When the football team takes the field tomorrow afternoon at Princeton Stadium for the final game of the 2004 season, the Tigers will tell themselves much is at stake.
Princeton (4-5 overall, 2-4 Ivy League) will be playing for pride and for their legacy, players and coaches say. With a win over visiting Dartmouth (1-8, 1-5), they will end the season with a good taste in their mouths, they claim.
"Everybody on the team wants to end the season with a win," senior center Jeremy Moore said. "Every victory is important. Five-and-five is a lot better than four-and-six."
Of course, the tantalizingly narrow, but dangerously deep, chasm that the Tigers will attempt to leap over tomorrow — the fine line between below average and mediocrity, embarrassment and respectability — is not one they had expected to be staring down into just four short weeks ago.
Flashback to October 22. Sitting at 4-1, tied for first place in the league, everything seemed to be coming together for Princeton. But one month and four painful losses later, everything has fallen apart. From costly injuries to the wide receiving corps to back-to-back oneand two-point losses, it seems Murphy's Law is in full effect.
"As you continue to experience negative things and losses, it becomes increasingly harder to bounce back," head coach Rogers Hughes said. "As coaches, you question everything you're doing and try to find the right answers. But repeated times where you play as hard as you can but for whatever reason come up a little short — it gets discouraging."
The members of the coaching staff are not the only ones questioning their performance. The whispers that Coach Hughes is on thin ice are getting louder, with Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67 refusing to discuss Hughes' job stability with the Trenton Times. Luckily for Hughes, Dartmouth represents the most winnable game Princeton has played since the losing streak began, if not of the entire season. The Big Green sit solidly in the cellar of the Ivy League, having scored just 98 points all season while giving up 188.
Still, the Tigers won't get a win by just showing up. Dartmouth turned in its best performance of the season last weekend, picking up its first win, defeating Brown 20-7. Freshman running back Chad Gaudet led the way, totaling 137 yards and a touchdown.
Stopping the run has been a challenge all season long for Princeton, with Yale's Robert Carr becoming the latest opposing back to run roughshod over the Tigers.
"Anytime you stop the run, it's got to be a collective effort and you've got to make sure your fits are perfect," defensive backs coach Eric Jackson said, noting that at least one of Carr's big runs last weekend was the result of a defensive misalignment. "It doesn't take much [for the defense to break down]."
Hughes, meanwhile, praised the Dartmouth defensive line, noting that the Big Green have not given up very many big runs this season. Senior tailbacks Jon Veach and Branden Benson, playing their last game in the Orange and Black, will look to buck that trend.
Saturday will close the careers of a number of other notable Tigers, including quarterback Matt Verbit, wide receiver Clint Wu, fullback Joel Mancl, linebacker Zak Keasey, and safety Brandon Mueller.
Their goal for their final game will be a simple one: to make sure it is only their farewell and not their coach's.
Read More
Men’s soccer falls to Hofstra 1–0 in spirited matchup
Lily Pampolina and Alex Beverton-SmithAfter a decisive victory over Rutgers to open the season, the Tigers fell to the Hofstra Pride 1–0 on Wednesday night.
After a decisive victory over Rutgers to open the season, the Tigers fell to the Hofstra Pride 1–0 on Wednesday night.
Corners win games: field hockey splits pair of games in Tiger Invitational
Emilia ReayIn their opening tournament, Princeton beat Old Dominion before losing to the second-ranked University of North Carolina at the Tiger Invitational.
In their opening tournament, Princeton beat Old Dominion before losing to the second-ranked University of North Carolina at the Tiger Invitational.
Preview and Staff Picks: Men’s soccer vs. Rutgers
Harrison Blank, Joseph Uglialoro, and Alex Beverton-SmithIn their first matchup of the season, the Tigers face the Scarlet Knights on Sept. 5 at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium. The team will hope to have a positive start to the year against their state rivals.
In their first matchup of the season, the Tigers face the Scarlet Knights on Sept. 5 at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium. The team will hope to have a positive start to the year against their state rivals.