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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Ivy, Patriot Champions Meet As 2007 Princeton Football Season Opens Saturday Night
September 14, 2007 | Football
It's Opening Night. What more needs to be said?
The Specifics
Date/Time: Sept. 15/6 p.m.
Field: Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
Location: Princeton, N.J.
TV: FSN Pittsburgh, DirecTV Channel 628
Radio: WPRB 103.3 FM
All-Time Series: Princeton 37-11-2
Last Year: Princeton 14, LEHIGH 10
Last at site: Lehigh 28, PRINCETON 13
Last Five Years: Lehigh 2-1
Current Streak: Princeton 1
Game Notes ? Week 1
Opening Act ? Princeton has won three straight season openers, including the 14-10 win at Lehigh last season. The last time Princeton lost an opening game was 2003, when Lehigh won a 28-13 night game at Princeton Stadium.
Patriot Games ? Princeton went 3-0 against Patriot League competition last fall. Prior to last season, the Tigers hadn't gone unbeaten in three games against Patriot teams since 1997.
Home Sweet Home ? Princeton found the new Powers Field quite friendly last season. For the only time since Princeton Stadium opened (1998), the Tigers were a perfect 5-0 at home in 2006.
Streaking ? Princeton opens this season on a three-game winning streak. The last time Princeton won its final three games in a season was 1966.
Trying Again ? The last time Princeton was the defending Ivy League champion was 1996. The Tigers went 3-7 that season.
Poll Position ? Princeton was picked to finish fourth in the annual Ivy League preseason media poll. The Tigers didn't receive any first-place votes in the poll.
History Lesson ? Princeton didn't receive any first-place votes in either of the previous two years and went 16-4 with one Ivy League title and one second-place finish.
A Hughes Success ? Princeton head coach Roger Hughes made history last season by becoming the first coach in Ivy League history to improve three straight teams by at least two wins.
Moving Up ? Roger Hughes (35-34) needs one win to stand alone in fifth-place on the all-time Princeton coaching win list.
Winning With Class ? The Princeton Class of 2008 has a career record of 21-9. The Class of 2009 has a career record of 16-4, and the Class of 2010 has a career record of 9-1.
Senior Thesis ? With at least five wins, the Class of 2008 would become the first Princeton graduating class without a losing season since the Class of 1995.
Working Overtime ? Princeton has won four straight overtime contests, including two from last season (27-26 at Colgate and 31-30 vs. Penn).
Rallying Cry ? Princeton came from behind in the second half to win five games last season, including the 14-10 win against Lehigh. Adam Berry and Rob Toresco scored in the third quarter to lead Princeton to its first win over the Mountain Hawks since 1993.
Oh Captain, Our Captains ? Senior wideout Brendan Circle and senior linebacker Jon Stem will serve as Princeton's 2007 captains. Circle was a first-team All-Ivy selection last season after catching 56 passes, the ninth-best single-season total in Princeton history. Stem recorded 35 tackles, including three sacks, and helped lead a linebacking corps that lost four starters from the previous season.
Listen Up ? All Princeton games can be heard live on WPRB 103.3 FM and on GoPrincetonTigers.com. Ed Benkin returns for his seventh year as the play-by-play man, and he will be joined by former Princeton and NFL lineman Ross Tucker '01. Tucker played for Hughes during his first season as Tiger head coach.
Watch Out ? Saturday's game with Lehigh can be seen live on WFMZ-TV, Fox SportsNet Pittsburgh and DirecTV channel 628. Princeton will have two games televised on CN8 (Oct. 6 vs. Hampton and Nov. 3 at Penn), and one game each on ESPNU (Oct. 26 vs. Cornell) and the YES Network (Nov. 10 vs. Yale). All Princeton home games, excluding the ESPNU contest, will be streamed live on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Offensive Notes ? Week 1
Dollar Bill ? Senior Bill Foran enters the season as Princeton's No. 1 quarterback. While backing up 2006 Ivy League Player of the Year Jeff Terrell, Foran played wide receiver and on several special teams units. He has rushed for a score and caught a touchdown pass in his career, but he has not yet thrown a touchdown pass.
Circle Pattern ? Brendan Circle, who led the Ivy League in receiving yards last season (83.5 per game), needs five touchdowns to tie Kevin Duffy for third place on the all-time Princeton list. Circle has eight career touchdown receptions, seven of which came last season.
Line Them Up ? In the 2006 season opener, the starting offensive line had combined for zero varsity snaps at that position. Both of this season's starting tackles, Brendon Swisher and Mark Paski, started all 10 games last season. Sophomore J.P. Makrai, the likely starting center, played half the season after suffering an early injury.
Rob-bery ? Senior Rob Toresco is Princeton's active career scoring leader with 10 touchdowns. He has scored nine on the ground, including one from seven yards out last season against Lehigh.
Grounded ? Junior R.C. Lagomarsino led Princeton in rushing last season with 45.1 yards per game and two rushing touchdowns. After missing a few early days in preseason with injury, Lagomarsino is healthy and will start Saturday against the Mountain Hawks.
Top Gun-ter ? Kenny Gunter was moved from quarterback to running back in the offseason and is No. 2 on the depth chart behind 2006 leading rusher R.C. Lagomarsino.
Defensive Notes ? Week 1
For Pete's Sake ? Junior Pete Buchignani is Princeton's lone returning All-Ivy defensive player. He recorded 27 tackles, including five for losses, as a defensive end in 2006.
Sing A Song ? Senior Doori Song made his first start a memorable one at Lehigh last season. He made key stops on 4th-and-1 and 3rd-and-goal to help Princeton pull out its 14-10 comeback win.
Tackling The Issue ? Senior Tim Boardman led Princeton in tackles last season and will start at middle linebacker in 2007.
Backing Them Up ? Senior Kevin Kelleher enters the season as the veteran leader of the defensive backfield. The free safety recorded four interceptions last season ? all of which came in Princeton's last three home games.
Kelly Green ? Potential starting cornerback Cart Kelly was fatured in the ESPNU reality show “Summer House” in 2006. Six Division I recruits were in the house, which was run by former NFL All-Pro Chris Spielman.
Something Old, Something Newell ? Defensive back Barry Newell will return Saturday after missing the entire 2006 season with an injury. Newell is expected to back up Cart Kelly at cornerback and will likely see time in different defensive packages, as well as on special teams.
For Pete's Sake ? Junior Pete Ploszek was moved from running back to defensive back in the offseason. He will also likely see time on special teams, including as a potential kickoff return man with Kenny Gunter.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 1
Just For Kicks ? For the first time since 2002, Colin McDonough will not be the starting punter on opening day for Princeton. Junior Ryan Coyle, who played at the Lawrenceville School and started two games last season when McDonough was injured, opens the season atop the Princeton depth chart.
Louden Clear ? Junior Connor Louden, who was a perfect 25-for-25 on PAT attempts last season, overcame offseason surgery and is expected to handle field goal duties this weekend. Louden was 9 for 16 last season on field goals attempts.
Just For Longer Kicks ? Due to a rule change by the NCAA, kickoffs will now take place from the 30-yard-line as opposed to the 35-yard-line.
Coach 'Em Up ? Former quarterback and Bushnell Cup winner Jason Garrett '89 had a memorable debut as the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Sunday night. His offense scored 45 points and gained 478 total yards against the New York Giants.
The Crystal Ball ? Princeton will travel to Fisher Stadium at Lafayette next weekend for a 6 p.m. showdown against the Leopards. The Tigers have won three straight against Lafayette, including a 26-14 home win last season. Lafayette is at Penn tonight.
The Powers That Be ? Princeton's next game on Powers Field will be Sept. 29, when the Tigers open the Ivy League schedule against Columbia. Tickets for the 3:30 p.m. game can be purchased by calling 609-258-4TIX or online at Princeton's official athletics web site, GoPrincetonTigers.com. For those who can't make the game, it will be streamed live at GoPrincetonTigers.com.