Last Friday, the sprint football team suffered a demoralizing 29-0 loss to Penn. Princeton now finds itself 0-2, a surprise to many on the team who felt that this would be a breakthrough year for the Tigers.
Princeton has a chance for redemption Saturday — with its own pride on the line — against Army in the annual Pride Bowl. The Tigers will travel to Newark looking to improve on last year's 31-0 drubbing at the hands of the Cadets.
To have a chance against Army, the Tigers will have to show considerable improvement in almost every aspect of the game. Missed opportunities on offense and breakdowns on defense have haunted the team in its first two games and will be impossible to overcome against the physically imposing Cadets.
Starting tight end and senior captain, Mike Piazza has experienced the Tigers' struggles this season firsthand. Piazza recently shared his observations about Princeton's early-season troubles, as well as his thoughts on the upcoming Pride Bowl matchup:
"[The Penn game] was a shock," Piazza said. "We felt like we matched up well with them, but a lack of executing the finer points of the game really hurt us. There was this sense that the offense was on the cusp, but for the first time in a while the defense was letting us down.
"[As in the Cornell game], we felt we were overpowering. For whatever reason, the defense — which had been the bulwark — was giving up big plays and long drives. [On offense] the holes were not being hit," he said. "The loss was really devastating. We're gasping as a team right now."
Regardless of the outcome, the 10,000 people expected to watch the game in Newark will see a slightly different Princeton team than they might have seen last week.
"We've been working on a few new things this week," Piazza said. "Against Penn, [junior wide receiver] Ki Moon only had a couple of carries and no receptions. We're going to try to integrate him into the offense more, with a screen-type pass. Also, [senior captain and quarterback Geoff] Gasperini is moving to running back for some plays. David Liu's going to play quarterback on those plays."
The Tigers have been decimated by injuries in their early-season contests. A shoulder injury to Moon led to a botched option that gave Cornell life in its game against Princeton. Senior running back Robin Clarke has missed the first two games with a bruised kidney, but returns this week.
"We've really had two problems in our first two games: one was injuries and the other was a failure to execute the finer points of the game," Piazza said. "This week Robin Clarke comes back. I personally think with Robin, we're 2-0 right now. He's the key to our offense."
Not all the news on the injury front is good for Princeton, however. Unfortunately for the team, Jeremy Green — "our best player in the secondary," according to Piazza — will miss the game with a severely sprained ankle.
Piazza was generally optimistic about the Tigers' chances for an upset against the most physical team in the Collegiate Sprint Football League.
"In past years we've had a lot of trouble with Army. They're a very big team — almost suspiciously big with regards to the weight limit. Last year they were able to punish us, jam [the ball] down our throats. Luckily, in the off-season we worked very hard. This is the first time in many years we feel like we have a chance to beat them. Last year we stayed with them and then they eventually pulled away.
"We really can't afford to have any breakdowns. No let downs," Piazza said. "Everybody has to play their best game. It's been hard to drum up confidence lately because we've been beating ourselves. [An] 0-3 [record] is not something anyone on the team wants to think about. I hope we can turn the tide."
The Pride Bowl has a greater meaning than just the game played between the two teams. It has become an event to build civic pride in the Newark area.
"It's much bigger than a [Division III] atmosphere," Piazza said. "Guys get really pumped. The game is part of a bigger project in Newark to help raise money for the kids there. We're really playing to give the people who come out a good game so they keep coming back every year."
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