Football cruises in home opener

After a disappointing start to its 2014 campaign, the football team (1-1) entered Saturday evening’s home opener determined to right the ship. A 39-29 loss at San Diego University the weekend before saw the vaunted Tiger offense sputter while the defense surrendered too many big plays. However, it was a different Princeton team that rushed onto Powers Field in front of a large crowd of 15,205, one that head coach Bob Surace '90 called “a big boost” for his team.

As fans were still streaming into Princeton Stadium, junior running back Lavondre Nelson provided an immediate jolt of energy for the home side, breaking off an explosive 86-yard kickoff return to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead just seconds into game. After the game, Nelson praised his blockers, saying that his job was only to beat one man. “It’s 11 on 11,” he said, “so there’s one guy and I have to beat him. I had to score.” This theme of winning individual battles was constant for the Tigers all night.

To their credit, the Davidson Wildcats (1-2) responded in impressive fashion, driving methodically down the field before junior cornerback Anthony Gaffney broke up a potential touchdown pass in the end zone. Following a Wildcat field goal, however, it was all Tigers for the remainder of the first quarter.

After another strong kickoff return by Nelson provided a short field, senior quarterback Quinn Epperly and the Tigers' offense did the rest. Featuring a quirky multiple-quarterback look for the first few plays of the drive — a set the Tigers used effectively throughout the game — the offense marched down the field, setting up a 4 yard touchdown rush by Epperly.

After a successful two-point conversion, the Tigers stepped on the gas. Thedefense forced the Wildcat offense to stall, and just minutes later Epperly was celebrating another short touchdown scamper. “Touchdown Epperly” would be a familiar refrain in Saturday’s battle, with last year’s Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year finding the end zone four times.

While the Tigers dominated all facets of the game, perhaps no unit was stronger than the offensive line. Epperly had mountains of time in and out of the pocket all night, and the line’s ability to allow its star playmaker to extend plays was crucial to the Tigers’ success offensively. Epperly acknowledged his line’s stellar play, saying “by controlling the line, we were able to control the game.”

After another Davidson 3-and-out led to a long Tiger scoring drive, one that was capped off by Epperly’s third rushing touchdown of the game, the Wildcats found themselves down 29-3 just seconds into the second quarter. Yet, despite the large deficit and being outmatched physically, the visitors refused to roll over. They responded with a 10-play, 69-yard drive capped off by a short David Rogers rushing touchdown to keep the game within reach.

The Tigers quickly stomped out any thoughts of a comeback, though, as their fast-paced, electrifying offense covered 69 yards in five plays over just over a minute of play. Nelson again found pay dirt, this time via a 23-yard run.

Down 39-10, Davidson’s squad could have thrown in the towel at halftime, but the Wildcats again showed impressive fight and resiliency, opening the third quarter with a methodical drive. Quarterback D.J. Douglas, who stood out throughout the game, throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown on 29/44 passing, led his offense on a whopping 23 play, 75 yard drive over nearly 11 minutes of play, which included 3 fourth-down conversions.

But the Tigers would respond once again, with Epperly connecting with freshman Scott Carpenter for a 49-yard gain to set up a 40-yard field goal by junior kicker Nolan Bieck, which tied a career long for the kicker. Epperly then capped off his stellar performance with a 10-yard scramble early in the fourth quarter for his fourth and final touchdown rush of the game. He would leave play after accounting for 294 yards of offense, with 118 on the ground and 176 through the air. He was efficient as well, connecting on 15 of 18 passes and averaging nearly 10 yards per completion. Like Nelson, Epperly attributed winning 1-on-1 battles as a large part of the Tigers’ success — especially with regard to his rushing performance. Speaking about the Tigers’ red zone strategy of designed QB runs, he stated, “being able to run in the set that we do … allows us an extra blocker. So if I can run well it’s 10-on-10 blocking and I [only] have to make one guy miss.” On Saturday, those blockers won most of their battles and Epperly certainly did his part, leading the offensive outburst at the Wildcats’ expense.

The Tigers' attack was an effective mix of rushes and passes all night, as they threw the ball 26 times for 245 yards while running it 34 times for 233 yards. Between the Tigers’ innovative offensive strategy and impressive depth at the skill positions, they were able to distribute the ball effectively, with eight players registering receptions and six receiving carries. This game plan was a marked difference from last week’s loss at San Diego, a game in which the Tigers threw the ball a stunning 59 times. Coach Surace stressed that a balanced offense is an integral part of the Tigers’ identity, taking responsibility for the poor offensive performance against San Diego himself and labeling it “a drop back game, and that’s not us.” He continued, saying “if we’re not mixing it up … I look at myself in the mirror and say ‘Doggone it, our offense can do so many more things.’”

After senior tailback Will Powers put the finishing touches on the 56-17 victory with a nine-yard touchdown carry, and fireworks burst and blazed in celebration, the Tigers’ hunger remained unsatisfied. Despite the convincing win against Davidson, the team is still using their opening loss as mental fuel. Even after his four-touchdown, nearly mistake-free performance, Epperly refused to be complacent and denied that the win assuaged the bitterness of last week’s loss. “I’m still as pissed off as I was after the [San Diego] game,” he said, “and we’re going to carry that over to next week. There’s not going to be any let-up. ” Princeton will travel to New York next weekend to open Ivy League play against Columbia (0-2).