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Chad Kanoff Named Legacy Bowl MVP After 36-7 Victory; Blog Post #3 Included
March 21, 2015 | Football
SPRING VIDEO PREVIEWS: Defense with Matt Arends l Offense with Britt Colcolough
Sophomore Chad Kanoff was named the 2015 Legacy Bowl MVP after he completed 15 of 20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns during Princeton's 36-7 victory over the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters to complete both Princeton's international trip to Japan and its 2015 spring practice season.
Kanoff, one of the main competitors for the starting quarterback position following the impending graduations of 2013 Bushnell Cup recipient Quinn Epperly and Connor Michelsen, was not the only offensive standout in an impressive Tiger performance during its annual Spring Game — even if this was the furthest thing from its actual Spring Game.
Sophomore AJ Glass rushed 12 times for 57 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Dré Nelson rushed 11 times for 77 yards. Sophomore Joe Rhattigan added 11 rushes for 40 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore James Frusciante, who came on at the end of last season, including his first career touchdown catch at Yale, caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Junior Isaiah Barnes had three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Scott Carpenter had three catches for 53 yards.
Freshman Jon Lovett had the kind of game Princeton fans have gotten used to from its quarterback rotation over the last two years. He caught five passes for 65 yards, rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown, and threw for 10 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, both Markus Phox and Sam Huffman had interceptions, while Matt Arends and Quincy Wolff recorded sacks. Overall, the rushing defense limited Kwansei Gakuin, which scored its lone touchdown late in the game, to only 35 yards on 25 carries. Sophomore Dorian Williams added a blocked field goal attempt.
"I was pleased by the execution and balance we showed on offense and how physical we played on defense," head coach Bob Surace said. "We rarely get live special teams work in the spring, and both Luke Catarius and Mark Fossati led an impressive day. We have a lot to work to do in the next six months prior to Lafayette and I'm looking forward to our finishing off the spring getting stronger and faster."
The game ended a highly successful week for Princeton Football, both on and off the field. Junior All-Ivy running back DiAndre Atwater has been keeping a blog throughout the week, and you can read his three entries below. Both Matt Arends and Britt Colcolough joined GoPrincetonTigers.TV before the trip to give spring updates on both sides of the ball, and you can access those through the links at the top of this story.
ATWATER BLOG #3: After some much needed extra rest, we began the day on Thursday around noon with a trip to the Awaji Earthquake memorial in Kobe. The Japanese, being continuously affected by earthquakes, erected a memorial to honor those that lost their lives and increase awareness of the destruction to their lands. The memorial was beautifully put together, and quite informational as well. We then headed to Osaka to preview the Kincho Stadium that we will be playing our game in on Saturday. The players explored every inch of the facility, in anticipation of the action that would take place 48 hours in the future.
After leaving the stadium, we took a fifteen minute drive to the event that everyone had been awaiting since our arrival to Japan - the Sumo tournament. The tournament, set in Osaka, was one of six major Sumo wrestling tournaments that take place in Japan every year. These wrestlers came from all over the world to bring honor to their respective nations and families. Each match, typically lasting between five and fifteen seconds, was a test of skill, strength, and mental fortitude at the same time. The objective was simple: knock your opponent out of the 4.5 meter (in diameter) circle, or take him to the ground. Each wrestler, while varying in height, tipped the scales at a minimum of 300 pounds, and would have even made Britt Colcolough look slim and toned. Every wrestler attempted a different technique to accomplish the objective, and every match was wonderful chaos. When the tournament ended for the day, we dined at a buffet in Osaka and returned to the hotel to rest before another morning practice.
Friday morning we began our day with a typical day-before-game practice at 9:30, and had ample free time afterwards for lunch and to explore the city of Kobe more. While some players scoured the streets for authentic ramen and sushi restaurants, others returned to those oh-so-familiar Golden Arches of McDonald's yet again. After lunch and some down time, the players and their respective position coaches left the hotel for dinner. As expected, large groups of burly Americans attempting to figure out the Japanese subway system was quite the spectacle, and many of the locals did not attempt to disguise their enjoyment of our confusion whatsoever. When we did finally crack the Da Vinci code that was their subway system however, we were all delighted to be able to enjoy more fantastic Japanese cuisine. When dinner ended, we returned to the hotel once again for meetings and more rest before the game. With the game tomorrow, anticipation is higher than ever, and everyone is excited to finally do exactly what we came here for - play football. With that in mind, I'm signing off for now. I'll post one more time in the near future!
ATWATER BLOG #2: If the KG Fighters set up our itinerary intending to exhaust us, that goal was met without a doubt on Tuesday. We loaded the buses at 10 am and proceeded to the city of Kyoto for lunch and shopping for authentic Japanese novelties. The lunch buffet was an eclectic pairing of Japanese noodle and rice based dishes, with "American" classics like pizza and French Fries. We then drove into a mountainous area to a historic Zen Temple to attempt to master the art of the zazen. The Zen Master graciously permitted our entire team to enter the temple, and once all 110 of us were seated barefoot on the Temple floor, he began the lesson. To get into the mode of perfect Zen concentration, we had to cross our legs (which some of us haven't been able to do in 10+ years) and relax our minds. We then had the option of letting the Zen Master strike us 4 times with his wooden paddle, to aid in our quest to perfect concentration. In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have let this man practice his wood chopping techniques on our upper vertebrae, but it was all part of the experience.
After leaving the temple and walking back down the mountain, we were taken to another area to shop before dinner. Players and coaches bought more souvenirs for their families and sampled the Japanese's form of gelato. For dinner, many of us got to check another experience off of our bucket lists, as we dined at a traditional Japanese homestyle restaurant. This meal was a complete cultural experience, as we were shoeless, sitting on pillows on the floor, and cooking food ourselves in an Asian-spiced broth. After dinner, we got back to the hotel around 9pm, and many of us were asleep before our heads even touched our pillows.
On Wednesday, we began our day with a crisp practice in a beautiful Japanese stadium. The stadium had a turf-field, ample bleacher-style seating, and Van-Gogh-esque mountain backdrop. After practice, the players had some time to eat lunch on our own in the city of Kobe. We dined on authentic sushi, ramen, and rice dishes that would make even the most avid Panda Express fan smile. After meetings, film, and a little more free time, we got a chance to eat dinner with the KG players and explore with them. The KG players used their knowledge of the area and took us to local classics including Japanese bbq and hibachi restaurants. After dinner, many players retired back to the hotel for some much needed rest before another big day. We're halfway through the trip, and not even Gary has had enough yet! That's all for now, I'll post again soon.
ATWATER BLOG #1: The first few days of Princeton Football's journey to Japan have been exciting to say the least. The trip itself consisted of a thirteen-and-a-half hour flight from JFK to Tokyo, another hour connecting flight to Osaka, and a forty-five minute bus ride to our hotel in Kobe. Upon arrival to our hotel, many players were surprisingly eager to get out and explore the city. While the city of Kobe had a lot of culture to offer on the humid Sunday night, some of us preferred to take refuge under the familiar Golden Arches of a local McDonald's.
On our first full day in Japan, we proceeded to the Kwansei Gakuin University for a tour and practice. The campus scenery was reminiscent of many universities on the west coast of the United States. With the student body of KGU consisting of over 23,000 students, the campus had an array of different buildings and structures that would even make Princeton architecture majors take a moment to appreciate them and their majesty.
Due to the fact that the university was founded by Christian missionaries, the campus had many Christian structures as well. After a crisp practice in the KG stadium, we received a handsome greeting by the KG team at our welcome party. We got a chance to dine with the KG players at our respective positions, and learn about these players' different lifestyles.
Needless to say, these first few days have been fantastic. With 5 days to go, we're looking forward to more great food, culture, and incredible culmination in the Legacy Bowl on Saturday. That's all for now, be on the lookout for another post in a few days!
