Football inches away from beating Penn

As fans and players on both sides of Princeton Stadium invoked their respective gridiron gods through silent and vociferous fourth quarter petitions, junior placekicker Derek Javarone's 41-yard field goal attempt with 18 seconds remaining in the game sailed wide right by inches, ending Princeton's hopes of an upset. The loss mathematically eliminated the Tigers (4-4 overall, 2-3 Ivy League) from the Ivy League title race.

Despite leading the University of Pennsylvania (7-1, 5-0) in total offensive yards and time of possession, as well as on the scoreboard for most of the game, the final count of 16-15 left Princeton a point shy of its biggest football win in years.

With 2:48 remaining in the game, the Tigers started a drive that would cover 61 yards, highlighted by senior quarterback Matt Verbit's 11-yard scramble with 15 yards added by a Penn personal foul. With the ball sitting at the 19-yard line, a 36-yard field goal was all that separated head coach Roger Hughes from quieting his detractors.

Javarone's longest field goal on the year was only 33 yards, however, so Princeton tried to secure a few extra yards on its next set of downs. Instead, the team lost five yards, taking the ball out of Javarone's effective range and sending the Quakers home smiling.

"You have the hearts and minds of 106 athletes who are working their ass off and playing the game of their life," head coach Roger Hughes said. "And to have it come down to a last-minute kick and lose it, I think it hurts. I think it hurts badly."

The Tigers led, 15-13, with over eight minutes remaining in the game when Penn started a drive from its own 31-yard line. After two easy stops, the Quakers faced a critical third and 10. Penn quarterback Pat McDermott faked a pass, freezing junior cornerback Charles Bahlert. That opening allowed the man he was defending, wide receiver Gabe Marabella, to catch McDermott's perfect arching pass for a 23-yard gain. The Quakers steadily moved the ball before stalling on Princeton's five. Placekicker Derek Zoch, a freshman making his first career attempt, kicked the 22-yard attempt wide right, but the play was ruled dead because of a Penn false start. Moving the line of scrimmage back five yards did not faze Zoch, and he cleanly hit the second attempt to give the Quakers the 16-15 lead.

"I cannot say enough about how hard my team played," Hughes said. "I told them to leave everything on the field, and they did. It's amazing to me how a team can miss a field goal, have a penalty, and win the game because of it."

The Tigers dominated the first half but, in a case of red zone malaise, only managed to score two field goals. On its second possession of the game, Princeton started on Penn's 12-yard line as a result of junior wide receiver Greg Fields' 49-yard return of a 54-yard punt. However, a rush and two pass attempts failed to advance the ball more than 2 yards. Javarone put points on the board with a 27-yard field goal. The teams then traded fumbles and ineffective drives before Princeton's next successful possession. Senior tailback Branden Benson picked up 24 of Princeton's 32 yards on the drive, but could not get in the endzone. Again, Javarone delivered for the Tigers.

Underscoring the effort expended by Princeton, the Tiger defense held Penn without a first down until just under five minutes remained in the first half. Three minutes later, running back Von Bryant capped an 89-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, allowing Penn to take its first lead of the game, 7-6.

Determined not to roll over and give in to the heavily favored Quakers, the Tigers forced a fumble on Penn's first possession of the second half. Four and a half minutes later, Fields took the ball on a reverse towards the left sideline and used his explosive speed to cruise untouched for the 8-yard touchdown. Despite a valiant effort by Verbit to stretch for the two-point conversion, Penn defenders stopped him just shy of the endzone.

Princeton's 12-7 lead was extended to 15-7 at the start of the fourth quarter by Javarone's third field goal of the day. Penn narrowed the gap to 15-13 with a fourth quarter touchdown and failed 2-point conversion, which set up the gridiron gods' capricious intervention at the end of the game.

Overall, Princeton played a solid game and gave the Penn squad a scare, but the final results continue the Tigers' failure to consistently execute in close games. In the end, the hard work Princeton has demonstrated in practice and during games means nothing unless it can find a way to win in the fourth quarter.