Sprint football fails to keep pace with Cornell

Coming home from Ithaca last weekend, the sprint football coaching staff wasn't feeling so bad.

They came out of the game with a lot of information about their young team. They now have a concept of where they are now and what they need to do to get where they want to go. Now all that is left is executing the plan.

The coaching staff could be feeling much better, though. One of the only things they did not get this weekend was a win. The sprint football team lost its first game of the season last Saturday, 27-6, at the hands of Cornell.

Despite the lopsided final tally, the Tigers (0-1) played a strong game against the host Big Red (1-0), controlling the ball for much of the game. In fact, Princeton outgained Cornell in total yards, 319 to 164, and held a 16-6 edge in first downs.

But the stats are only part of the story. In the end, the game came down to field position, which Cornell dominated, and a few mental breakdowns that doomed the Tigers.

Through the first three quarters, the Tigers put together several sustained drives but were unable to get on the scoreboard until there were less than four minutes left in the game. Freshman quarterback L.T. Lawler hit senior tailback Matt Hall for a 26 yard touchdown strike.

Princeton turned the ball over deep in Cornell's territory too many times, losing three of eight fumbles and throwing two interceptions.

"Overall, the score didn't tell what it was like out there. We just made a lot of mistakes, mostly mental," head coach Keith Wadsworth said.

Freshman linebacker Matt Worley echoed his coach's thoughts.

"There were just two or three plays on both offense and defense that killed us. Otherwise, we were right in this game."

Princeton's swarming defense kept the team close in the first half. Led by senior captain Andy Morabito, who recorded an interception and forced a fumble, the Tigers were able to hold Cornell to 13 points over the opening 30 minutes despite playing most of the half in their own end.

"Our defense played pretty well," Wadsworth said. "Andy Morabito and [junior] Christian Gomez have been doing a great job leading them out there. But the defense was just on the field too much."

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Fatigue appeared to set in with the defense in the third quarter as the Big Red reeled off 14 more unanswered points.

In capitalizing on the overworked Princeton unit, Cornell was also able to finally take advantage of its field position and Princeton's mistake-prone special teams.

"We need good field position," Wadsworth said, "but we couldn't get it done. We worked on special teams all week, but that's what hurt us."

The Tigers ran into trouble with field position off the first possession. Cornell's kickoff was sent eight yards deep in the Princeton endzone and returned to the 15-yard line. The offense stalled, and the ensuing punt was partially blocked. Cornell pounced on the loose ball, and three plays later, the score was 7-0.

"We played solid defensively. But it was tough because we were always playing in our half. Any mistake was magnified," Worley said.

Overall, Wadsworth was pleased with his team's effort, but far from complacent.

"If we are going to have a chance against Penn [Oct. 5] at their place, then we have to play smart and eliminate the mental mistakes. If we can just do that and stop pinning ourselves deep in our own end, I think we can produce a W."

With the Tigers predominantly young lineup, there is plenty of room for improvement. The team has five seniors and 16 freshmen.

"Our seniors have done a great job recruiting younger guys and leading the team," Wadsworth said. "They went out over the summer to get athletes who wouldn't have otherwise played a sport.

"Now we have the numbers and the talent. We simply have to harness and mold what we have."