It was an ugly game in many respects when the sprint football team hosted Army on a rainy, muddy Friday night at Frelinghuysen Field. The Black Knights shut out Princeton for the second time this season, 45-0, as they managed to rack up 445 yards of total offense.
Princeton (0-3 overall, 0-1 Collegiate Sprint Football League) managed only 60 yards on offense all night. Sophomore quarterback Alex Kandabarow completed five-of-20 passes for 61 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Lon Johnson and senior running back Frank Langston led the team with three receptions apiece.
Just as Army (2-2, 1-1 CSFL) did in the first meeting this season, the team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, scoring on five of its first seven possessions.
Late in the first quarter, quarterback Braden Amigo found Christian Gomez in the end zone for a 20-yard completion, capping off a 91-yard drive that ate up eight minutes.
Less than one minute into the second quarter, the Black Knights struck again as running back Patrick Hall punched it in from three yards out, increasing Army's lead to 14-0. Hall also scored later in the game when he returned an interception 25 yards for the touchdown.
As Army's coach began pulling his starters, backup quarterback James Antonides came in and continued what Amigo had started. Halfway through the second quarter, Antonides scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown and added his second rushing touchdown of the night just seconds before halftime.
Strong third quarter
Army led, 31-0, at the half. Determined to end Army's onslaught of points, the Tiger defense played an excellent third quarter as it held off the Black Knights for a scoreless tie to end the quarter.
The Princeton offense, equally as determined to end its scoring drought, came out from the locker room in its two-minute offense and put together two solid back-to-back drives. Kandabarow led the team on a nine-play, 37-yard drive from its own three-yard line.
The Tigers punted, got the ball back after a defensive stop and continued what they had started in the previous drive as they drove into Army's red zone on a six-play, 28-yard drive. Kandabarow completed a handful of balls, including a 20-yard pass to freshman wide out Colin Johnson as he threaded the ball through two defenders and over a linebacker's head. Princeton was still unable to put points on the board, though.
"We tried not to let [the weather] affect our game plan too much," Kandabarow said. "It ended up affecting my passing a bit, though."
Army switched quarterbacks again in the second half, this time bringing in a freshman, Robert Miner, but it did not make any difference. Miner found junior wide receiver Derek Brown early in the fourth quarter for a 10-yard touchdown catch.
Proficient by air or ground
In a game in which Army dominated the statistics, 12 different Black Knight players rushed for a combined 345 yards. Three Army rushers ran for 60 yards or more.
"Army was able to get all their yards on the ground," Kandabarow said. "We have yet to establish a running attack, and it shows that with a solid ground game you can win."
The Black Knights were able to grind down the clock on the ground, holding the ball for more than 35 minutes in the game, 19 of which came in the second half.
When Army chose to throw, the team was equally as proficient. Three different Black Knight quarterbacks combined for 100 yards on 11-of-19 passing. Most importantly, Army did not turn the ball over in the passing game.
Though the win was decisive, it is clear that Princeton has improved since the two teams' last meeting.
"The defense has made humongous strides from where they were," Kandabarow said. "Our offense has certainly improved, but we haven't gotten to the point where we can put a solid scoring drive together yet."
The team will try to put together that scoring drive on Friday night when they travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell in league play.
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