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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
No. 22 Football Looks For Patriotic Sweep Saturday At Colgate
October 06, 2006 | Football
A bus trip from Princeton to Hamilton can be done in less than five hours, and it can be a fairly scenic trip this time of the year. It's also a trip that has given the Princeton football team absolute fits over the last decade. The Tigers will board a bus this Friday and head north for Colgate with dreams of a perfect nonleague season and continued momentum as they head into the remainder of their Ivy League season. The game will begin at 1:05 and can be heard live on WBUD 1260 AM and www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Game Information
Date/Time: Oct. 7/1:05 p.m.
Stadium: Andy Kerr Stadium
Location: Hamilton, N.Y.
TV: Time Warner to C.N.Y./Rochester
Radio: WBUD 1260 AM
All-Time Series: Princeton 24-22-1
Last Year: Colgate 16, PRINCETON 10
Last At Site: COLGATE 29, Princeton 26
Last Five Years: Colgate 4-1
Current Streak: Colgate 3
Game Notes • Week 4
Poll Position • Princeton broke into a national I-AA Top 25 for the first time since 1993 this week. The Tigers (3-0) were ranked No. 22 in the College Sporting News (CSN) I-AA national poll, and they were the first team receiving votes in the Sporting News Top 25. Both polls can be found on page three of this week's notes.
The Elias Sports Bureau • The last time Princeton was ranked in the Top 25 was Nov. 16, 1993, when the Tigers were No. 21. That team, led by All-America back Keith Elias, went 8-2 and had just defeated Yale 28-7. Elias ran the ball for 198 yards and scored three touchdowns in the win.
Three-Peat • Princeton has won its first three games for the third straight season. The last time Princeton won its opening three games for three straight seasons was between 1991-1993, when Princeton ended each season with 8-2 records.
That Winning Feeling • Princeton has won 11 of its last 14 games since the last contest of the 2004 season. The last time Princeton won 11 of 14 came during the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Those were also the last two seasons that Princeton posted consecutive winning campaigns, which the Tigers will try to match this season.
More Winning • Over the last 14 games, Princeton and Harvard have both won 11 games. No Ivy League team has more. Dur ing that span, both have won seven of their nine Ivy League games, which ties them with Brown for tops on that list.
Elite Eight • A victory on Saturday would be Princeton's eighth win in its last nine games. The Tigers haven't won eight of nine games since the championship season of 1995.
Road Warriors • Princeton has won five straight road games, dating back to last season. The last time Princeton won five straight road games was 1994-95, when the Tigers won at Yale in 1994 and their first four road games of 1995. The last time Princeton won six straight on the road was between 1964-65, when head coach Dick Colman's teams won seven straight road games.
Patriot Games • Princeton has already defeated the No. 3 (Lehigh) and the No. 2 (Lafayette) teams in the 2006 preseason Patriot League media poll. The Tigers will play No. 1 Colgate, which is currently 1-0 in the Patriot League, this Saturday in both teams' nonleague finales.
Conversion Chart • The Princeton offense has converted three fourth-down opportunities this season. The Tiger defense has only allowed one more third-down conversion (4) in as many games.
Swept Up • Princeton hasn't swept three Patriot League rivals in one season since 1997, when the Tigers defeated Fordham, Holy Cross and Colgate. That was also Princeton's last win over Colgate at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Four Score • Princeton hasn't started a season 4-0 since 1995, when Princeton won its first eight games and claimed the Ivy League championship. Since then, the Tigers are 3-7 in their fourth game of the season.
Stumbling Out Of The Gates • Princeton trailed 13-0 within the first three minutes of last season's 16-10 loss to Colgate. A 60-yard Colgate kickoff return to open the game and a fumbled kickoff return for Princeton were the key plays during the bad start.
Rallying Cry • Despite winning seven games last season, Princeton never won in 2005 when trailing at the end of any quarter. In its first two games this season, Princeton has already won when trailing at the end of the first quarter (Lehigh), the second quarter (Lehigh) and the third quarter (Lafayette).
Offensive Notes • Week 4
Winning Foote-ball • Senior quarterback Jeff Terrell has a 10-3 record as a starter. The last Princeton starting quarterback who won at least 10 of his first 13 starts was Joel Foote, who graduated in 1994, went 15-3 as a starter and led the Tigers to the 1992 Ivy League title.
Total Recall • Jeff Terrell leads the Ivy League in total offense with 236.3 yards per game, and he ranks 11th nationally with that total. Terrell is 2nd in the Ivy League in passing yardage with 202.3 yards per game; Brown's Joe DiGiacomo, who will be at Princeton Stadium in the ESPNU-televised Friday night showdown on Oct. 13, leads the league with 229.3 yards per game.
Movin' On Up • Jeff Terrell became the 14th quarterback in Princeton history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a career during the 26-14 win over Lafayette; he now has 2,328 and needs 77 more to move past 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier into 12th place on the all-time Princeton list. He needs 165 to move into 11th place and 223 to move into 10th place.
Spreading It Around • Jeff Terrell has thrown five touchdown passes this season, and each have been caught by different players. Dating back to last season, of his last nine touchdown passes, only one player (Brian Brigham) has caught two of them.
R.C. Cola • Sophomore running back R.C. Lagomarsino led Princeton in rushes (23), rushing yards (98) and receptions (4) in the Tigers' Ivy-opening 19-6 victory over Columbia on Saturday. He also scored on a 4-yard touchdown for the first rushing score of his career. He helped set up Princeton's first scoring drive with a 36-yard run and recorded first downs on four consecutive rushes in Princeton's final scoring drive, which put the Tigers up by two scores.
Brian's Song • Brian Brigham caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown in Princeton's win over Lafayette. The last wide receiver to catch six passes in one game was Greg Fields, who did it in the 2004 season finale (TE Jon Dekker and RB Rob Toresco had six-catch games last season).
Billy, Don't Lose My Number • Princeton tight end Billy Mitchell caught his first career touchdown pass last weekend, a 1-yard grab on fourth down that gave Princeton a 7-0 lead at Columbia.
Line 'Em Up • Princeton is starting a completely new offensive line (LT Brendon Swisher, LG Matt Murphy, C Brett Barrie, RG Kyle Vellutato and RT Mark Paski) from last season. That new line has only allowed two sacks this season, second-best in the Ivy League.
Making His Mark • Mark Paski became the first freshman ever at Princeton to start his first career game on the offensive line.
Defensive Notes • Week 4
Point, Counterpoint • Princeton leads the Ivy League in scoring defense, allowing 10.0 points per game. That is third-best nationally, behind only Cal-Poly (8.2) and Richmond (8.8). Colgate is also in the Top 25; the Raiders are 23rd, allowing 16.5 points per game.
Driving Them Crazy • Princeton hasn't allowed a scoring drive of more than 40 yards in 11 quarters, a span of 33 opposing drives. Dating back to last season, Princeton has allowed only two scoring drives of more than 40 yards in its last 67 attempts.
Three And Out • Princeton leads the nation in third-down conversion percentage. Prince-ton has allowed only four successful conversions on 32 attempts (12.5%). The No. 2 team is Robert Morris (10 of 62, 16.1%).
Whose Got The Time • Princeton also leads the nation in time of possession. The Tigers have averaged 35:14 with the ball per game, while the next closest team, Richmond, has averaged 34:33 with the ball per game.
We're Honored • Princeton defensive backs claimed both of the first Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors. J.J. Artis received it last week after a two-interception performance against Lafayette, while Tim Strickland earned it after two interceptions against Lehigh in the season opener.
Six Pack • Tim Strickland, who now has 11 career interceptions, has picked off six passes in his last seven games.
Tim-ber • In his last trip to Colgate, Tim Strickland tied a Princeton single-game record with three interceptions.
Safety Pin • Princeton defensive lineman Mike Meehan recorded Princeton's first safety of the 21st century last weekend at Columbia with his sack of Craig Hormann in the fourth quarter. The last Princeton safety before that came when the Harvard punter ran out of the end zone in a 1997 contest.
Two For One • Princeton has had two-interception performances in four of its last six games. Tim Strickland had two picks vs. Penn last season and Lehigh this season. Jay McCareins had two vs. Yale last season, and J.J. Artis had two vs Lafayette last weekend.
Song and Dance • Junior linebacker Doori Song, who is replacing Justin Stull as a primary run stopper, is tied for fifth in the Ivy League with 3.5 tackles for loss. He made a critical 3rd-and-short stop against Lafayette to go along with a 4th-and-1 stop in the opener.
Sack Exchange • Sophomore line bookends Pete Buchignani and Tom Methvin both recorded their first career sacks against Lafayette. Buchignani earned Princeton's top defensive freshman award in 2005 after breaking into the starting lineup and recording 27 tackles and two sacks, while Methvin spent time over his holiday break in 2005 rebuilding houses in the New Orleans area after the Katrina devastation.
Quarter To Corner • Freshman Dan Kopolovich won a Pennsylvania state championship as a quarterback at McKeesport last year, but was moved to defensive back midway through the preseason and started against Lafayette last weekend.
Miscellaneous Notes • Week 4
Just For Kicks • Senior Colin McDonough is a three-time All-Ivy pick (first team in 2003, 2005; second team in 2004) and earned All-America honors by one publication last year. He is averaging 44.2 yards per punt this season; the single-season punting record at Princeton is held by Matt Evans, who averaged 44.0 yards per punt in 1998.
Louder And Louden • While Colin McDonough returns, another familiar special teams face has graduated. The departure of Derek Javarone '06, the Ivy League's all-time leader in field goals, opened the placekicker job in the preseason. Sophomore Connor Louden made kicks of 30 and 38 yards against Lafayette and is 6-for-6 on PATs.
Dollar Bill • Reserve quarterback Bill Foran has excelled on special teams this season. He made three tackles, including two solo stops, last weekend, and returned a free kick 44 yards following Princeton's safety.
Lights, Camera, Action • Princeton will play three home games on major television stations this season. Besides the Oct. 13 Brown game on ESPNU, Princeton will play Harvard Oct. 21 on the YES Network and will play Nov. 4 against Penn on CN8.
The Crystal Ball • Princeton will play its first Friday night game in recent memory this Friday against defending Ivy League champion Brown at 7 p.m. (ESPNU, WBUD 1260 AM, GoPrincetonTigers.com). The Tigers have split the last two matchups with Brown, with both teams winning at home. The matchup features the top two passers (in terms of yardage) in the Ivy League, Brown's Joe DiGiacomo and Princeton's Jeff Terrell.
Last Year: Colgate 16, Princeton 10
PRINCETON, N.J. — Head coach Roger Hughes knew his team would trail eventually, and he was interested to see how his Princeton football team would handle it. He just wasn't interested in seeing it as soon as he did during a rain-soaked contest against Colgate. Although the Tigers showed plenty of fight, an early
13-point deficit against Colgate doomed Princeton in a 16-10 loss to the Raiders in front of the 4,219 fans who braved a torrential rainstorm.
A pair of special teams miscues did the Tigers in, as a long kickoff return by Colgate and a fumbled kickoff by Princeton helped the Raiders to a 13-0 lead. Princeton quarterback Jeff Terrell did his best to lead the Tigers back, throwing for 161 yards on 11-for-28 passing, which included a career-long 34-yard touchdown pass to Greg Fields. That pass got the Tigers to within three points, but they would never get any closer.
Colgate defended the Princeton rushing attack well, holding the Tigers to just 82 yards on 27 rushes. Junior Cleo Kirkland led the way with 33 yards, while Fields led the receiving corps with four catches for 84 yards. Colgate freshman Jordan Scott led all rushers with 112 yards on 34 carries, including a 1-yard score to give Colgate its initial lead.
The Princeton defense got a terrific effort from its linebacking corps. Senior co-captain Justin Stull had a game-high 13 tackles, while each of the remaining three senior linebackers (Nate Starrett, Abi Fadeyi and Rob Holuba) each recorded at least 10 tackles apiece. Stull also recorded a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a sack, while senior cornerback Jay McCareins recorded his fifth interception of the season to go along with eight tackles.
Senior placekicker Derek Javarone connected on a 27-yard field goal to tie Taylor Northrop for the Princeton career record for field goals made. His kick and Fields' score cut the deficit to 13-10 in the fourth quarter, but Colgate added three insurance points on a 22-yard field goal by Mike Rava. Princeton had three more possessions to try to go ahead, but dropped passes plagued each attempt. The Tigers also lost a fumble on the exchange between center Andy Aurich and Terrell in the fourth quarter.