"It was a tale of two halves."
Senior captain and tight end Mike Piazza summed up sprint football's 16-13 loss at Cornell Friday night as well as anyone. Princeton jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead before collapsing in the second half.
The game began well for the visiting Tigers, with two impressive drives ending in touchdowns.
It was Princeton's inability to retain possesion in the second half, however, that would decide the contest.
On its first possesion, the Tigers (0-1 overall, 0-1 CSFL) executed head coach Keith Wadsworth's new offense well, mixing a short passing game with effectiveness on the ground by junior running back Ryan Goudge.
"We were clicking on all cylinders," Piazza said. "Every play [resulted in] five yards and a cloud of dust."
The seven-minute, 51-second opening drive ended with a six-yard pass from senior captain and quarterback Geoff Gasperini to senior wideout Ki Moon, one of his five receptions in the game. Gasperini completed 11 of his 23 pass attempts, throwing for 124 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown. Moon also kicked the extra point to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.
Omen
The Big Red gave Princeton trouble even before it got on the scoreboard, however. Goudge had to leave the game early with a light concussion, but will likely play in Friday's home-opener against Penn.
Despite his early departure, Goudge finished with 23 carries for 81 yards. As a team, the Tigers racked up 175 yards on the ground.
With senior tailback Robin Clarke already sidelined, sophomore Rikki Racela bothered by a pinched nerve and Goudge out for the game, the Tigers turned to junior Matt Hall to carry the ball.
Hall stepped up on Princeton's second scoring drive, bouncing to the outside for a 27-yard touchdown run four minutes before the half. The Tigers missed the extra point.
"Those two drives are the best I've ever seen from the offense on a sprint football team," Piazza said. "We were clearly the dominant team."
13-0 at halftime. Then the wheels came off.
The momentum began to swing Cornell's way early in the second half. After the two teams traded several punts after halftime, the Big Red downed the ball deep in Princeton territory.
Key injury
Backed up against their own endzone, the Tigers suffered another blow when Moon came into the huddle complaining that he couldn't raise one arm above his head. On the next play, Princeton ran an option to Moon's side.
Gasperini's pitch missed its mark, however, and Cornell recovered the ball in the end zone for its first score. The fumble was one of five turnovers committed by the Tigers in the second half. A missed extra point put the score at 13-6 going into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers got the ball back, but were unable to restart their offense. The Big Red blocked the subsequent punt, creating another turnover for good field position. Minutes later, a four-yard touchdown run and extra point tied the score at 13.
Each team missed a field goal chance before the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime.
Missed chance
Princeton had the first possesion in the extra period, but the offense continued to sputter. Moon missed a field goal chance, giving Cornell an opportunity of its own. The Big Red took over and converted a 26-yard field goal to seal the Tigers' fate.
For the game, Princeton dominated Cornell on the ground and enjoyed a slight advantage in the air. Goudge finished with 30 more yards than the Big Red's leading rusher. Without a turnover in the entire contest, however, Cornell was able to capitalize on the Tigers' five.
The loss leaves Princeton with some serious questions going into Friday night's matchup against Penn at Weaver Stadium.
While the new offense "worked wonderfully," according to Piazza, injuries may keep several key players from playing on Friday.
"We just don't have enough skilled backups," Piazza said. "We're in kind of a dire situation right now."
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