Splithoff, Opara lead way as football ends season by mauling Big Green

HANOVER, N.H. — In 1815, the United States beat Britain in the Battle of New Orleans. The only problem was that the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, had been signed several weeks beforehand.

In a similarly anticlimatic matchup, Princeton (3-6 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) whipped Dartmouth (1-8, 1-6) 35-14 Saturday in Hanover, N.H.

The Tigers finished the season tied for fourth in the Ivy League and won back-to-back games for the first time since 1998. On the afternoon, the Big Green committed five turnovers and were also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct numerous times.

Dartmouth is not a great team, but most predicted a closer game than what it turned out to be. The Dartmouth faithful had two things that gave them some hope — last year's triumph over Princeton on the road and the return of star quarterback Greg Smith, who had been injured for most of the season.

The Tigers took advantage of Smith's rustiness, though, picking him off three times and his backup, Joseph Kinder, once. The Big Green moved the ball on the Princeton defense relatively well, amassing 326 yards of total offense. But the Tigers clamped down in their own territory and seemed to get turnovers whenever they needed to keep Dartmouth from gaining the momentum.

That momentum was with Princeton's offense all day long. In one of its most complete performances of the season, the offense generated 516 total yards.

"It's kind of sad it's the end of the season," junior wide receiver Chisom Opara said, "but this is a great springboard to next year."

Sophomore quarterback Dave Splithoff went 16 for 28 for 291 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes to Opara. The junior has been the Tigers' most consistent threat catching the ball all season, and the coaching staff finally gave Splithoff the green light to throw the ball downfield to Opara.

The first Tiger drive was marked by a good variation of running and passing, but it was stopped inside the Dartmouth 10 yard-line and yielded nothing when senior kicker Taylor Northrop missed the chip shot.

After that, the Tigers converted on every trip to the red zone.

Princeton marched down the field for two quick touchdowns and appeared to take control of the game. After a late Dartmouth touchdown in the half, the Tigers went to the locker room with a 14-7 lead.Princeton came out strong in the third quarter, and built a 35-7 lead before the Big Green got a fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final score 35-14.

One of the biggest plays of the game came on Opara's second touchdown, when he got behind the Big Green secondary to catch a well-thrown pass in stride and go 51 yards for the score. Opara finished with nine catches for 149 yards.

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Opara's effectiveness catching the ball and converting third downs helped Princeton to hold the ball most of the game. The Tigers had nearly a ten-minute advantage in time of possession and appeared to wear down the Dartmouth defense. Princeton marched down the field for much of the second half, even though junior running back Cameron Atkinson left the game towards the end of the second quarter due to a neck injury.

Atkinson, who had rushed for two touchdowns in the first half, was injured returning a kickoff. He appeared to be fine but with Princeton leading and moving the ball, his presence was not crucial. Freshman tailback Jon Veach was impressive in relief of Atkinson. Veach, primarily playing in the second half, had 108 yards on the ground.

Princeton's offensive line blazed holes for Veach and Atkinson to run through and provided time for Splithoff to pick apart the Dartmouth secondary. The unit had been criticized early in the season but continued to improve as the year progressed.

On the other side of the ball, sophomore linebacker Zak Keasey continued his strong play of recent weeks with 10 tackles to lead the Princeton defense. Junior safety Kevin Kongslie had two of the Tigers' four interceptions.

Princeton's performance in Saturday's game was a consoling conclusion to a disappointing season, marked by gut-wrenching losses and the occasional blowout.

"I think the players have a taste of success," head coach Roger Hughes said.