Football grinds out 10-5 win over Columbia

It was a stark contrast from the previous game. Last weekend, the Princeton football team was greeted by a brisk fall wind and a plethora of Tigers faithful, eagerly awaiting their team’s home opener. This time, the wind, the rain and the band were their closest companions, as a daylong downpour kept even the most devoted of football fans to watching the game from inside.

However, despite the drastic change in weather conditions, one thing remained constant for Princeton — victory.

Opening Ivy League play in such conditions, the Tigers (3-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) defeated the Columbia Lions (0-3, 0-1) 10-5 at Princeton Stadium this past Friday.The Tigers are off to their best start since the 2006 season, in which they went 9-1 overall and 7-1 in league play.

In the first quarter, Princeton, despite the inclement weather conditions, started out seeming to continue the high-scoring performances fans saw in their first two games. Senior running back DiAndre Atwater made the difference early on, busting past the Columbia defensive line for a 47-yard run at just about the midway point of the first. Junior wide receiver Trevor Osborne would follow up, taking a shovel pass from sophomore quarterback John Lovett to make his way down the right side for a sprint to the endzone.

From the beginning, one could see how the rain was impacting the Tigers’ offensive game plan. The Tigers rushed for 127 total net yards on the day and threw for just 56. It was a stark contrast to the 363 yards and 265 yards the Tigers earned from passing against Lehigh and Lafayette, respectively.

At the 2:45 mark, Princeton would tack on to that lead with a field goal from senior kicker Nolan Bieck. Bieck remains perfect on the season in field goals at four of four.

From there on, the highlights would come almost exclusively from the defensive squads. The Tigers, coming off a strong defensive performance against Lehigh, opened up the second quarter with a bang. In the first drive of the quarter, a pass from Lions’ quarterback Skylar Mornhinweg bounced off the hands of his intended receiver and into the hands of junior linebacker Andrew Frisby. The following Columbia possession, freshman linebacker Edward Rudinski, playing in his first collegiate football game, sacked Mornhinweg and forced the fumble, as sophomore defensive linesman Khalil Bryant got the recovery.

The woes didn’t stop there — the third play of the drive, Mornhinweg saw another one of his passes picked off, this time by senior back John Hill.

However, despite the many mishaps on offensive, Columbia was able to keep its composure. The Lions put together a strong drive at the end of the half that resulted in a field goal, narrowing the gap to just seven points.

As the third quarter opened with 3-and-outs for both teams, the Tigers faced a near disaster on their second drive. Preparing to give the ball back to the Lions, junior punter Tyler Roth was blocked by the Lions’ Max Keefe. In the ensuing scramble Keefe nearly came up with the recovery in the Tigers endzone. Indeed, many of the Lions’ players on the field began to celebrate, thinking they had scored a touchdown. However, the referees, seeing part of Keefe’s body just out of bounds, ruled the play a safety. The Tigers escaped what could have been a catastrophe still on top, holding a 10-5 lead.

Following the safety, neither offense was able to make much headway. The majority of Princeton’s drives thereon were 3-and-outs — Columbia, though with slightly longer drives, not faring much better. Indeed, Mornhinweg would throw his third and final pick of the night, this one falling into the hands of senior back Khamal Brown. The Tigers’ defense would continue to remain stalwart, as the Lions would travel no further than just beyond midfield in the final quarter.

Having grabbed this gritty win, Princeton looks forward to the third and last of their games in this homestand, as they host the Colgate Raiders next Saturday in Princeton Stadium at 1:00 p.m.