SAN DIEGO — Few football teams can survive on defense alone. Sure, defense wins championships, the old adage terms, but teams this side of the Baltimore Ravens rarely do so without the help of a competent offense. In other words, if Princeton hopes to win the Ivy League title this year, its ballyhooed defense won't be able to do it alone.
But for one game, at least, it was the 'D' that carried the day for the Orange and Black, nearly all by itself.
After a high-octane offense and a bend but not break defense translated into a win for the Tigers (2-0 overall) in their season opening game against Lafayette, the roles reversed in their 24-17 victory over the University of San Diego (1-3) this Saturday.
The defense scored 14 points all by itself against the Toreros — and prevented a bushel more by creating five turnovers — to overcome a plethora of offensive penalties, turnovers, and special teams miscues. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.
And, in truth, it wasn't all that unexpected. After watching tape of San Diego fumble away its previous game — Penn shellacked the Toreros 61-18 last weekend — Princeton defenders knew they had a chance for a big day.
"We knew there would be a lot of turnover opportunities," senior linebacker Zak Keasey said. "We wanted to capitalize — and we did."
Each of the three forced fumbles was due to an aggressively attacking defense. The first came when junior linebacker Abi Fadeyi ripped the ball out of Torero running back Evan Harney's hands, the second when senior safety Brandon Mueller blitzed and pummeled quarterback Todd Mortensen, and the third when junior linebacker Justin Stull layed a crushing hit on Harney.
Just as importantly, on each play, the rest of the defense was aware of its surroundings, as Keasey, junior defensive end James Williams, and Mueller quickly scooped up the loose balls on the respective plays.
Searching for an explanation of how the Tiger defense wreaked so much havoc? Look no further than the players creating it. The same names keep coming up, week in and week out: Keasey, Stull, and Fadeyi, the men who, along with junior Alan Borelli, comprise Princeton's dangerous linebacker corps. Two games into the 3-4 base defense era, all signs are positive.
That's not to say the defense was perfect, however. Harney ran for 146 yards, thanks in part to too many missed tackles by the Tigers.
"Give their backs credit," head coach Roger Hughes said, "but we did not do a good job of tackling. A lot of time we had them and just did not wrap them up."
Although the run defense could still use a bit of work, it was hard to complain about the pass defense. Thanks to the blitzing linebackers and tight coverage of the defensive backs, Mortensen — a BYU transfer — played poorly and erratically (14-33, 188 yards). His untimely decisions resulted in several questionable passes and two interceptions.
The first pick was made by junior defensive back Jay McCareins, who played well off of the tight end he was covering on a slow to develop corner route. When Mortensen put a bit too much air under the ball, McCareins jumped in front, took the ball and scampered all the way to the endzone.
"I always love to cover tight ends," McCareins said. "No disrespect to them, but their break is never going to be as fast as mine."
Keasey's interception, which effectively ended the Toreros chance at a comeback, was similarly based on deception. After faking a blitz, Keasey dropped into spy coverage in the middle of the field.
"I just read his eyes and where he was looking. I don't think he ever saw me because he threw it right to me," Keasey said. "I just thought don't miss and then hold onto it."
Keasey didn't drop the ball, of course; the offense, on the other hand, did. But, in truth, it wasn't the one lost fumble that hurt the most, but rather the seven penalties for 85 yards and the repeated failure to execute on third down that nearly killed Princeton.
The struggles came as a bit of a surprise, given the Tigers' nearly flawless fundamentals in week one — it seemed the offense had regressed. One example was senior quarterback Matt Verbit who turned in a mediocre 12-for-22 day after posting an outstanding performance against Lafayette.
According to Hughes, the struggles were forced by a "bit of indecision" due to San Diego blitzing more than the coaching staff had expected.
"A couple times, [Verbit] checked to the three-step drop and had some miscues by the receivers," Hughes said. "For a couple [receivers], it's their first time playing, so that's going to happen."
Without senior wideout Clint Wu, finished for the season after tearing his ACL last week, Verbit lacked a goto target. Instead, he did his best to spread the wealth, hooking up with eight different receivers.
That wasn't the only sharing the Tigers did — seniors Jon Veach and Branden Benson continued to split time in the backfield. While neither was spectacular as an individual, as a whole, the team ran quite effectively (213 yard on 41 carries). And, Hughes was quick to mention, the fresh legs were quite useful down the stretch, especially given the heat.
Once again, junior wideout Greg Fields contributed to both the ground and aerial attacks, though not as spectacularly as he had against Lafayette. This was, after all, a down week for the special teams in general, between the high snaps, the blocked punt, and the missed field goals.
Still, while Hughes sounded concerned by the breakdowns, he did not appear panicked. He attributed junior kicker Derek Javarone's struggles at least in part to the wind and the blocked punt to a momentary lapse in discipline.
Besides, in the end, the mistakes were rendered meaningless by the heroics of the defense.
"We strive to create turnovers," McCareins said. "It's the best way to help out."
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