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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
#15 Princeton Lands National, Ivy Player Honors, Stands As One Of 10 Unbeatens In Division I Football
October 23, 2006 | Football
There aren't many honors left for senior punter Colin McDonough to pick up. He's a three-time All-Ivy selection and a former All-America selection, and he's chasing Matt Evans for the career punting average record at Princeton. But following Saturday's brilliant performance, which included three punts of more than 60 yards and another of 59 yards, McDonough earned his first National Special Teams Player of the Week award. He also joined senior quarterback Jeff Terrell on the Ivy League weekly awards; the quarterback earned his first career Offensive Player of the Week award after throwing for two scores and running for a third in the 31-28 win over Harvard.
Like the rest of their teammates, both seniors would likely prefer their individual accomplishments be kept in the background in favor of team honors. Princeton moved into the teens in both major national polls, the College Sporting News (CSN) Coaches Poll and The Sports Network (TSN) Top 25. The Tigers are currently ranked #15 in the CSN poll and #18 in the TSN poll, the highest ranking for any Ivy League team this week. Princeton is also one of 10 remaining undefeated teams in all of Division I. Seven are I-A teams (Ohio State, Michigan, U.S.C., West Virginia, Louisville, Boise State and Rutgers), while the other three are I-AA teams (Princeton, San Diego and Charleston Southern). San Diego is currently on a 15-game winning streak and hasn't lost since a 20-17 defeat at the hands of Princeton in September, 2005.
As for the individual award winners, McDonough picked up both the Ivy League and National Special Teams Player of the Week award after averaging 48.5 yards per punt. He booted four of his six kicks inside th 20-yard-line and recorded a long punt of 64 yards. That came following his first punt getting blocked and his second only going 14 yards, but McDonough rallied with kicks of 59, 61, 62 and 64 yards. His 44.61 punting average ranks fifth nationally and first in the Ivy League.
"It was great to have Colin back after two weeks of being injured," head coach Roger Hughes said. "While his start was less that stellar, he really came through in crucial situations. We consider him a weapon."
A more well-known weapon at Hughes' disposal is Terrell, whose 250.8 total yards per game leads the Ivy League and ranks ninth nationally. Terrell completed 17 of 33 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-28 win over the Crimson, and he added a team-high 32 yards rushing with another touchdown. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Brendan Circle on a 20-yard crossing pattern with 4:37 remaining in the game.
"Jeff had a great game on Saturday," Hughes said. "He continues to be a great leader and finds ways to move the team and produce points in critical
situations. I am so pleased both of these players' efforts were recognized by the league."
Princeton (6-0, 3-0), which was picked to finish sixth in the preseason media poll, now stands in a first-place tie with longtime rival Yale (5-1, 3-0) in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., Saturday at 1 p.m. for a showdown with the Cornell Big Red. Cornell has already had two impressive home wins against Albany and Colgate and has defeated Princeton in five of its last six meetings in Ithaca. The game can be heard live on WBUD 1260 AM or on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.