Football tops Brown to go to 2-0 in Ivies

The sounds of Tigers and Bears battling inside Princeton Stadium were a welcome October respite from the pervasive verbal slurs between the elephants and the donkeys. Fans attending Saturday's football game between Princeton (4-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) and Brown (3-2, 0-2) were treated to an exciting 24-10 victory for the Orange and Black.

After a first half dominated by two strong defensive units, the Tigers clung to a tenuous 3-0 lead. Princeton received the second-half kickoff and successive first downs by senior tailback Branden Benson brought the Tigers to their own 49. Senior quarterback Matt Verbit dropped back and looked left, but in trying to find a receiver downfield, he did not see the 6'4'', 230-pound train bearing down on him from the right. Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie went for Verbit's head but instead got his exposed arm, forcing a fumble which was recovered by Bear linebacker Dan Doublin.

On the first play of the subsequent drive, Brown ran a flea flicker for a 37-yard gain to the Princeton five. Quarterback Joe DiGiacomo then gave the ball to junior tailback Nick Hartigan on three consecutive plays for three yards and no touchdown. In a gutsy play call by Bears head coach Phil Estes, Brown went back to Hartigan on fourth down. His power was too much for the Princeton defense as he barreled his way into the end zone. Up 7-3 with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bears had gained the momentum and their first lead.

Playing against the team with the top defense in the Ivies, the Tigers could have succumbed. This year's team, however, has displayed a depth of enthusiasm, spirit, and resolve that sets it apart from recent squads. The players knew that a loss to Brown would severely hamper their competitive position in the Ivies.

"The league is so balanced, you can't take a week off," Princeton head coach Roger Hughes said. "Every time something happened where I felt Brown gained a little momentum our team did something to gain the momentum back."

Junior split end Greg Fields, who also plays on special teams, received the ensuing kickoff on his own seven-yard line. Using explosive speed to elude a bunch of Bears, he raced up the right sideline. By the time Fields was finally forced out of bounds at the Brown 16-yard line, he had picked up both 77 yards and Princeton's spirits. On four consecutive touches, senior tailback Jon Veach breached the vaunted Brown defense for the 16 total yards Princeton needed. He scampered into the end zone with a three-yard touchdown run to cap the short but important Tiger drive.

The Bears knotted the game at 10 when they settled for a field goal on their next possession. Mercurial momentum shifted back to Brown, as it forced Princeton to go three-and-out to end the third quarter.

All that changed, however, with the first play of the fourth quarter. As DiGiacomo dropped back in shotgun formation at his own 24, he saw a receiver open to his right but did not spy senior defensive end Chris Browne in between. Browne tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage, and it bounced into senior linebacker Zak Keasey's hands. Keasey returned the ball to the 21, giving the Tigers excellent field position. Princeton drove, but was stopped just shy of the goal line, requiring Hughes to make a big fourth-down decision.

"The field goal did not really cross my mind," Hughes said. "I just felt at that time in the game we have to play to win, we've got to play to cut their heart out. We were going to stick that ball in the endzone."

With 12:10 remaining, Verbit handed the ball to Benson, who bulled his way over the Bear defenders for the touchdown. The Tigers had a lead they would never relinquish.

Just as it had in the first half, the Princeton defense shut down Brown in the fourth quarter. Verbit capped the Tiger scoring with a 50-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Brian Shields. Verbit finished the game 13-for-15 and completed passes to nine different Tigers.

Although Princeton did not overwhelm on offense, it should be very pleased with the team effort. The defense held Hartigan, who was averaging 138.5 rushing yards per game, to a quiet 66 yards. The team committed only one penalty, a kickoff that went out of bounds, which does not count in the official stat book.

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

In the end, this game was about mental toughness. Exuding a confidence that has eluded the program for the last several years, the Tigers, as a team, made plays when it counted most. Seizing the momentum in the second half, Princeton used a variety of weapons to remain undefeated in the Ivy League, setting up a battle of unbeatens next week against Harvard.