Cornell represents sprint football's best chance for a win this year

It is do or die time for the sprint football team. The Tigers (0-3) have three games remaining on their schedule — three more chances to save their season.

Tonight, the road to redemption begins at Frelinghuysen Field against Cornell (1-2).

The added incentive for Princeton is that the Big Red handed the sprint football team its first loss of the season just three weeks ago.

The 22-12 score of the first meeting fails to do the Tigers justice, as Princeton played well enough to win that game. In the end, the Tigers defeated themselves with four costly turnovers.

Despite the turnovers, Princeton put together a gritty performance in Ithaca, N.Y. three weeks ago, battling both the weather and soreness of a long bus-ride. This time around, the Tigers will have the advantage of playing at home in front of a sea of Orange-and-Black-clad fans. The forecast calls for sunshine, a far cry from the torrential downpour Princeton had to endure during the first contest.

Both the Tigers and Cornell are coming off huge losses to Army and Navy, respectively. Princeton was shutout 29-0 and the Big Red were shellacked 45-7 by the Midshipmen. Each team desperately needs to pull off a victory Friday night if either squad has hopes of being a factor in the league race.

The Tigers' sense of urgency cannot be overstated. The team needs a victory not next week or the week after next, but this week. The sins of the past simply do not matter at this point in the year.

Princeton will look to build on the positive elements of last week's loss in preparation for Friday's game.

"This is our most important game of the year, hands down. The first three weeks of the season have really put a lot of confidence in our defense, especially last week where we shut down Army's wishbone attack for the entire first half," senior defensive end Christian Gomez said.

For the Tigers to have a shot at knocking off Cornell, the defense will need to be at its best for all four quarters. Likewise, the offense and the special teams must carry their share on the load against the Big Red.

"Our offense has shown that it is capable of moving the ball on any team in the league, but [it] needs to be more consistent," Gomez said. "For us to beat Cornell, we need our offense to play a complete game, our defense to continue its solid play, and no breakdowns on special teams."

At this point in the season, the keys to success no longer remain mysteries for Princeton. Execution has been the Achilles heel of the sprint football team to date, especially on special teams. Whether or not the Tigers execute on special teams could be the difference against Cornell, much as it has been in the past three games.

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"Field position will always be an issue as well. We shot ourselves in the foot last game because we couldn't get the ball to our punter," said Gomez.

It is clear that Princeton has reached a crossroads in its season. From here on out the stakes are higher and the margin for error is nonexistent.

The Tigers have endured back-to-back winless seasons. This is why the team is even more determined than ever to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

The formula for a Princeton victory is simple enough. The Tigers must play within themselves. Princeton knows what it is capable of doing on the field, and understands that a lot is on the line Friday night.

"Overall, we are confident in our ability to beat Cornell, but we just have to execute," Gomez said. "This is the biggest test of our team and this program."

Do or die. No one understands the meaning of these three little words better than the Tigers as they head into their game with the Big Red.