Football blows 24-7 fourth quarter lead in season-opening loss to No. 3 Lehigh

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It was almost a great victory for Princeton football.

Instead, it will go down as a frustrating fourth quarter loss for a team with a history of struggling in the final 15 minutes.

Against Lehigh on Saturday, the Tigers went into the final period with a 24-7 lead but fell by the score of 31-24.

Everything was going right for Princeton (0-1) in the first half as it led 24-7 at the break. Even the third quarter was acceptable, as neither team was able to put any points on the board.

The fourth quarter was miserable. Lehigh (3-0) showed why it is ranked No. 3 in Div. I-AA.

On the first play of the period, the Mountain Hawks punched the ball into the end zone to tighten the score to 24-13 as the extra point attempt was blocked.

Princeton shot itself in the foot on its next possession, amassing a couple of penalties and going three and out. The Tigers punted, but an interference call on the punt allowed Lehigh to start with the ball in Princeton territory with 13 minutes, six seconds to play.

On the ensuing drive, the Tigers almost forced Lehigh to go three and out, but on third down, Mountain Hawk quarterback Chad Schwenk was out of the pocket scrambling for his life when a Lehigh receiver George Evans somehow managed to become wide open in the middle of the field and allowed the Mountain Hawks to continue the drive and finish it off with a field goal.

The score became 24-16, no longer a blowout, but enough to allow the Tigers room to breathe.

The next drive was the heartbreaker.

The Tigers started with the ball on their own 25. The first play was an incomplete passing play in which it was either an errant pass or miscommunication between junior quarterback Splithoff and his receiver. Luckily, no Mountain Hawk was there to pick it off.

The second play was a stuffed rush at the line of scrimmage.

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On third down, Splithoff dropped back and threw into heavy coverage. The ball was thrown well behind the receiver again and, this time, right to Lehigh's strong safety Matt Salvaterra, who was able to march into the Tiger end zone. After a successful two point conversion, the score was tied at 24 with eight minutes and 52 seconds left in the game.

The Tigers appeared to settle down a bit when the score was tied, and the ball went back and forth over the next seven minutes.

"We were just trying to keep everyone calm and focused," junior linebacker Zak Keasey said. "I think we did everything we can, but just came up short."

With about a minute and a half to play, Lehigh got the ball on Princeton's 39-yard line. On the fifth play of the series, Schwenk hit Sutton on a 12-yard scoring pass with 13 seconds left.

The Tigers tried a desperation pass which almost made it into the hands of sophomore wide receiver B.J. Szymanski as time ran out and the final score of 31-24 became official.

Granted, the fourth quarter was a disaster for Princeton, but it is unfortunate that, as a result, the first half will not be remembered.

The Tigers were playing the third ranked team in the country in Mountain Hawk territory with Lehigh fans outnumbering Princeton fans by a margin of what looked to be about eight to one – even more so based on the respective decibel levels.

Throughout the amazing first quarter, the Tigers showed huge promise for the season.

The team executed the option well. Splithoff connected with the receivers for big plays. The running game was working.

On defense, the Tigers were playing with enthusiasm. They were stopping all of the Lehigh drives and obviously having a great time in the process, as could be seen by the high fives and celebrations after nearly every defensive play.

The first-half statistics show how Princeton man-handled the team that has won 26 straight regular season games.

In the first 30 minutes on Saturday the Tigers had a total offense of 302 yards compared to Lehigh's 111. Princeton threw for 209 yards to 105 for Lehigh. The Tigers were marching all over the Mountain Hawks, accumulating 15 first downs to a mere five. The time of possession was 18:29 for Princeton and just 11:31 for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks had a grand total of six rushing yards on 11 carries.

"I thought we gained a lot of confidence in the first half," head coach Roger Hughes said. "I thought we played pretty flawlessly. We just have to do it for 60 minutes."

Moreover, Szymanski had 116 total yards in that half, 98 in the air and 18 on a reverse handoff – a play which dumbfounded Lehigh and stunned the team for several minutes thereafter. Splithoff was 11-15 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

But Princeton will remember the fourth quarter for the rest of the year. Fortunately for the Tigers, if for the rest of the season they play like they did in the other three quarters, they should have several good memories from this season as well.

"I told the team going in, one loss is not self-destructive on the season," head coach Roger Hughes said. "We're going to have to take and learn from this."