Despite mistakes, football earns 'W'

SAN DIEGO — A few minutes after the game ended, as he sat on the stairs outside the visitor's locker room, football head coach Roger Hughes looked exhausted.

He'd just watched his team throttle the opposition for the first 20 minutes and sleepwalk through the final 40. It had been ugly, but for now, at least, he didn't much seem to care.

"Last year, we found a way to lose this game," he said. "This year, today, we found a way to win."

In truth, the 24-17 victory was far more reliant on a 112-second sequence early in the second quarter, than upon any late game heroics. During the crucial span, the Tigers (2-0 overall) forced three San Diego (1-3) turnovers, returning two for touchdowns. All of the sudden, a tight 7-0 game had become a one-sided, 21-0, affair.

But the seemingly impending blowout never materialized, as poor execution prevented the Tigers from icing the game early. So, although Princeton left with a win — the Toreros made too many mistakes of their own to complete the comeback — the overall performance was less than fully satisfying.

Looking strong early

At the game's start, however, the Tigers looked just as strong as they had against Lafayette last week. Spurred by a 52-yard reception by sophomore wide receiver Eric Walz, Princeton marched 80 yards for a score on its opening drive.

The Tigers got the ball back quickly, when junior linebacker Abi Fadeyi stripped San Diego running back Evan Harney and senior linebacker Zak Keasey recovered. They couldn't capitalize, however, and failed to score for the rest of the quarter, wasting a prime opportunity when junior kicker Derek Javarone pulled a 31-yard field goal wide left.

With the offense sputtering, the defense took it upon itself to score. On the very first play of the second quarter, senior safety Brandon Mueller blitzed and jarred the ball from quarterback Todd Mortensen. Junior defensive end James Williams picked the ball up at the Torero12-yard line and rumbled untouched into the end zone, giving Princeton a 14-0 lead.

As soon as San Diego got the ball back, lightening struck again. This time, it was junior cornerback Jay McCareins, jumping a slow sideline route and picking off Mortensen's pass. He then sliced and diced his way 36 yards down the sideline, leaping high over two diving Toreros to reach the end zone.

"I saw two guys and my body said jump," McCareins explained afterwards, sheepishly recalling the highlight-reel play. "You worry about your legs afterwards." Three plays into the next San Diego drive, the Tiger defense wreaked havoc once more. This time, it was junior linebacker Justin Stull delivering a crushing hit and Mueller pouncing on the loose ball.

It seemed, at that instant, that Princeton was on the verge of a delivering the knockout blow. With the ball on the San Diego 26, another score seemed inevitable.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the trouncing — the Tigers' fundamentals suddenly disappeared. When they had to burn a timeout to avoid a delay of game after recovering the fumble, it was a subtle sign. When the drive stalled and Javarone missed another field goal, pushing a 35-yard try wide right, it was a sign of changing momentum.

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Things got even worse on the next Princeton drive, as a first and 10 near midfield turned into a third and 38 at their own 10, thanks to a series of penalties and a bad snap. When San Diego blocked the ensuing punt and Harney punched the ball into the end zone three plays later, the rout had been preempted.

The Tigers' next drive went just as poorly, when a second snap flew high. This time it was over the head of sophomore punter Colin McDonough, giving San Diego the ball back on the Princeton 34. Again, San Diego took advantage, cutting the score to 21-14 just before the half on a keeper by Mortensen.

"I think we just lost our poise," Hughes said, admitting he wasn't sure why the sudden drop-off occurred. "We really established something and we didn't finish it."

Neither side could muster much offense in the third quarter, as both teams struggled with penalties. The only scoring came on 27-yard field goal by Javarone. But the Toreros answered with a 46-yard field goal a minute into the fourth quarter, closing the gap to 24-17. That would end up the final margin, as both offenses looked lost throughout the final 15 minutes.

After the teams traded punts early in the quarter, senior tailback Jon Veach nearly singlehandedly carried the Tigers downfield, before fumbling inside the 10 as he fought for extra yardage. San Diego couldn't capitalize, giving the ball back when Keasey picked off Mortensen at midfield with just under four minutes to play. The teams traded possession once more before Princeton ran out the clock.

"Fundamentally, we weren't as sharp as we were last week — we need to get back to where we were," a weary Hughes said, momentarily looking and sounding like he did after last season's heartbreaking losses. But then, a smile crept across his face, perhaps as he remembered that it is no longer last year.

"Overall," he said, "you can never be unpleased with a win."