Football must emphasize successes in order to win

Philadelphia Eagles fans turn on their team faster than any group of fans in the country. They go from cheering Donovan McNabb to requesting Andy Reid be fired in the matter of a few plays.

Princeton football fans have also been unusually fickle in their judgment of the team's performance Saturday night against No. 20 Lehigh. While the Tigers (0-1) made a fair number of first-game mistakes as all could see, there were quite a few positives that have been largely ignored.

The first area of merit was at defensive line, which was expected to be one of the strong points on the team. Led by senior defensive ends Tim Kirby and Joe Weiss, the Tigers were able to generate excellent pressure on Lehigh quarterback Chad Schwenk.

"Getting pressure on the quarterback with the line means that you can drop seven guys into coverage," head coach Roger Hughes said. "You can also bring a safety up to stop the run."

In addition to putting pressure on the quarterback, the defensive line was instrumental in holding Lehigh's five-foot, four-inch running back, Jermaine Pugh, to only 64 yards on the ground, with 37 of those coming on the first drive of the game.

Weiss and Kirby combined for 18 tackles in the game. Junior Peter Kelly and sophomore Ben Brielmaier, the two starting defensive tackles, held their own in the running game by not allowing themselves to be knocked off the line.

While the linebacking corps had a very tough time defending the pass, especially against tight end Adam Bergen, their run defense was more than adequate. Most impressive was sophomore middle linebacker Justin Stull who recorded 14 tackles, including five for a loss, in his first collegiate start.

Stull had a total of six tackles as a freshman.

A good punting game is an important part of having a good defense, and that is something that Princeton was missing last year. However, with the arrival of freshman Colin McDonough, that has all changed.

McDonough got in plenty of work on Saturday, punting the ball eight times while averaging 40.8 yards per kick. However, it wasn't his distance that was the impressive part of his day.

"It wasn't just the distance he was getting on his kicks, it was the location," Hughes said.

One of his well-placed punts pinned Lehigh inside their own five-yard line. Because of his strong game, McDonough was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

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On the offensive side of the ball, the line had a better day than most expected. Considering three of the five players were not starting at the end of last season, there was obvious concern heading into the game.

The line learned on the job quickly however, doing an adequate job of protecting junior quarterback Matt Verbit. Verbit was sacked only once in the game, after the line had allowed an average of five sacks a game in the last four games of the 2002 season.

One of the players who benefited from the work being done in the trenches was sophomore running back Greg Fields. He excited the crowds with his speed and fancy moves, and also caught the eye of the coaches.

Fields is one of the most athletic players on the team, and Hughes has decided to get the most out of his skills by putting him on both the kickoff and punt return teams.

He had what appeared to be a punt return for a touchdown in the second half, but the play was called back because of a block in the back penalty on the Tigers.

He did finish the day with 133 all-purpose yards — 33 rushing, 42 receiving, eight on punt returns, and 30 on kickoff returns.

At the other important offensive skill position, wide receiver, Princeton has one of the best in the Ivy League in junior B.J. Szymanski. Szymanski was hit hard on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the middle of the second quarter on a play in which he never saw the defender coming. The hit cracked Szyman-ski's face mask and also knocked the receiver out.

He would return in the second half and make an immediate impact, catching a 75-yard touchdown pass in which he beat his defender by a step and a half.

The negatives — the four turnovers and numerous missed coverages on defense — were clearly apparent in Saturday's game, but the 2003 edition of Princeton football won't be remembered for their opening loss, but rather for how they finish the season.