Missed chances could hurt football's quest for league title

This Saturday, the football team will play host to Brown, as they enter the heart of the Ivy League schedule and "the only games that matter," according to senior linebacker Drew Babinecz. If Princeton wants to take the Ivy crown, the Tigers will have to convert on their opportunities, which they were unable to do for much of the game against Colgate last weekend.

Princeton came away with a win, and that is the main point to take from the weekend. But, in the long run, the way the team played against Colgate Saturday does not bode well for the games the team still has yet to play.

Penalties and mental mistakes ruined more than one Princeton drive, and if Colgate had not been making the same mistakes, the Tigers could very easily have lost the game.

One of the most notable missed opportunities for Princeton came early in the second quarter, after junior starting quarterback David Splithoff had been knocked out of the game with a concussion. When Splithoff left the game, the Tigers held a slim 7-3 lead. Sophomore backup quarterback Matt Verbit filled in for Splithoff. Splithoff's absence cast serious doubts on the offense's ability to move the ball effectively. However, Verbit threw a bullet to sophomore wide receiver B.J. Szymanski on a crossing pattern, and Szymanski turned up field for a 55-yard gain.

The play instilled confidence in the team and the crowd, as the Tigers moved from inside their own 10-yard line to the other side of the Colgate 40. With the second play of the drive on the Colgate 36-yard line, points were expected. But they squandered the chance to take control of the game two plays later when Verbit threw a pass behind his receiver, who tipped it up into the hands of Red Raider Ryan Disch.

If the Tigers have this opportunity in the games ahead, blowing it could mean an Ivy League title.

The Tiger offense took over the ball from Colgate only once outside of its own 30-yard line, but that once was on the Colgate 37-yard line, on Princeton's second drive of the game. After the defense forced a quick fumble, Splithoff took the ball and managed to gain only nine yards, giving the ball up after a failed fourth down. Though one could argue that the referee gave the Tigers a bad spot when senior wide receiver Andy Bryant went out of bounds, the fact of the matter is that Princeton was unable to move the ball more than 10 yards when the team had a critical opportunity to go up two touchdowns early in the game.

Against an inspired Ivy team gunning for the title, little mistakes like not being able to get a crucial first down that would have almost certainly led to points could ruin Princeton.

However, the Tigers must not assume that getting inside the opponent's 30-yard line is ample reason to expect points, like they were able to last year, when they could count on the abilities of kicker Taylor Northrop '02. Freshman kicker Derek Javarone has filled Northrop's role fairly well so far this season, winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors after the Lafayette game. However, Javarone capped a drive that characterized missed opportunities for Princeton with a missed field goal.

Princeton's most complete drive of the game brought the Tigers down to the Colgate one-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Princeton had driven methodically down the field, and was starting its second-and-goal play when the whistle blew, and the Tigers were forced to retreat five yards for a false start penalty. After two incomplete passes, Javarone pulled a 23-yard field goal attempt wide left.

There are numerous other examples that could be used to illustrate times that Princeton missed chances to blow the game open, but instead let Colgate hang around and keep the game fairly close. The Tigers were able to win the game because of a late 73-yard touchdown, but such a chance to snag victory at the end of the game will probably not be available for Princeton in the crucial weeks of Ivy League play to come.