In sprint football it's tough enough to defeat a high-quality opponent, but when a team must battle itself as well, it can make a game much tougher to win.
This was the story of Friday night's game in which Princeton (0-2) fell to archrival Penn in a 56-12 stomping that was blemished by numerous key turnovers on the part of the Tigers.
Penn got off to a rolling start with an opening drive that included 11 plays en route to 75 yards of offensive production, resulting in a Quaker touchdown late in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Princeton possession, the Tigers coughed up the ball on a fumble that allowed Penn to take over and score again on a 31-yard bomb to receiver Jeff Bagnoli 27 seconds later, making it 14-0.
"Penn's capitalization off of our turnovers really deflated our team," freshman receiver Matt Babinsky said. "Plus a few key injuries to our starters hindered our defense, but our defense still played well."
Penn went on to easily add 14 points to its score each quarter as Princeton injuries, combined with four Tiger turnovers, seemed to take their toll on the team's morale.
Finally, late in the third quarter, Princeton got its break when junior tailback Rikki Racela busted into the endzone from one yard out for the team's first six points. Racela had put together a string of hard-fought rushing yards to complete the 67-yard drive.
"We started playing harder in the second half. We were playing for our pride and we finally proved that we could score," Babinsky said. "We were able to put together drives against Penn's defense the whole game, but we finally capped a few drives with scores."
However, just as the Tigers seemed to be turning things around, the extra-point kick was blocked and the Quakers returned the kick 98 yards for two points to close out the third quarter, 42-6.
The team did show some signs of improvement and hints of possible success for the future in the performances of its younger players.
"Our passing attack was really solid," Babinsky said.
The fourth quarter showcased a few of the potential talents, beginning with a Babinsky touchdown reception. The offensive line finally came together and provided pass protection and time for freshman quarterback Dennis Bakke to sit in the pocket and find Babinsky cutting off of a slant-and-go pattern. A play-action fake by Bakke drew the Penn secondary a few steps in, allowing his receiver to sneak behind the coverage and go untouched as he hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception.
However, it proved to be too little too late, as Princeton only closed the gap to a 42-12 score.
Bakke finished the day completing five of eight passes for 52 yards. The Tiger offense also found hope in the performance of freshman quarterback L.T. Lawler (6-11, 143 yards passing). Lawler completed a 71-yard toss to junior wide receiver Sean Moore, who finished the day with 90 yards on two catches.
"We'll hopefully be able to defeat them once we make the necessary adjustments to our game plan," Babinsky said.
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