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Princeton University Athletics
The Amazing Race
September 28, 2004 | Football
Sept. 28, 2004
The last time the Princeton football team started off 2-0, the Tigers went on to win an Ivy League championship. This Tiger team, fresh off its win in San Diego last weekend, will try to take step one towards that Ivy title Saturday at Columbia (RNN TV, DirecTV Channel 894, WHWH 1350 AM, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com).
This week's notes packet include new charts and an Ivy League page, as well as complete Princeton stats and Ivy League leaders. Also, a new poll has been created on Princeton's Gameday Central page. These polls will be updated weekly throughout the season, so make sure you check out the Gameday Central page throughout the week for the most complete coverage of each Princeton football game in 2004.
10/2/04: Princeton vs. Columbia Game Notes in PDF Format
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Game Notes
Jump Start -- Princeton has won its first two games for the first time since the Ivy League championship season of 1995. The Tigers started that season 8-0.
Five Alive -- The last five times Princeton has started a season 2-0, it has ended the season with a winning record. In the last three of them (1991, 1992 and 1995), the Tigers won eight games each time and took the Ivy League title twice (1992 and 1995).
Match Game -- Princeton matched its win total of 2003 before September ended. The last time a team won two games in one season and then its first two games of the next season was in 1986-1987, when the Tigers went from 2-8 to 6-4 and finished with a winning record in the Ivy League.
Splitting Headache -- Princeton and Columbia have split the last two meetings, with each team winning a thriller on the road. The Tigers rallied in the fourth quarter two seasons ago to top Columbia 35-32 in New York City, while the Lions won on the final play of last season's 33-27 win in Princeton.
Answered Prayers -- Both of the last two Princeton-Columbia games featured Hail Mary touchdowns. In 2002, Dave Splithoff found Patrick Schottel for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first half. Last season, Jeff Otis completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Wade Fletcher on the final play of the game.
Twice Isn't Nice -- Princeton has never lost consecutive games to Columbia in the 130-year history of the series. The Tigers own a 59-13-1 advantage all-time and have won five of the last six.
Point, Counterpoint -- Princeton hasn't allowed a first-quarter point this season and Columbia hasn't scored a first-quarter point this season. The Tigers have also scored 42 first-half points this season, while the Lions don't have any.
Poll Position -- Princeton was picked to finish sixth in the preseason Ivy League poll, while Columbia was picked to finish seventh.
What Do They Know -- Last weekend Cornell (picked to finish eighth) defeated Yale (picked to finish third overall and first by six voters). I'm Honored -- Senior linebacker Zak Keasey earned Princeton's first Ivy League honor of the season when he was named Defensive Player of the Week after the Tigers' 24-17 win in San Diego. He ended with 11 tackles, a recovered fumble, a pass breakup and a key fourth-quarter interception that helped fend off Lafayette's best scoring chance late in the game.
Tackling The Issue -- Princeton has two of the top three players with the most tackles in the Ivy League. Junior linebacker Justin Stull leads the league with 27 tackles, while Zak Keasey is third with 23 tackles. The two have 50 tackles combined; only one other pair of teammates (Yale's Ken Estrera and Ben Breunig) have at least 40 together.
Justin Time -- Justin Stull has recorded nine consecutive games with at least 10 tackles. A first-team All-Ivy selection last season, he led the league with 114 tackles in 2003. That was the most for one Princeton player since Dave Patterson made 129 in 1995.
Dynamic Duo -- Princeton scored defensive touchdowns on back-to-back plays last weekend against San Diego. The Tigers had one defensive touchdown all of last season (a 58-yard fumble return for Blake Perry against Brown).
Return To Sender -- Junior defensive end James Williams, a full-time starter this season after backing up All-Ivy selection Tim Kirby in 2003, returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against San Diego.
Elite Eight -- Junior defensive back Jay McCareins followed Williams' score with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown 13 seconds later. It was McCareins' eighth career interception, and Princeton is 7-0 when McCareins records an interception (he had two in a 16-14 win over Brown two seasons ago).
Better To Receive Than Give -- Princeton is ranked second in the Ivy League with a +4 turnover margin. The Tigers have six takeaways this season and only two giveaways, including no interceptions.
Dear Abi -- Junior linebacker Abi Fadeyi, a starting outside linebacker this season, has caused two turnovers this season. He recorded his first career interception in the win over Lafayette two weeks ago, and he forced the fumble that Zak Keasey recovered last weekend.
For Safety's Sake -- Senior free safety Brandon Mueller was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll this week after recording eight tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble. His forced fumble led to James Williams' 12-yard touchdown return.
Topping The Charts -- Senior quarterback Matt Verbit moved to third on the all-time passing chart last weekend, passing Ron Beible on his first completion of the game. Verbit now has 3,886 yards and needs 388 yards to catch longtime NFL quarterback Jason Garrett for second.
More Charts -- Matt Verbit has recorded 4,123 total yards in his career, fifth most all-time at Princeton. He can catch a pair of legendary named this weekend, as he needs 85 yards to catch Keith Elias for fourth and 231 to catch 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier for third.
Elite Eight -- Matt Verbit completed passes to eight different receivers in each of his first two games.
Mr. Reliable -- Matt Verbit is starting his 17th straight game at quarterback this season. The last quarterback with more consecutive starts is Joel Sharp (20 games, 1989-1990).
Strawberry Fields -- Junior wideout Greg Fields ranks ninth in the NCAA in all-purpose yards. He is averaging 174.0 yards per game, thanks in large part to a 230-yard performance against Lafayette.
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 in the season opener. Last weekend, he added a 51-yard reception.
Variety Show -- Princeton has scored eight touchdowns this season. Of the four rushing ones, two were scored by the quarterback, one by a receiver and one by a runner. Of the two receiving scores, one was caught by a receiver and the other by a running back. The other two were on defense, one on a fumble and the other on an interception.
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, have combined for 36 tackles in the first two games.
Oh Captain, Our Co-Captains -- Princeton named senior running back Jon Veach and junior linebacker Justin Stull as its 2004 captains. 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.
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.
Must See TV -- Following today's game, 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 play its final nonleague game of the season next weekend when it faces Colgate at 1 p.m. It is the final game of a three-game road trip. The game can be heard on WHWH 1350 AM, as well as GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Last Year: Columbia 33, Princeton 27
Last Season: Columbia 33, Princeton 27 PRINCETON, N.J. - What once seemed like it would be a runaway victory for Princeton turned into a most unbelievable loss. Despite trailing 20-0 after one quarter, the Columbia Lions won their first Ivy League game since 2001 with a 49-yard Hail Mary pass from Jeff Otis to Wade Fletcher on the game's final play to earn a 33-27 victory over the Princeton Tigers.
A 71-yard touchdown reception by B.J. Szymanski in the first quarter gave Princeton a 7-0 lead, its first lead of the season. The Tigers would build from there, letting running backs Branden Benson and Jon Veach open up the Princeton running game. Both would score touchdowns later in the quarter, including a 5-yard run by Veach that opened the 20-point lead. The two would end the game with a combined total of 201 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
That would be the end of the scoring for Princeton until the game's final minute. Columbia took over at that point, getting four field goals by Nick Rudd, who would be named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week, and a two-yard touchdown run by Ayo Oluwole to cut the defecit to 20-19 with 12 minutes remaining. After recovering a fumble by quarterback Matt Verbit, Columbia drove 28 yards in six plays and scored on a one-yard run by Jeff Otis to take a 25-20 lead. A two-point conversion reception by Mike Pezley extended the lead to 27-20.
Princeton finally found its offense again, marching 66 yards in 16 plays, and getting to 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Benson, who finished the game with 102 yards, scored on a second-effort to even the score with less than one minute remaining.
A game that seemed destined for overtime would end 26 seconds later. Following a pair of passing plays that got Columbia just past midfield, Otis connected on a deep pass that found the waiting hands of Fletcher, who was surrounded by a host of Princeton defenders.
Sam Snyder recorded Princeton's first interception of the season, while Tim Kirby led the Tigers with 10 tackles.
Princeton's 2004 Record When:
Scoring first in a game 2-0 Scoring 30+ points 1-0 Scoring less than 20 points 0-0 Leading after one quarter 2-0 Tied after one quarter 0-0 Trailing after one quarter 0-0 Leading at halftime 2-0 Tied at halftime 0-0 Trailing at halftime 0-0 Leading after third quarter 2-0 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 1-0 Returning a kickoff for a TD 0-0 Returning a punt for a TD 0-0 Following a win 1-0 Following a loss 0-0 Having more penalties 1-0 Fewer turnovers than opponent 2-0