Despite hope, sprint football drops home opener

For a moment, there was hope. The sprint football team was again on the move, as the offense charged forcefully across midfield into Cornell territory. The lightweight squad had already closed a 20-6 first quarter deficit to just eight points at 26-18, and the crowd was starting to believe. The players were starting to believe.

Beyond the darkness of the team's four-year losing streak stood the dream of a season-opening victory at home. The three first-half touchdowns were already more offense than the Tigers put up in any single game last year, and junior running back Matt Worley continued to ride key blocks from junior center Taylor Bright and grind out yardage on the ground.

But the Cornell defense had the clamps ready. The Big Red forced a punt, one of seven Tiger punts on the day, and the home team never again found the endzone, dropping in an eventual blowout, 46-18.

Defense?

Princeton's defense, the backbone of last year's squad, allowed 482 yards of offense and did not force a single Big Red punt. A late fumble recovery was the only time Cornell did not put points up on a possession.

"Our defense just wasn't aggressive enough," Worley said. "Some times guys were just out of position on key plays."

"We allowed a lot of third down conversions," junior wide receiver Adam Farren added. "We were a little tentative. But we did have a couple good goal line stands, so there is at least one positive we can take away defensively."

Worley, who plays both offense and defense doubling as a fullback and linebacker, led the team with 11 total tackles, including seven solo stops. Bright and Farren are the other two Tigers that play on both sides of the ball. Bright notched eight tackles, seven solo, from his perch at middle linebacker, while Farren made one solo stop from cornerback.

The Tigers' special teams continued to be a weak spot. Princeton botched three punts, all in the first quarter, and the team failed to convert either extra point it attempted. After the third touchdown, head coach Bill Hickey elected to go for a two-point conversion. Junior quarterback Dennis Bakke could not get around rabid defensive penetration on a failed option attempt.

Offensively, however, Bakke played one of his finer games, throwing two touchdowns to just one interception. Though he completed only 5 of 15 passes, Bakke looked more comfortable and composed both running and passing the ball. His second touchdown pass came on the last play of the first half and made it a one-possession game. Bakke dropped back and threaded a bullet through double coverage to sophomore wide receiver Cleland Welton in the endzone.

"The key for us on offense in the first half was Dennis," Farren said. "He was making great reads of the Cornell coverages, and his throw to Cleland at the end of the first half was a strike."

Cold as ice

In the second half, Bakke and the Princeton offense went ice cold. The Tigers struggled just to make first downs, and never mounted a serious threat.

"Overall, we had a more balanced attack than in the past," Worley said. "We ran and passed pretty well, but we need to improve on consistency. Not all of our plays are sharp."

In the first quarter, Cornell scored two early touchdowns to open a quick 13-0 lead. The Tigers got on the board on their next possession. Worley, who rushed 21 times for 118 yards, took the brunt of the carries, and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

After allowing a quick touchdown on a 49-yard scamper, Princeton got the ball back. Bakke marched the offense down the field, ending with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Farren. Farren led the Tigers with three catches for 62 yards.

"Giving up 46 points to Cornell is not what we're looking for on defense," Farren said. "But offensively, this is the best we've been in the three years I've been here."

The sprint team's next chance to shed the proverbial monkey comes Friday against Penn at Franklin Field. The team will have to play the game of its life, though, as Penn will enter as an overwhelming favorite. Last season, the Quakers dominated Princeton both times the teams met.