Lehigh Offense, Tiger Turnovers Combine To Haunt Princeton In 42-28 Road Loss

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Princeton head coach Bob Surace spent the week extolling the qualities of Lehigh's Nick Shafnisky, who led the Mountain Hawk offense to 49 points the previous weekend at Penn.

Shafnisky made Surace look prophetic, even if the Tiger coach had no interest in being proven correct.

Shafnisky completed 29 of 36 passes for 461 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Mountain Hawks to a 42-28 victory over Princeton Saturday afternoon at Goodman Stadium. His passing yardage total was the most against Princeton in the span of 35 games, dating back to a 525-yard performance by Cornell's Jeff Mathews in 2012, and Lehigh seemed like it needed every one of them.

The Princeton offense, led mainly by a three-touchdown performance by sophomore running back Charlie Volker, tried to keep pace with Lehigh, but a pair of turnovers in Mountain Hawk territory proved to be devastating in an offensive showdown that made every drive seem mandatory. Shafnisky completed touchdown passes of 7, 14, 42 and 56 yards, the latter two of which went to Gatlin Casey, who ended the day with six catches for 148 yards. That would be the second-best total among Lehigh receivers — Troy Pelletier caught nine passes for 190 yards and a touchdown — in a game that was dominated by the Lehigh offense.

"Cornerbacks get the blame on completions, but we didn't get enough pressure up front," Surace said afterwards. "He's a terrific quarterback, and it's a very balanced offense, but we need to do a better job of getting a pass rush moving forward."

The Princeton offense gained 442 total yards (199 rushing, 243 passing), including a career-best 82 rushing yards on 13 attempts by Volker. The 2016 Ivy League 60-meter champion showed both speed and toughness on his three scores, especially a 22-yard score late in the first half that sent the Tigers into the break trailing by only seven points. Kanoff completed 19 of 31 passes for 184 yards, while senior Isaiah Barnes led Princeton with four catches for 40 yards.

Junior John Lovett, a first-team All-Ivy League honoree last year, showed his versatility once again; he rushed five times for 75 yards and a touchdown, and he completed seven of nine passes for 59 yards. He added three catches for 21 yards, making him one of 10 different Tigers to catch at least one pass.

For as much success as the Tiger offense had at times, the Lehigh offense never let Princeton draw even. Shafnisky threw two touchdowns in the third quarter, and added one touchdown drive in the fourth after Volker's third score.

Princeton will make its return to the field next Saturday at Wien Stadium in New York City for its Ivy League opener against Columbia. Kickoff is slated for noon, and the game will be shown on Fox College Sports.

NOTES: Tyler Roth averaged 46.2 yards on four punts, and he pinned Lehigh on both the 1- and 2-yard line during the game … both James Frusciante and Jesper Horsted made their returns to the WR position after missing the opener; Frusciante caught three passes for 29 yards, while Horsted caught two for 34 yards … senior tri-captain Dorian Williams had a team-best eight tackles, including seven solos, while James Gales added seven solos … both Khalil Bryant and Mike Wagner recorded sacks … reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week Tavish Rice was 4 for 4 on PATs, but he didn't attempt a field goal for the second straight week; there has not been a successful field goal in either of Princeton's first two games (Dorian Williams was credited for a block on Ed Mish's miss after a 93-yard Lehigh drive.

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