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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Following Resilient Performance, Tigers Look For Strong Start To 2007 Ivy Season
September 27, 2007 | Football
When you play only 10 games each year, every one is special. Without question, though, there are seven games in particular that take on significant importance. Welcome to Game One of the 2007 Ivy League season for Princeton and Columbia.
It would be difficult to match the drama and excitement of the 2006 league season, when Princeton pulled out thriller after thriller to claim its ninth Ivy League championship. Ivy League games tend to be close, and that was never more evident than last season, when Princeton played every minute of every league game with no more than a two-score advantage for any team.
The Tigers, who bounced back from an ugly opener to claim a 20-14 win at Lafayette last weekend, enter the season as a major contender for the league title. They got back to Princeton football last weekend by eliminating turnovers and controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Bill Foran led an effective offense that scored touchdowns on two long drives, while the defense pitched a fourth-quarter shutout.
Columbia comes into today's Ivy opener with similar momentum, having shaken off a tough opener with a 31-7 rout of Marist last weekend. The Lions are in a similar position to the one Princeton held in recent seasons. They are building off a positive end to the 2006 season and have significant players at several skill positions. Tailback Jordan Davis is averaging 123.5 yards per game this season, while quarterback Craig Hormann and wide receiver Austin Knowlin have connected on 15 passes this season. Bayo Aregbe has a team-best 21 tackles to lead an aggressive defense.
The Ivy League title isn't won in September, but a victory will provide somebody a strong foundation for the rest of the season. Enjoy it, because there is nothing like league competition.
Game Specifics
Date/Time ? Sept. 29/3:30 p.m.
Field ? Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
Location ? Princeton, N.J.
TV ? Patriot Media (local only)
Radio ? WPRB 103.3 FM
All-Time Series ? Princeton 62-13-1
Last Year ? Princeton 19, COLUMBIA 6
Last At Site ? Princeton 43, Columbia 3
Last Five Years ? Princeton leads 4-1
Current Streak ? Princeton 3
Game Notes ? Week 3
Opening Act ? Princeton has won six of seven Ivy League openers under Roger Hughes, all of which have come against Columbia. The only loss was a 33-27 loss in 2003, when the Lions hit a 49-yard pass on the final play to win.
Home Sweet Home ? Princeton hasn't lost consecutive home games since 2004 (Harvard and Penn). The Tigers went unbeaten at home last season for the first time since Princeton Stadium opened in 1998.
Rallying Cry ? Princeton came from behind twice to defeat Lafayette last weekend. The Tigers rallied for five of their nine wins last season.
Starting Again ? Princeton is 6-2 in Ivy openers following championship seasons. Princeton won the first five, all against Columbia.
Quick Start ? Since 1990, Ivy League champions (including co-champs) have won 17 of 19 league openers. One of the two losses came in a game between the eventual co-champions (Brown-Yale, 1999)
Good Point ? Three of Princeton's four highest offensive outbursts at Princeton Stadium have come against Columbia. The Tigers scored 55 points against Brown in 2000, and they scored either 44 or 43 points against Columbia in 1999, 2001 and 2005.
D+ ? Princeton and Columbia have the top two defenses in the Ivy League this season. Princeton ranks first, allowing only 291.5 yards per game, while Columbia ranks second with 333.0 yards allowed.
Mirror Image ? Both defenses also excelled last season. Columbia led the Ivy League in scoring defense (16.3 points per game) while Princeton was second (17.9).
Flag Football ? Princeton is averaging the fewest penalty yards per game in the Ivy League. The Tigers have been flagged seven times in two games for an average of 23.5 yards per game.
Five For Fighting ? Head coach Roger Hughes moved into fifth place last weekend with his 36th career win at Princeton. Hall of Famer Charlie Caldwell is fourth with 70 career wins.
One And Done ? Princeton gained 356 offensive yards and had a better-than 15-minute time of possession edge over Lafayette, which had the No. 1 defense in the nation entering last weekend's game.
Marked Improvement ? Princeton showed great improvement in two areas from the opener to last weekend. The Tigers recorded 10 more first downs against Lafayette (24, including 14 rushing), and they committed six fewer turnovers.
Working Overtime ? Princeton has won four straight overtime contests, including two last season (27-26 at Colgate and 31-30 vs. Penn). Roger Hughes won his first career game with an overtime victory against Columbia.
Offensive Notes ? Week 3
Dollar Bill ? Senior Bill Foran completed 75% of his passes (18-of-24) and threw for 190 yards against Lafayette to record his first win as a starter. Foran completed third-down conversion passes of 15, 21, 22 and 37 yards.
Won By A Nose ? Junior tailback R.C. Lagomarsino, who suffered a broken nose against Lafayette, came back to score the winning touchdown and convert on the final third-down opportunity. Lagomarsino had a career-high 98 yards and a touchdown last season against Columbia.
Top Gun-ter ? Sophomore Kenny Gunter scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard option run against Lafayette. Gunter, who also returns kickoffs, is averaging 107.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Will The Thrill ? Junior Will Thanheiser leads Princeton with 4.0 receptions for 74.5 yards per game. His yardage per game ranks fifth in the Ivy League, two spots behind Columbia's Austin Knowlin (94.5 yards per game).
Spread Out ? Princeton has gotten five touchdowns from five different players this season. The Tigers had three touchdown catches against Lehigh and two touchdown runs last weekend at Lafayette.
Lined Up ? The Princeton offensive line, which is starting three sophomores, a junior and a senior, has not committed a single penalty this season and helped Princeton record 356 total yards against Lafayette, which had the top-ranked defense in the nation.
Defensive Notes ? Week 3
Chairman Of The Board ? Tim Boardman leads Princeton with 23 tackles this season, 12 more than any of his teammates have recorded. Boardman ranks sixth nationally with his 11.5 tackles per game.
Captain Crunch ? Defensive captain Jon Stem led by example against Lafayette, recording five tackles and ending one Lafayette drive with his first sack of the season. He also tipped a pass that was intercepted by Tom Methvin in the first half.
Yardstick ? Princeton limited Lafayette to only 95 yards passing last weekend. The Leopards recorded 298 total yards, although 89 of them came on one long touchdown run.
Sack Exchange ? Linebacker Collin McCarthy recorded his first career sack on fourth down to end Lafayette's final drive of the game last weekend. McCarthy had four tackles in the game, including three solo stops.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do ? Princeton is averaging 7.0 pass breakups per game. The Tigers averaged only 4.2 per game last season. Sophomore Dan Kopolovich, a former all-state quarterback in Pennsylvania, leads the team with five breakups.
Conversion Chart ? After allowing seven of 20 third-down conversions against Lehigh, Princeton allowed only two in 10 chances against Lafayette.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 3
Un-Coyled ? Junior punter Ryan Coyle averaged 45.3 yards on six punts last weekend, including a career-best 69-yarder in the first quarter. Coyle currently leads the Ivy League with a 43.0-yard average.
I'm Honored ? Ryan Coyle earned the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week honor after his performance against Lafayette.
Louden Clear ? Junior kicker Connor Louden, who is a perfect 30-for-30 on extra-point attempts in his career, made both of his field goal attempts last weekend, including a 34-yard kick in the third quarter. The Princeton record is 59 straight (Robert A. Goodwin, 1985-87).
Return To Sender ? Kenny Gunter ranks second in the Ivy League with 20.3 yards per kickoff return.
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.
Senior Thesis ? With at least four more wins, the Class of 2008 would become the first Princeton graduating class without a losing season since the Class of 1995.
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
Princeton play-by-play man, while former Tiger and NFL offensive
lineman Ross Tucker '01 will serve as the color man. Tucker played his
senior season during Hughes' first year as head coach.
Watch Out ? Princeton will be on television each of the next six weeks.
The Tigers will host Hampton next week at 3:30 p.m. in a game available
on Comcast channel CN8. Both of Princeton's Ivy road games at Brown and
Harvard will be shown on NESN (DirecTV 623). Princeton returns home
Oct. 26 for a 7 p.m. showdown with Cornell on ESPNU (DirecTV 609), then
will return to CN8 for a road game at Penn. Princeton's annual showdown
with Yale can be seen on the YES Network (DirecTV 622).
The Crystal Ball ? Princeton will welcome Hampton next weekend for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Hampton has been ranked nationally every week this season and has reached the NCAA postseason each of the last three years. The Pirates, under highly-successful head coach Joe Taylor, have lost only two regular-season games in the last three seasons. Taylor is the third-winningest active head coach in the FCS.
Last Year: Princeton 19, COLUMBIA 6
NEW YORK CITY ? Led by an overwhelming defense that allowed only five first downs and 23 yards rushing, the Princeton football team posted a 19-6 victory over Columbia at Wien Stadium to open its championship run through the Ivy League schedule.
The Princeton defense not only held Columbia to six points, which followed a Tiger turnover inside their own red zone, but also scored two points of its own on a Mike Meehan safety late in the fourth quarter. Princeton's offense wasn't pretty, but it scored the points it needed. Quarterback Jeff Terrell completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Billy Mitchell in the second quarter. R.C. Lagomarsino scored his first rushing touchdown just over five minutes later, completing a 50-yard drive with a 4-yard run.
Missed opportunities plagued Princeton in the first quarter, but the Tigers finally broke through in the second quarter. Lagomarsino took a misdirection handoff, bounced off one of his own offensive lineman and took the ball 36 yards down the right sideline to the Columbia 41. A converted 3rd-and-9, several runs, and a recovered fumble later, Terrell found Mitchell on a play-action pass for the touchdown.
Following another 3-and-out, Brendan Circle skied for a brilliant 26-yard reception on 3rd-and-long to get Princeton to the Columbia 22-yard-line. Terrell kept the ball on second down, found a hole and dragged a Columbia defender down to the 10-yard-line. A draw play to Toresco brought the ball to the 4-yard-line, and Lagomarsino went off left tackle to score his first rushing touchdown.
Columbia's Craig Hormann found Austin Knowlin in the second quarter for a 14-yard touchdown and the Lions' only score of the game. Columbia nearly pulled off a fourth-down stop on a Tiger possession, but a roughing the passer call gave Princeton first down at the Lions' 19-yard-line. Connor Louden drilled a 23-yard field goal to open the 17-6 edge with 3:26 remaining in the third.
Meehan came around the right side of the line for a fourth-quarter safety to close out the win.