Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Subscribe to the newsletter
Download the app

Second loss puts football on the ropes

Because football seasons are comprised of so few games its very difficult to determine exactly when to start looking forward to next year. If you're a Cincinnati "Bungles" fan, you're always looking five years down the line.

For the Princeton football team (0-2 overall) the season is only two games old, but there are major causes for concern among the Tiger faithful. Two consecutive, 28-13, non-conference losses have the coaching staff scrambling to figure out where the problem is.

ADVERTISEMENT

The problems the team has been having so far this season are compounded by the fact that this season was supposed to be the year head coach Roger Hughes finally had all of his players in place.

Almost the entire roster was recruited by Hughes to fit his offensive and defensive systems. However, instead of improving upon last year's 6-4 record, the team seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

The Tigers' biggest problem is that they have come out flat in both of their first two games. Lehigh and Lafayette were able to open up 28-0 leads that Princeton was unable to overcome.

"I thought we came out flat," Hughes said after the Lafayette setback. "I noticed it in pre-game."

While Princeton was able to cut into those deficits with late game rallies, these spurts were far too little too late. The Tigers have been unable to make anything work while the games have been close.

Even when the team has rallied, both the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards were able to put the clamps on the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

Still, with the sheer number of problems that the team is having, the Tigers have the potential to get much better.

"We need to play at a higher level and we need to execute at a higher level," Hughes said.

On the offensive side of the ball, junior quarterback Matt Verbit has not had enough time to stand back in the pocket and find receivers down the field. Nearly every time he drops back to pass, he is forced to scramble to avoid sacks.

Even when Verbit has time to throw the football, there is often no one open for him to throw the ball to. Since junior wide receiver B.J. Szymanski has developed into one of the most dangerous threats in the Ivy League, teams have been keeping a safety on his side of the field at all times to double team if necessary.

Subscribe
Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Therefore, the team's other receivers must get open, as senior Blair Morrison did on Saturday in hauling in seven catches for 111 yards.

The running game has been sporadic with the Tigers picking up yards in chunks. Princeton has been unable to consistently move the ball with the running game, though has averaged 122 yards per game. The Tigers were not able to run the ball in the first half against Lafayette, but were able to rip off some big gains in the third quarter.

On the defensive side of the ball, the play of the line has been a disappointment in the early going. A unit that was to be the strength of the team, the defensive line has been consistently pushed back off the line of scrimmage.

On Saturday, the Tigers allowed their first 100-yard rusher in ten games, as Joe McCourt ran for 108 yards — he eclipsed the century mark last season versus the Tigers as well.

Princeton has also not put consistent pressure on the opponent's quarterback, leaving a young secondary open to be picked apart.

Princeton's cornerbacks, freshman Tim Strickland and sophomore Charles Bahlert, gave Lafayette receivers Jeremy Burkes and John Weyrauch a ten-yard cushion on almost every play. Quarterback Marco Glavic took advantage, by throwing a lot of six and seven yard passes off of a three-step drop.

Fortunately for Princeton, time is still on its side. The Tigers don't face their first true test in the Ivy League until they travel to Harvard on October 25. Before then, Princeton plays host to Columbia this Saturday night at Princeton Stadium and follows that up with a non-conference game against Colgate and another league game at Brown.

The Tigers can still save the early part of this season with a win over Columbia because while it is disheartening to lose two games to open the season, Princeton must keep in mind that it is the league games that really matter.

Most Popular