Princeton University
Franklin Pierce
Players Mentioned
Sprint Football Stumbles at Franklin Pierce, 45-7
October 04, 2014 | Sprint Football
BOX SCORE
RINDGE, N.H – The Princeton University sprint football team dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 45-7 loss to Franklin Pierce at Sodexo Field.
Holding onto a 17-7 lead at the intermission, the Ravens scored 28 unanswered with a pair of touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. Princeton's Chad Cowden and Chris McCord recorded the Tigers' first points of the season, linking up for a 55-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter.
Opening up the scoring with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period, freshman quarterback Jose Melo capped off a six-play, 22-yard drive set-up by a FPU fumble recovery with a 2-yard TD run. Taking advantage of another short field in the second quarter, the Ravens covered 24 yards in two plays with Andrew Jean scampering for a 15-yard touchdown run.
Hoping to put some points on the board before the half, Princeton took over on its own 27-yardline with 6:10 on the clock. Facing a 3rd-and-9, Cowden hit Ahmed Musse for an 11-yard gain to move the chains. Later staring at a 2nd-and-15 from the Tiger 45-yardline after a false start, Cowden found McCord for a 55-yard catch-and-run to give the Orange and Black their first points of the season.
Able to answer the Princeton score with a 29-yard Johnny Ciarcia field goal just before the break, Franklin Pierce blew the game open in the third. Piecing together a 76-yard drive on its first possession, the Ravens made it 24-7 on a 7-yard Jean TD run. Getting the ball back with five and a half minutes remaining in the third thanks to muffed punt, FPU extended its lead to 24 with another Jean score, this time from 16 yards out.
Franklin Pierce tacked on two more touchdowns in the final frame on a 13-yard Michael Holdridge touchdown reception and a 15-yard Taylor Miller pick-six. Rushing for 367 yards, the Ravens finished with 434 yards of total offense. Jean led the way with 297 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Taylor DeForge and Melo combined to attempt just eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Cowden completed 14-of-41 pass attempts for 184 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. McCord pulled down three receptions for 67 yards, while Abe Kielar and Musse combined for eight catches and 87 yards. On the other side of the ball, Princeton's A.J. Sibley made a game-high nine tackles (six solo), while Richard Freling had eight stops and recovered a fumble.
The Tigers return to action on Friday, Oct. 10 against Cornell.