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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Tigers Cautiously Optimistic As Home Schedule Opens
September 20, 2005 | Football
Sept. 20, 2005
PRINCETON - On the critical drive last weekend at Lafayette, junior quarterback Jeff Terrell made most of his key plays by either handing the ball to Rob Toresco or throwing it to Brendan Circle.
Who?
This isn't your father's Princeton Tiger offense. Heck, it isn't even the offense of your former roommate who graduated last May.
Actually, while many of the skill positions are held by relative newcomers, the offense, and the 23-21 victory at Lafayette, belong to the five seniors on the offensive line. When push came to shove, the push of Princeton seniors Andy Aurich, Ben Brielmaier, Paul Daou, Paul Lyons, Dave Szelingowski and, late in the game, Andrew Wilson, won out in a big way.
While the offense was winning in the trenches, the defense was all over the field. Linebackers Justin Stull and Abi Fadeyi were making the tackles, and cornerback Jay McCareins was returning an interception for a touchdown. In other words, there are still plenty of familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball. And they've waited a long time to play the first home game of this, the 136th season of Princeton football.
That wait finishes Saturday at 1 p.m., as the San Diego Toreros (3-0) will come to Princeton Stadium with designs on keeping their own perfect record intact. San Diego is familiar with what it takes to beat an Ivy League rival; the Toreros rallied late last week to defeat Yale 17-14.
Of course, Princeton knows what it takes to beat San Diego, having pulled out the 24-17 road win last season.
One team will wake up Sunday with perfect optimism and a perfect record.
Princeton-San Diego Game Notes in PDF Format
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Game #2: San Diego (3-0) vs. Princeton (1-0)
1 p.m. • Princeton Stadium • Princeton, N.J.
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WHWH 1350 AM • WPRB 103.3 FM • www.GoPrincetonTigers.com
Game Notes
Road Warriors • Princeton won its first season-opening road game since 1992 when it defeated Lafayette 23-21 last weekend. The last time Princeton pulled off this feat was also a two-point win, when the Tigers and All-America running back Keith Elias left Schoellkopf Field with a 22-20 win against Cornell.
Out Of The Gates • The last two times Princeton has defeated Lafayette (2002, 2004), the Tigers went on to 4-1 starts in both seasons.
Home Sweet Home • Princeton has won three of its last four home openers, including last season's 35-18 win against Lafayette.
Fit To Be Tied • The last time Princeton played its home opener against a team outside of either the Ivy League and Patriot League was 1989, when Princeton played William & Mary to a 31-31 tie.
Thirtysomething • The last home opener Princeton won against a team outside of either the Ivy League or Patriot League was 1975, when Princeton defeated Rutgers 10-7.
Patriot Games • Ivy League schools went 6-0 against the Patriot League last weekend.
Pioneer Games • Pioneer League schools went 1-0 against the Ivy League last weekend, as San Diego defeated Yale 17-14 last weekend.
Point, Counterpoint • Princeton has averaged 31.5 points per game in its last four home openers. In the three home openers prior to that, the Tigers averaged 9.0 points per game.
Jaywalking • Senior defensive back Jay McCareins has scored touchdowns in consecutive games for Princeton. In the 2004 season finale, he caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Matt Verbit '05. In the 2005 season opener last weekend, he returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.
First And Goal • Jay McCareins scores his first career touchdown against Saturday's opponent, San Diego. He returned an interception 36 yards for a first-half score in last year's 24-17 win over San Diego at Torero Stadium.
Getting Defensive • Princeton scored touchdowns on back-to-back defensive plays against San Diego last season. On the play before McCareins' score, defensive end James Williams returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown.
Junior Mint • Junior quarterback Jeff Terrell made his first career start a memorable one last weekend. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 197 yards in the 23-21 win at Lafayette. In the fourth quarter, Terrell completed eight of nine passes, including three of three on third-down attempts. He also gave Princeton a first down in the final quarter with a two-yard run.
1,061* • Prior to Terrell's start last weekend, the last 1,061 passes attempted by a Princeton quarterback were thrown by either Dave Splithoff or Matt Verbit. The last attempt before this season by a Princeton quarterback other than those two was thrown by David Mroz in a 2001 loss at Colgate.
Drive To Succeed • When Lafayette cut Princeton's lead to 20-14 last weekend, Terrell and the Tiger offense went on a 16-play, 59-yard drive that took 9:25 off the clock. It ended with a 37-yard field goal by Derek Javarone, which would hold up as the game-winning points.
Circle The Wagons • Sophomore wide receiver Brendan Circle converted Princeton's first two third downs on the drive with a pair of receptions, and his block allowed Greg Fields to convert on the third attempt. He ended the game with a team-high five receptions for 75 yards.
Garden (State) Variety • A pair of New Jersey natives paced the Princeton rushing attack against Lafayette. Cleo Kirkland (Voorhees/Eastern H.S.) started at tailback and rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown before leg cramps took him out of the game. Fullback Rob Toresco (Flemington/Hunterdon Central H.S.) led the team with 16 carries for 79 yards.
20/20 Vision • Rob Toresco, whose six final runs kept Lafayette from getting a final opportunity with the ball, had 20 touches in the win over the Leopards (16 rushes, four receptions). Princeton got a total of 17 touches from the fullback position all of last season (one rush, 16 receptions).
Justin Time • Senior co-captain Justin Stull shared the team lead in tackles last weekend with senior Abi Fadeyi and junior J.J. Artis. Stull has more tackles over the last two seasons than any other player in the Ivy League.
Tackling The Issue • Justin Stull has 234 career tackles. He needs 81 to tie Aaron Harris '93 for second on the Princeton all-time list and 118 to tie David Patterson '96 for first.
Nate The Great • Senior nickel linebacker Nate Starrett made his first career interception in last weekend's 23-21 win at Lafayette.
Just For Kicks, Part I • Senior placekicker Derek Javarone was 3-for-3 on field goals last weekend, including a critical 37-yard kick in the fourth quarter. He needs seven more to be Princeton's all-time leader in field goals made (Taylor Northrop '02, 38).
Just For Kicks, Part II • Junior Colin McDonough, a two-time All-Ivy selection, was in midseason form last weekend when he averaged 46.0 yards per punt. McDonough, the Ivy League leader in punting, would lead Division I-AA if he reached the minimum qualifications (3.6 per game; McDonough had three punts).
Familiar Faces • The 2005 Princeton co-captains are linebacker Justin Stull and offensive lineman Ben Brielmaier. Stull has started 21 straight games for Princeton and was the 2004 co-captain, while Ben Brielmaier has started 19 straight games.
First Up • Senior defensive back Jay McCareins is Princeton's lone returning first-team All-Ivy selection from 2004 (Stull was a first-team pick in 2003). McCareins finished second in the Ivy League last season with 12 passes defensed, and he finished second on the Princeton offense with 21 receptions.
Tim-ber • Junior Tim Strickland has started every game in his career, and he is expected to start against San Diego. Strickland, who tied a Princeton record with three interceptions in one game last season (Colgate) started all 10 games at cornerback in 2003 before playing safety last year.
Fields of Dreams • Senior wideout Greg Fields finished seventh in Division I-AA last season with 157.2 all-purpose yards per game. Fields had three rushes for 16 yards, four catches for 41 yards and two punt returns for 24 yards against Lafayette.
Zak Attacks the NFL • Linebacker Zak Keasey, who led the Ivy League with 127 tackles last season, made the Washington Redskins roster as an undrafted free agent and played on special teams for the Redskins in their 9-7 season-opening win over Chicago.
What's The Frequency, Kenneth • Princeton football returns to WHWH 1350 AM this year, with Ed Benkin (play-by-play) and Dan Loney (color) providing commentary. All audio broadcasts will also be available online at www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Last Season: Princeton 24, San Diego 17
Box Score
A pair of defensive touchdowns and a strong defensive effort in the second half led the Princeton football team to a 24-17 win over the University of San Diego Toreros in front of 3,528 at Torero Stadium. The Tigers improved to 2-0 for the first time since the Ivy League championship season of 1995.
The contest was Princeton's first ever in California, and the first time a Tiger football team ever flew to a contest.
"This win showed the character of this team," head coach Roger Hughes said after the win. "Last year, maybe we would have lost this game, but we are finding ways to win now. Any road win is a good one, and we feel good to be flying home with the victory."
Defensive end James Williams and defensive back Jay McCareins scored their first career touchdowns on back-to-back offensive plays for the Toreros. Princeton also got scores on a 4-yard run by quarterback Matt Verbit and a 27-yard field goal by Derek Javarone.
Verbit ended the game with 185 yards passing (12 for 22, 0 interceptions) and moved into third place on the all-time Princeton passing list. The senior tandem of Jon Veach and Branden Benson combined for 144 yards on the ground, while eight different receivers caught passes for the second consecutive week, including a spectacular diving grab for the first career catch for Monte McNair.
Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Zak Keasey led the defensive charge with 11 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. Justin Stull led all players with 14 tackles, his ninth consecutive game with at least 10 tackles. Brandon Mueller had Princeton's only sack of the game, but it was a key defensive play; the hit caused the fumble that turned into a touchdown for James Williams.