Football makes California debut in San Diego

California, the saying goes, knows how to party. Whether the Golden State is spawning rap music, the internet, or a new way to play offensive football, it has always seemed to bring an exciting edge to life. Combine innovative culture with balmy weather and the Pacific Ocean, and it's no wonder Tupac Shakur made millions speaking the praises of sweet Cali.

It is not California's social scene, however, that interests head coach Roger Hughes and his Princeton football squad. This weekend, the Tigers will make their first ever trip to California to play the Toreros of San Diego. The West Coast journey is the longest road trip in the illustrious history of Princeton football.

While the chance to travel and to meet a new opponent is an exciting opportunity for Princeton's young athletes, the real purpose of the road trip is clear. A win in San Diego would give the Tigers their first 2-0 start since 1995. That same year, the Tigers finished 8-1-1 en route to winning the Ivy League Championship.

"We are going out there to win a football game," senior fullback Joel Mancl said on Wednesday. "If we go out there and lose, it's not going to have the same kind of appeal."

Sophomore safety Tim Strickland echoed those sentiments, adding "It's going to be great going out to California and everything, but it's definitely all business."

If the Tigers can come home with a victory, the team will have some pretty serious momentum entering their first Ivy League match up with Columbia next week. Last weekend, Princeton's 35-18 win over Lafayette marked the first time that the Tigers have won their opener since Hughes took the helm in 2000.

However, to earn a second straight victory the Tigers will have to overcome several challenges. First and foremost is the distraction that travel will bring. While many Division I programs make long road trips for games, it is rare for a Division I-AA team like Princeton to make such a journey.

"I think (that's) one of the challenges we have, quite frankly," Hughes said. "Our kids haven't traveled like this before (and they) haven't been in this position before. (However), clearly the leadership on this team will not allow us to lose focus on what we're doing."

Recent history bodes well for the Tigers' chances this Saturday. Last week San Diego hosted another Ivy League team, Penn, and the Quakers rolled to victory by a 61-18 score.

Nonetheless, Penn's lopsided victory indicates that if the Tigers can execute they will likely come away with a win. Senior running backs Branden Benson and Jon Veach will share the ball carrying duties and the responsibility of getting a running game going against a San Diego defense that likes to crowd the line of scrimmage.

The Toreros generally keep eight defenders in the box to stop the run and play three-deep coverage in the secondary, dividing the field into three zones that are each manned by a defensive back. Zone coverage means that senior quarterback Matt Verbit must make especially good decisions with the football.

Unfortunately for Verbit, his already thin receiving corps took another hit this week with the news that senior flanker Clinton Wu may be done for the season. Wu had seven catches for 108 yards in a sensational first half last Saturday, but he injured his knee on his final catch and probably will not return this year.

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In Wu's absence inexperienced wideouts junior Derek Davis and sophomore Eric Walz will need to step up. The explosive junior all-purpose back Greg Fields will also see a lot of opportunities both out of the backfield and in the slot, and junior tight end John Dekker should see several balls thrown his way.

Defensively the Tigers should match up well against the San Diego offense. Strong-armed Torero quarterback Todd Mortensen will look to build on his superb effort against Penn last week, when he completed 35 of 57 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown. But Mortensen will find the going tough against the deep Princeton secondary, which boasts shutdown junior corner Jay Mc-Careins along with standout safeties senior Brandon Mueller and sophomore Tim Strickland.

The recipe for success for the Tigers is simple — limit turnovers, play good defense, and the points will materialize. Last week, the formula worked well. But that game was at home, and the Tigers had several weeks to prepare. Will the team be able to make the necessary adjustments to get win number two? If they can, then the party out in California will be that much sweeter.