush for at least 100 yards against Princeton in each of the last two seasons. McCourt ran for 104 yards last week against Georgetown and was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.
Marko Polo -- While Princeton is familiar with McCourt, it will not see quarterback Marko Glavic, who owns two of Lafayette's four wins all-time against Princeton. Glavic graduated in 2004.
Familiar Faces -- Princeton returns 11 starters from last year's Lafayette game and three more starters from the 2002 Lafayette game. Among the returners will be senior quarterback Matt Verbit, who threw for 253 yards and a touchdown in last year's game.
Oh Captain, Our Co-Captains -- Princeton named senior running back Jon Veach and junior linebacker Justin Stull as its 2004 captains.
It's Been A While -- The last time a Princeton junior was a captain, the Oscar-winning movie was Casablanca. Justin Stull is the first junior captain at Princeton since 1943, when Wayne Harding was named captain during the wartime.
The Arms Race -- Matt Verbit, who is starting his 15th straight game at quarterback, is the sixth-leading passer all-time at Princeton. He can pass former teammate Dave Splithoff '04 for fifth place on his first pass of the season, as he is only 12 yards behind last season's co-captain. Verbit needs 190 yards to pass Bob Holly '82 for fourth place and 228 yards to pass Ron Beible '76 for third place.
Running Men -- Senior tailbacks Branden Benson and Jon Veach will be expected to carry the load for Princeton again this season. Both were named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week once last season.
Lights, Camera, Action -- Branden Benson and Jon Veach had their best game collectively in 2003 in their second night game, a 33-27 loss to Columbia. Benson rushed for 102 yards and two scores, while Veach rushed for 99 yards. It was the closest Princeton has come to having a pair of 100-yard rushers in one game since Roger Hughes became head coach in 2000.
Line `Em Up -- Princeton will have four returning starters on its offensive line, although only three actually played on the offensive line last season. Left guard Andrew Wilson, center Jeremy Moore and right tackle Dave Szelingowski return after starting all 10 games last season. Junior left tackle Ben Brielmaier, who replaces Kevin Manning '04, started the final seven games last season on the defensive line. He was moved to his new position at the beginning of training camp this fall.
`D' Plus -- Princeton's strength this season is expected to be on the defensive side of the ball, where there will be as many as 10 former starters expected to contribute.
Happy Returns -- Princeton welcomes back a trio of All-Ivy performers from 2002. Seniors Zak Keasey (linebacker) and Brandon Mueller (defensive back) join Jay McCareins (defensive back) in the starting lineup once again for the Tigers. Each gained their eligibility back after missing the 2003 season.
Justin Time -- Those three will get their first start with Justin Stull tonight, who led the Ivy League with 114 tackles last season. It was the most tackles by a Princeton player since Dave Patterson made 129 in the 1995 championship season.
Tackling The Issue -- Justin Stull will line up next to Zak Keasey, who led Princeton in tackles in 2002 (88) and 2001 (71). Keasey's career high in tackles is 13, collected in Princeton's 34-19 win over Lafayette two seasons ago.
Pleading The Fifth -- Jay McCareins shared the Ivy League lead in 2002 with five interceptions. Both he and Zak Keasey recorded interceptions in the win over Lafayette that season.
Just For Kicks -- Sophomore punter Colin McDonough became the first Princeton freshman to earn first-team All-Ivy honors last season after averaging 39.0 yards per punt.
More Kicks -- Junior placekicker Derek Javarone set an Ivy League record with five field goals in last season's finale at Dartmouth. He made kicks of 24, 36, 26, 37 and 34 in the 21-15 loss.
A Tale Of Two Seasons -- Princeton opened its 2002 season 4-1 and went on to its best season since 1995 (6-4). The Tigers opened last season 1-4 and ended up with the most losses since the 1986 season (2-8).
Night-mare Ending -- One of three games Princeton lost on the final play last season came in its final night game. The Tigers, who had just evened the score on a one-yard touchdown run by Branden Benson, lost to Columbia on a 49-yard Hail Mary from Jeff Otis to Wade Fletcher.
Must See TV -- Princeton will have three nationally televised games following tonight's contest, which is being aired on College Sports Television (CSTV). The Tigers' home game against Penn will also be aired on CSTV, which can be seen on DirecTV channel 610. The road games at Cornell and Yale will be televised by the YES Network. For those who do not live in the Northeast and don't get YES on their basic cable service, it can be found on DirecTV channel 622.
More TV -- Princeton was featured on CSTV's "Dog Days," a half-hour documentary show that highlights various football training camps around the country. Virginia Tech and Maryland are among the other teams that have been featured on this program.
The Crystal Ball -- Princeton will play its first game against the University of San Diego next Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The game can be heard on WHWH 1350 AM, and on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com. San Diego, led by new head coach and former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, is playing two-time defending Ivy League champion Penn today.
Home Sweet Home -- Following three straight road contests, Princeton will return home on Oct. 16 to take on Brown at 1 p.m. The Tigers have won two straight against the Bears, including a 34-14 win in Providence last year.
Last Season: Lafayette 28, Princeton 13
EASTON, Pa. - The Princeton football team showed the same resolve and character against Lafayette as it did the week earlier against Lehigh. It also showed that going down 28-0 is no formula for victory. Joe McCourt ran for 108 yards and outscored Princeton by himself as the Leopards improved to 2-1 overall with a 28-13 win over Princeton in front of 7,107 fans at Fisher Field.
McCourt became the first opposing runner to rush for more than 100 yards in a contest against Princeton in 10 games. The last person to do it was also McCourt, who ran for 149 yards in a 34-19 loss to the Tigers in 2002. Tailbacks Branden Benson and Jon Veach each ran for 55 yards apiece for Princeton, while quarterback Matt Verbit threw for 253 yards and a touchdown in defeat. He attempted 43 passes, a career high, and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Eric Walz in the third quarter.
Middle linebacker Justin Stull led Princeton in tackles for the second straight game, recording a game-high 12. He also had the first two sacks of his collegiate career. Defensive end Joe Weiss added 10 tackles, including five solo stops, while cornerback Tim Strickland had eight stops.
Lafayette shook off any ill effects from an ugly 19-13 loss to Towson by opening the game with an 18-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. The Leopards converted on five third-down attempts, the final one coming on a one-yard dive by McCourt to make the score 7-0.
Things wouldn't get better on Princeton's first possession. Following one first down, Verbit threw a screen pass to Greg Fields, who was hit and fumbled the ball at the Lafayette 33-yard line. Lafayette drove for its second touchdown of the quarter, finishing with a three-yard scoring run by McCourt.
Princeton's 2003 Record When:
Scoring first in a game 1-5 Scoring 30+ points 1-1 Scoring less than 20 points 0-5 Leading after one quarter 1-4 Tied after one quarter 0-0 Trailing after one quarter 1-4 Leading at halftime 1-4 Tied at halftime 0-0 Trailing at halftime 1-4 Leading after third quarter 2-2 Tied after third quarter 0-1 Trailing after third quarter 0-5 In overtime 0-2 Having a 100-yard rusher 1-3 Allowing a 100-yard rusher 1-4 Having a 250-yard passer 0-6 Allowing a 250-yard passer 0-4 Kicking two or more field goals 0-2 The defense scores 1-0 Returning a kickoff for a TD 0-0 Returning a punt for a TD 0-0 Following a win 0-2 Following a loss 2-5 Having more penalties 2-5 More turnovers than opponent 0-5
2004 Ivy League Preseason Poll
1 - Penn (6) 114 2 - Harvard (4) 107 3 - Yale (6) 105 4 - Brown 73 5 - Dartmouth 58 6 - Princeton 51 7 - Columbia 46 8 - Cornell 22