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Princeton University Athletics
Westward Ho!
September 22, 2004 | Football
Sept. 22, 2004
PRINCETON - It's not the usual Friday bus trip this time. The Princeton football team will look to go 2-0 on the young season Saturday when it travels to San Diego to face off against the Toreros (1-2) in a 1 p.m. PST contest.
9/25/04: Princeton v. San Diego Game Notes in PDF Format
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Princeton Tigers (1-0) vs. San Diego Toreros (1-2)
Torero Stadium •San Diego, Calif. • 1 p.m.
WHWH 1350 AM •GoPrincetonTigers.com
Game Notes
Hotel California -- Princeton is playing its first game this weekend against a school from California.
A League of Their Own -- The last time Princeton played a team from neither the Ivy League nor the Patriot League was in 1989, when the Tigers played William & Mary to a 31-31 tie. William & Mary was an independent school at the time.
Streaking -- Princeton is looking for its first winning streak since defeating Colgate 14-10 and Brown 16-14 midway through the 2002 season. The Tigers were 0-2 following wins last season.
Double Trouble -- Princeton is looking for its first 2-0 start since 1995, when the Tigers ended their season 8-1-1 and won the Ivy League championship.
More League -- San Diego is 0-1 against Ivy League teams this season, falling 61-18 to two-time defending champion Penn last weekend. The Toreros are 0-4 all-time against teams from the Ivy League (0-2 vs. Yale; 0-1 vs. Brown; 0-1 vs. Penn).
Out Of The Gates -- Princeton earned its first season-opening win since 1998 last weekend when the Tigers defeated Lafayette 35-18. It was the first win in a season opener for head coach Roger Hughes, who is in his fifth season as head coach.
Topping The Charts -- Senior quarterback Matt Verbit moved to fourth on the all-time passing chart last weekend, passing former teammate Dave Splithoff (3,446 yards) and Bob Holly (3,624). Verbit currently has 3,661 yards, one fewer than Ron Beible's No. 3 all-time total of 3,662 yards. Assuming he gets more than one yard on his first pass, Verbit will surpass Beible's yardage total with 25 fewer completions.
More Charts -- Matt Verbit has record 3,908 total yards in his career, sixth most all-time at Princeton. He needs 164 more to tie Dave Splithoff for fifth place on the list with 4,072 yards, and he needs 300 to catch Keith Elias (4,208) for fourth.
Elite Eight -- Matt Verbit completed passes to eight different receivers against Lafayette. Four were to receivers, three were to running backs and one went to Jay McCareins, a starting defensive back.
Mr. Reliable -- Matt Verbit is starting his 16th straight game at quarterback this season. The last quarterback with more consecutive starts is Joel Sharp (20 games, 1989-1990).
Wu-Hoo -- Senior wide receiver Clinton Wu caught seven passes in the first half of the Lafayette game; he had five receptions last season. Wu suffered an injury on his final reception and is likely out for the rest of the season.
Strawberry Fields -- Junior wideout Greg Fields had a career night against Lafayette, gaining 230 all-purpose yards in the 35-18 victory. Fields gained 165 yards on returns, 35 on rushes and 30 on receptions. He gave Princeton its first lead of the season on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
On Second Thought -- Greg Fields currently ranks second nationally in all-purpose yardage. Yale's Robert Carr gained 242 yards in his opening game last weekend.
Breaking Down The Walz -- Sophomore wide receiver Eric Walz, a key pitcher for the 2004 Ivy League champion Princeton baseball team, caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Matt Verbit last weekend.
Ground Attack -- Princeton's two senior tailbacks, Jon Veach and Branden Benson, combined for 138 yards rushing and a touchdown last weekend. Each runner earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors once last season.
Billy Joel -- Senior fullback Joel Mancl started last weekend for the first time since suffering a knee injury in the 2002 Cornell game. He caught Princeton's first touchdown pass of the season, a three-year play-action pass from Matt Verbit.
Quarterly Report -- Princeton scored a touchdown in each quarter of its season- opening win against Lafayette. The last time Princeton did that was 20 games ago in the finale of the 2001 season, a 35-14 win over Dartmouth.
Justin Time -- Junior linebacker Justin Stull, who led the Ivy League in tackles last season and earned first-team All-Ivy honors, made 14 stops against Lafayette. He has recorded seven straight games with double-digit tackles and nine total in his 11 starts.
Zak Attack -- Senior linebacker Zak Keasey, a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection, made 12 tackles against Lafayette, including two sacks. Keasey led Princeton in tackles in 2001 and 2002, while Justin Stull led the team in 2003. The Lafayette game was the first time the two players both started together.
What's My Line -- Princeton went from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense in the offseason. Starters Chris Browne, Peter Kelly and James Williams, all on the defensive line, combined for 20 tackles against Lafayette.
Dear Abi -- Junior linebacker Abi Fadeyi, who started his first game last season and recorded three blocked punts in the last two seasons, recorded his first career interception against Lafayette last weekend. He picked off Brad Maurer's attempted touchdown pass in the end zone of a 35-18 win.
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.
Line `Em Up -- Princeton has 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.
Moore Or Less -- Senior center Jeremy Moore has started all 11 games he dressed for as a member of the Princeton Tigers. He missed the first two years of his career after suffering a head injury in an automobile accident during his senior year of high school.
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).
Must See TV -- Princeton will have three nationally televised games the rest of the season, 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 open its Ivy League schedule next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when the Tigers travel to New York City to take on Columbia. The game can be heard on WHWH 1350 AM, as well as GoPrincetonTigers.com.
History Lesson -- Princeton and Columbia have split the last two match-ups, and Hail Marys have factored into both contests. In a 35-32 Princeton victory at Columbia two seasons ago, the Tigers scored on a 50-yard pass from David Splithoff to Patrick Schottel on the final play of the first half. Last season, Columbia earned a 33-27 win at Princeton when Jeff Otis connected on a 49-yard pass to Wade Fletcher on the final play of the game. Princeton leads the all-time series 59-13-1 and is 7-3 against Columbia over the last 10 seasons.
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.
Princeton's 2004 Record When:
Scoring first in a game 1-0 Scoring 30+ points 1-0 Scoring less than 20 points 0-0 Leading after one quarter 1-0 Tied after one quarter 0-0 Trailing after one quarter 0-0 Leading at halftime 1-0 Tied at halftime 0-0 Trailing at halftime 0-0 Leading after third quarter 1-0 Tied after third quarter 0-0 Trailing after third quarter 0-0 In overtime 0-0 Having a 100-yard rusher 0-0 Allowing a 100-yard rusher 0-0 Having a 250-yard passer 0-0 Allowing a 250-yard passer 0-0 Kicking two or more field goals 0-0 The defense scores 0-0 Returning a kickoff for a TD 0-0 Returning a punt for a TD 0-0 Following a win 0-0 Following a loss 0-0 Having more penalties 0-0 More turnovers than opponent 0-0
Last Weekend: Princeton 35, Lafayette
PRINCETON, N.J. - Junior Greg Fields gained 230 all-purpose yards while senior quarterback Matt Verbit threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another, as the Princeton football team opened its 2004 season with a 34-18 victory Saturday night over Lafayette. The Tigers, who held a commanding 35-6 lead early in the fourth quarter, earned their first season-opening victory since 1998.
Verbit completed 18 of 26 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 3,661 passing yards all-time at Princeton, and he moved past Dave Splithoff '04 (3,446) and Bob Holly '82 (3,624) to fourth place on the all-time list Saturday night. He needs one yard to tie Ron Beible '76 for third on the Princeton passing list. Verbit completed passes to eight different receivers, including a team-high seven to senior Clinton Wu. Fields was the most explosive player on the gridiron Saturday night, gaining 165 of his 230 yards in the return game. He helped Princeton win the field position battle all night, especially by averaging more than 14 yards per punt return.
The defense was dominant until the game was out of reach, and it was led by its linebacking duo of Justin Stull and Zak Keasey. Stull, a first-team All-Ivy selection in 2003 and the league leader in tackles last season, led all players with 14 stops. Keasey, a first-team All-Ivy selection in 2002 and the Princeton leader in tackles in 2001 and 2002, has 12 tackles and two sacks. Keasey joined senior defensive back Brandon Mueller and junior defensive back Jay McCareins back on the field for Princeton; the three players, expected to be leaders on the defensive side, had 25 tackles. Keasey had two of Princeton's three sacks, while senior nose guard Peter Kelly had one sack to go along with his seven tackles.