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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Opens 140th Season Against First-Time Opponent: #22 The Citadel
September 16, 2008 | Football
When the 22nd-ranked Citadel football program met for the first time as a team on Aug. 8, members of the Princeton squad were still three weeks away from their first practice. The Citadel has played two games, including one against a B.C.S. conference preseason favorite. Princeton has had two scrimmages, including one against itself. At 1 p.m. this Saturday (WPRB 103.3 FM, GoPrincetonTigers.com), none of that will matter. The 140th season of Princeton football, finally, is about to begin.
For those who won't be traveling to Johnson Hagood Stadium this weekend, you can follow the Princeton season opener several ways. TigerZone will show the game live via The Citadel video stream; you can access and sign up for TigerZone by clicking here. Veteran play-by-play man Ed Benkin and color commentator Dan Loney will broadcast the game on 103.3 FM and on GoPrincetonTigers at 1 p.m.; audio links are available here. The Princeton Gameday Central page will be your central location for all information on each game this season.
Game Notes ? Week 1
Opening Act ? The 140th season of Princeton football opens this weekend against The Citadel.
Under ninth-year head coach Roger Hughes, Princeton is 3-5 in season openers, although the Tigers had won three straight before a 32-21 loss to Lehigh last year.
Late Bloomers ? Like its fellow Ivy League programs, Princeton will open the season three weeks after the rest of the nation began competition. To compare Princeton and The Citadel:
| The Citadel |
Princeton | |
| preseason began |
Aug. 4 |
22 days before first practice |
| Game 1 vs. Webber International |
Aug. 30 |
practice #5 |
| Game 2 vs. ACC favorite Clemson |
Sept. 6 |
practice #22 |
On The Road Again ? Princeton has won four straight road openers, including a 20-14 win at nationally-ranked Lafayette last season.
Leaving On A Jet Plane ? For only the second time in program history, Princeton will fly for a football game. In 2004, Princeton flew to California and defeated the University of San Diego, then led by current Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, by a 24-17 score.
New Faces ? From 1990-2004, Princeton played every game against either an Ivy League or Patriot League opponent. Since 2004, Princeton has begun or completed home-and-home series against the University of San Diego (2004, 2005), Hampton (2006, 2011) and The Citadel (2008, 2009).
More New Faces ? Under Roger Hughes, Princeton has opened every season against either Lehigh or Lafayette. Since 1976, Princeton has opened every season with either Cornell, Dartmouth, Lehigh or Lafayette. Prior to that, Princeton opened the season against Rutgers every year from 1954 until 1975.
We Meet Again ? This will be the second meeting between Roger Hughes and Citadel coach Kevin Higgins, the former Lehigh coach. Making his Princeton Stadium debut in 2000, Hughes nearly led Princeton to a dramatic comeback. A 15-play, 85-yard drive in the final quarter cut a former 11-point deficit to two points with 1:18 remaining, but a two-point conversion attempt was missed by the Tigers.
Rank and File ? Princeton has defeated a nationally-ranked team in each of the last two years. In 2006, Princeton defeated No. 15 Harvard 31-28 at home. Last season, Princeton topped No. 22 Lafayette 20-14 on the road. The Citadel is currently ranked 22nd in The Sports Network national poll.
Sweet Caroline ? Princeton has one player on its roster from South Carolina. Freshman quarterback Drew Ellis is from Myrtle Beach.
Starting Lineup ? Princeton returns 14 starters from its 2007 team, including All-Ivy defensive linemen Matt Koch and Pete Buchignani and first-team All-Ivy punter Ryan Coyle. Princeton has four returning starters from the 2006 Ivy League championship team: junior offensive linemen Mark Paski and J.P. Makrai and senior defensive linemen Buchigani and Tom Methvin.
Poll Position ? Princeton was picked to finish fifth in the preseason Ivy League media poll. In the last four years, Princeton has either matched (once) or exceeded (three times) its predicted spot in the final Ivy League standings.
Bouncing Back ? Princeton will look to improve on its 2007 season, when the team went 4-6. The Tigers have not had consecutive losing seasons since the first two years of the Roger Hughes Era (3-7 in 2000, 4-6 in 2001).
Ay Ay, Captains ? For only the second time in program history, Princeton will have three captains this season. Senior quarterback Brian Anderson, senior wide receiver Adam Berry and senior defensive lineman Matt Koch were named tri-captains prior to the Princeton Spring Game in April. The only other time Princeton had three captains was 1999 (Hamin Abdullah, David Ferrara and Chuck Hastings).
A Hughes Success ? Head coach Roger Hughes, the only coach in Ivy League history to engineer three straight seasons with at least a two-win improvement, is the fifth-winningest coach in Princeton history. Hughes has been an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalist and led Princeton to the 2006 Ivy League title and its first nine-win season since 1964. His staff consists of four coaches who have been at Princeton throughout all nine years of Hughes' tenure and three more who have been here for at least five years.
Offensive Notes ? Week 1
Brian's Song ? Senior Brian Anderson is making his second collegiate start at quarterback. He led Princeton to a 17-14 win in the 2007 season finale at Dartmouth, which included a rushing touchdown for Anderson and a bootleg run to set up the game-winning field goal.
Streaking ? Brian Anderson opened the Dartmouth game by completing his first 11 passes. He also suffered a broken thumb in the game, but never came out of the game.
Starting Lineup ? From the middle of the 2002 season until the end of the 2006 season, Princeton started two quarterbacks, Matt Verbit '05 and Jeff Terrell '07. Last season, the Tigers started three different quarterbacks, including Anderson.
The Jordan Rules ? Junior tailback Jordan Culbreath is in his first season as the starter; he made a name for himself in the 34-31 win over Cornell last season when he ran for 145 yards and two long touchdowns in an ESPNU-televised game. His 58-yard TD run was SportsCenter's “Top Play”.
In Good Hands ? Seniors Will Thanheiser and Adam Berry have been consistent members of the offense since sophomore year, but they are now the leaders at the position. Both combined for 53 catches last season, although neither has caught more than 30 passes in one season.
Practice Makes Perfect ? The starting Princeton offense played only two full series in the Sept. 5 scrimmage against preseason Ivy League favorite Yale, but it showed early promise. On its first series, the Tigers went down the field and scored on an Anderson pass to Thanheiser in the back of the end zone. Culbreath averaged 7.4 yards on 10 carries.
Line ?Em Up ? The offensive line, which has been considered a position of inexperience for the last two seasons, will be one of the strong areas for Princeton in 2008. Juniors Mark Paski and J.P. Makrai are in their third season as starters, while Andrew Hauser, Marc Daou and Matt Reynolds have all started at least one game in their careers.
Pass It Up ? During Princeton's 2006 Ivy League championship season, the Tiger offense ranked first in the Ivy League in total passing and only threw 12 interceptions. When Princeton finished fourth in the league last year, the Tigers ranked sixth in passing and threw 18 interceptions.
Defensive Notes ? Week 1
For Pete's Sake ? Senior Pete Buchignani is a two-time All-Ivy defensive end and has been a starter at Princeton since his freshman year. He has 88 career tackles, including a career-best 34 last year.
Three For One ? Princeton's starting defensive line consists of three seniors: Buchignani, end Tom Methvin and tackle Matt Koch. Methvin made his way into the rotation midway through his freshman year, while Koch, a 2007 tri-captain, played consistently during the beginning of his sophomore year.
Take It Outside ? Starting outside linebackers John Callahan and Collin McCarthy are the most experienced members of the linebacking corps. They combined for 116 tackles last season, including 17 for loss, and both had at least two sacks.
Great Britton ? Junior Scott Britton, a local product from Council Rock North, is in his first season as the starting middle linebacker. In the middle of a promising freshman year, he suffered a season-ending injury; he returned last year to record 26 tackles in reserve duty.
Kelly Green ? Starting cornerback Cart Kelly was featured 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.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 1
Just For Kicks ? Senior punter Ryan Coyle is Princeton's only returning first-team All-Ivy selection. He led the league and ranked sixth nationally last season with a punting average of 43.1 yards per punt. Princeton has had either the first- or second-team All-Ivy punter five straight years.
Louden Clear ? Senior Connor Louden is a perfect 49-for-49 on PAT attempts in his
career. The all-time Princeton record is 59, set by Robert Goodwin from 1985-1987.
Happy Anniversary ? Princeton is celebrating its 10th year at Princeton Stadium, one of the newest and finest facilities in the Division I FCS. Powers Field, a FieldTurf surface, was added in 2005 after a generous gift from alumnus William Powers '79.
What's The Frequency ? The longtime voice of Tiger athletics, Ed Benkin returns as the play-by-play voice of Princeton football. Dan Loney, who has handled football and basketball radio duties at Princeton recently, returns as the color commentator.
TV Watch ? Princeton will have two nationally-televised games in November. The 100th meeting between Penn and Princeton will be seen live on ESPNU (DirecTV 609) Friday night, Nov. 7, while the 131st meeting between Princeton and Yale will be shown on the Versus Network (DirecTV 608) Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon.
The Crystal Ball ? Princeton will play its home opener on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 27, when it takes on Patriot League power Lehigh. Tickets for the 6 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.