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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Hopes Week Two Winning Ways Continue Saturday At Lehigh
September 22, 2009 | Football
Head coach Roger Hughes has constantly preached that teams improve the most between their first and second games, and his teams have backed it up. Princeton has won six of its last seven Week 2 games and will look for another this Saturday at 12:30 when the Tigers travel to Goodman Stadium to take on Lehigh.
Coming off a 38-7 season-opening loss to The Citadel — a score that is barely indicative of how the game was actually played — Princeton is playing for more than just its first win of the season. With the Oct. 3 Ivy League opener against Columbia looming, the Tigers are looking for a positive springboard into the heart of the season. Since 2002, Princeton has won its Week 3 Ivy League opener every year it won its Week 2 game; in the one year Princeton lost in Week 2 (2003), the Tigers went on to fall 33-27 to Columbia the following week.
Remember to check out the 2009 Gameday Central page with all of the necessary links for both teams, as well as projected weather, league and national stats and all of the audio/video links for Princeton football.
Princeton (0-1) at Lehigh (0-2)
Date/Time Sept. 26/12:30 p.m.
Field Goodman Stadium
Location Bethlehem, Pa.
TV Fox Channel Sports (tape delay/Oct. 1)
Radio 103.3 FM/GoPrincetonTigers.com
All-Time Series Princeton leads 38-12-2
Last Year PRINCETON 10, Lehigh 7
Last At Site Princeton 14, LEHIGH 10 ('06)
Last Five Years Princeton 2-1
Current Streak Princeton 1
Game Notes
Second Chance • The last five times that Princeton has lost its season opener, it has come back to win in Week 2 on four occasions, including each of the last two years. Last season, Princeton lost 37-24 at The Citadel and came back for a 10-7 home win over Lehigh.
Just For Kicks • Princeton won the 2008 contest over Lehigh by a 10-7 score when Connor Louden '08 kicked a 32-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
Very Good-man • Princeton's last victory at Lehigh was in the opener of the 2006 season; the 14-10 comeback win was a sign of things to come, as the Tigers used several rallies during a 9-1 Ivy League championship season.
Reaching The Century Mark • Princeton's last three wins at Lehigh have come in different centuries; prior to the 2006 victory, the Tigers defeated Lehigh 38-28 in 1992 and 16-0 in 1895.
Patriot Games • Ivy League teams were 9-9 against their Patriot League rivals in 2008, with Princeton splitting its two games (win over Lehigh, loss at Colgate). Last weekend, the Ivy League went 3-2 against the Patriot League (wins for Cornell over Bucknell, Yale over Georgetown and Columbia over Fordham; losses by Dartmouth to Colgate and Harvard to Holy Cross). Over the last five years, Princeton is 7-4 against the Patriot League.
Bye-Bye • This will be Princeton's second straight game against a team coming off a bye week. Last week, The Citadel had two weeks off following a loss to North Carolina; Lehigh will be two weeks removed from a loss to Villanova.
The Jordan Rules • Senior co-captain Jordan Culbreath, the reigning Ivy League rushing champion, rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown in last season's 10-7 victory over Lehigh. It was his fifth-highest single-game rushing total last season.
Carrying The Load • In Princeton's four wins last season, Jordan Culbreath averaged 158 rushing yards on 26 carries per game. In the six losses, Culbreath averaged 95.7 rushing yards on 18.2 carries per game. Last weekend, Culbreath ran for only 67 yards in the 38-7 loss to The Citadel.
Tommy Boy • Quarterback Tommy Wornham became the first sophomore to start the season opener at quarterback since the 2001 season (Dave Splithoff), and he completed 24 of 41 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted twice, including one ball that bounced off two different players. Wornham also ran the ball eight times for 31 yards.
Line 'Em Up • Princeton returns four starters from a 2008 offensive line that helped the Tigers rank first in the Ivy League in rushing. Senior Mark Paski has started every game at tackle since he stepped on campus, an unprecedented feat in 140 years of Tiger football. J.P. Makrai has started 27 straight games, Andrew Hauser has started every game since his sophomore season and Marc Daou has made 11 straight starts.
Stairway To Heavenrich • Junior Jeb Heavenrich caught his first career touchdown pass last weekend for the first points of the Princeton season. Heavenrich caught a five-yard touchdown pass that bounced out of the hands of Andrew Kerr just inside the right sideline.
Trey Bien • Junior wideout Trey Peacock has 28 career receptions; half of them have come in two games against The Citadel. Last weekend, he led Princeton with seven catches for 56 yards.
Catching On • After making four catches in his first two seasons combined, junior wideout Andrew Kerr caught four passes for 56 yards, including a Princeton-long grab of 32 yards, in the loss to The Citadel last weekend.
Great Britton • After ranking eighth in the Ivy League in tackles last season and earning all-league honors, senior linebacker Scott Britton picked up right where he left off with nine tackles last weekend. One of his stops came on 4th-and-1 at the goal line, when he tackled Terrell Davis in the backfield to keep Princeton ahead 7-3.
Reid It And Weep • Freshman Caraun Reid made quite an impression in his first collegiate game. He led the defensive line with five tackles, including one for a loss, despite not being one of the starters.
On The Line • Both Matt Boyer and Mike Catapano made their first collegiate start on the defensive line last weekend. Both had three tackles, while Catapano added a sack and a pass breakup in the contest.
Welcome Matt • Sophomore Matt Wakulchik finished second on the team with eight tackles last weekend, including solo tackles. Wakulchik is one of several underclassmen in the defensive backfield that the coaching staff was high on during the preseason.
Seeing Red • Princeton will look for better execution on both sides of the ball in the red zone this weekend. The Tigers scored on only one of four trips inside The Citadel 20 last weekend, while the Bulldogs scored five touchdowns during their six trips to the Princeton red zone.
Kicked Out • One area Princeton will look for improvement on this weekend is in placekicking, as senior Ben Bologna hit the uprite on a 31-yard field goal attempt and had a 32-yard attempt blocked.
Oh Captain, Our Captains • For the first time in school history, Princeton will use four captains this season. Seniors Mark Paski and Jordan Culbreath will share the offensive responsibilities, while classmates Scott Britton and Wilson Cates will share the defensive responsibilities.
Spinning A Web • The official Princeton athletics web site, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com, has a new look and a new partner, www.GoPrincetonTigers.tv. Princeton football fans will be able to find pre- and post-game stories, as well as features, videos, live and replayed games, game highlights, audio interviews, statistics, future schedules and much more. You can also listen live to Ed Benkin and Dan Loney broadcast each game on either GoPrincetonTigers.com or on WPRB 103.3 FM.
The Powers That Be • Princeton will return to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium next weekend when the Tigers host Columbia at 3 p.m. in the Ivy League opener. Princeton has won five straight against the Lions and has averaged 42.5 points in its last two home games against Columbia, although the Lions showed improvement last season and were picked just behind Princeton in the preseason poll. Tickets are still available and can be purchased on GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4TIX (4849).
Vision Quest • Following Princeton's home game with Columbia, the Tigers will host a nationally televised game (ESPNU) against Colgate on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m.
Last Year: Princeton 10, Lehigh 7
PRINCETON, N.J. - Following a terrific defensive performance, including a 4th-and-inches stand, senior placekicker Connor Louden converted a 32-yard field goal on the final play of a 10-7 Princeton victory on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.
With the game tied at 7 and approximately one minute remaining, the Lehigh offense stood on the Princeton 33-yard-line and needed less than a yard for a first down and the opportunity at a game-winning field goal attempt. Mountain Hawk tailback Matt McGowan, who gained 83 yards during the game, took the ball and went into the heart of the line. The heart of that line happened to be Princeton tri-captain Matt Koch, who stuffed McGowan short of the marker and handed the Princeton offense the ball with 55 seconds remaining and plenty of energy.
One play later, it also found itself in field goal range. Senior quarterback Brian Anderson, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 244 yards, rolled right and found classmate Will Thanheiser 46 yards down the field. The Tiger wideout, who caught nine balls for 120 yards, caught it inside the sideline to set up a first down at the Lehigh 21 yard line. After three runs by Jordan Culbreath, Louden came out for his second field goal attempt of the game.
His first was blocked and nearly returned for a touchdown, but that was the furthest thing from Louden's mind. He split the uprights to ignite a team celebration at midfield.
The kick was a fitting climax to a wild game. Offensively, Princeton moved the ball consistently, especially in the first half but only had seven points to show for it. Culbreath ran the ball 20 times for 126 yards and a touchdown. His 1-yard touchdown run was Princeton's first scoring conversion after three straight drives inside the Lehigh 2 yard line.
The rest of the game would be a battle of defenses, and Princeton's would win out. Sophomore Steve Cody recorded 10 tackles, marking consective games with double-digit tackles to start his career, while Jeff Jackson, starting in place of Callahan, recorded nine tackles, a sack and an interception. Scott Britton recorded nine tackles, while Wilson Cates had five stops and two tackles for loss.