Two plays steal momentum, leave football looking up at rest of league

Two plays that never should have happened led to two league losses for the football team during the break.

The first proved that the point after is not an afterthought. At Cornell on Oct. 28, junior kicker Taylor Northrop, who had been perfect on extra points this season slipped on the wet artificial turf and missed the extra point with 11 seconds remaining. The Big Red escaped with a 25-24 victory.

The second came at the end of the first half Saturday. Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman threw up a prayer that was answered. The touchdown gave the momentum to the Quakers, who would never give it back. Penn scored 34 unanswered points en route to a 40-24 win.

Despite history and probability, Princeton was dominating Penn for most of the first half.

The Quakers had won the last five meetings. Last year they scored three times in a five-minute, 14-second span in the third quarter en route to a 41-13 rout. Penn had Hoffman — the second-highest rated quarterback in Division I-AA — going up against Princeton junior Brian Danielewicz, who was in his first start. Penn also had one of the toughest defenses in the league.

Never mind how the game should have been going. For nearly the entire first half, the Tigers took it to the first-place Quakers, picking off Hoffman twice and jumping out to a 24-6 lead.

On Penn's second offensive play, Hoffman was picked off by freshman cornerback Blake Perry. Then Danielewicz — Princeton's fourth starting quarterback of the year — led a nearly perfect drive that ended with senior running back Kyle Brandt's one-yard plunge for a touchdown.

When two Penn field goals had brought the Quakers back within one point, Danielewicz and the offense responded. Princeton went on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that lasted nearly six minutes and ended with Danielewicz calling his own number on a two-yard quarterback option. In his first start, Danielewicz was rolling.

Hoffman, however, was not. With just under five minutes remaining in the half, junior defensive lineman Phil Jackman caught Hoffman scrambling and forced a fumble, which the Tigers recovered. That led to another Danielewicz touchdown, this one on a one-yard run, and a 21-6 Princeton lead.

"That was probably as poor a half as I've played all year," Hoffman said. "I just kept plugging away and didn't let these plays bother me during the rest of the game."

Then came the punch that knocked the Tigers' wind out.

From the Princeton 42, Hoffman heaved the ball just short of the Tiger end zone. Senior linebacker Chris Roser-Jones batted the ball down and right into the hands of Penn receiver Doug O'Neill, who stretched the ball into the end zone with one hand. Suddenly, Princeton's lead was 24-13, and it seemed as if Penn had life.

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It didn't take long for the Quakers to prove it. Penn's first possession of the second half ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ben Zagorski.

On the next series, Penn took the lead and never looked back. Penn scored on six of its next seven possessions totaling 34 unanswered points. In the second half, Penn had 245 yards and ran 40 plays. Princeton ran 32 plays but gained only 77 yards.

Until the final seconds, the Tigers had fared much better at Cornell. In a turnover-filled second half, both teams were in position to win.

Late in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Jon Blevins fumbled the ball on Princeton's 36. With his squad trailing, 18-17, Cornell quarterback Ricky Rahne led the Big Red on an eight-play, 36-yard drive featuring five carries by Evan Simmons. With 1:56 left in the game, Rahne threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Parris. Wide receiver Joe Splendorio then made a leaping catch for what proved to be the key two-point conversion and a 25-18 lead.

Princeton, though, rallied behind Danielewicz, who was 0-for-2 in pass attempts in his career prior to this game. With Blevins hampered by a nagging ankle injury and numbness in his throwing hand, Princeton had to once again test its depth at quarterback.

It was a tough time for a debut: Down by seven, ball at the Princeton 37 and 1:47 remaining. But Danielewicz proved up to the challenge, completing 5 of 6 passes for 80 yards.

At Cornell's 24-yard line, the Tigers had to go for the end zone. Wide receiver Chisom Opara circled around the left side and made an unbelievable touchdown catch, his first of the season, in the front corner of the end zone to bring the Tigers within one. With 11 seconds left Northrop then slipped on the extra point, and the kick fell short.

"I prepared on the sidelines. It was a great snap, I'm sure it was a perfect hold," Northrop said. "I don't really remember what happens during kicks, I just remember I took my steps, then I was sitting on my ass."

The losses leave Princeton looking way up at Harvard, Cornell and Penn at the top of the league. The Tigers visit Yale next week before ending their season against Dartmouth at home.

"We still have a vision for what this team could become," Hughes said, "and the only way we can do it is with those guys in the locker room."