Princeton's offense shows sparks but no consistency

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Both teams showcased in Saturday's football game were Brown, and not just because of the colors of their jerseys.

Sure, Brown wore their home browns and Princeton's road whites were brown with mud before the end of the first quarter, but the comparison between the two teams did not end there. The Tigers also could be described as brown for the way they played against the Bears.

Princeton has risen to the challenge of big games several times during the six-year tenure of head coach Roger Hughes, and this game followed that trend in many ways. Despite leaving Brown Stadium with a 31-28 loss, the Tigers played Brown tough after falling behind early and gave one of the most prolific offenses in the Ivy League a serious challenge. Princeton remained perfect on the season in the red zone and converted half of its third-down attempts (six-for-12), compared with Brown's 40 percent conversion rate on third downs (six-for-15). Most notably, the Tigers trailed by only three points late in the game and had the entire fourth quarter to either tie the game or take the lead.

Why, then, was Princeton unable to leave Providence with the win and a tie for the Ivy League lead?

For the second straight week, the Tigers started the game off slow, amassing negative three total yards on their first two drives while allowing the Bears to score on their first four drives. Princeton eventually woke up, and, despite trailing by 10 points at halftime, what began as a blowout seemed a bit more manageable heading into the locker room.

Even though the slow start did not knock out the Tigers, a lack of consistency ultimately did. Fourteen points in less than seven minutes to start the second half put the Tigers back on top and seemed to shift the momentum back to their sideline. After that, though, Princeton could not mount a drive longer than 1:39, gaining only 12 yards in the final 21:25 of the game.

Meanwhile, Brown moved the ball with ease, traveling 81 yards in nine plays and using the passing game and the running ability of senior running back Nick Hartigan to score the game-winning touchdown. The Princeton defense did manage to keep the Bears out of the end zone for the rest of the day, even though it stayed on the field for over 11 minutes in the final frame. This final scoring drive, though, illuminated the main difference between these two squads.

When Brown needed a yard for a third-down conversion or a big play to secure momentum for its side, both teams knew who would get the ball. Hartigan carried the Bears on his back whenever called upon, and consequently, Brown head coach Phil Estes went to him early and often.

The Tigers, on the other hand, have lacked such a presence all season long on offense. Princeton has relied on a wide variety of outlets for its offensive production, and while many of them have had good seasons up to this point, none have stepped up as an identifiable goto guy. While distributing the ball in this way prevents opposing defenses from focusing on one particular player, it also has limited the Tigers' consistency on offense and ultimately prevented them from sustaining crucial drives in losses to both Colgate and Brown.

This Saturday brings yet another challenge for Princeton, as the team travels to Cambridge, Mass., to face off against Harvard and another larger-than-life running back, junior Clifton Dawson. The Tigers will have to get some crimson on their jerseys in order to beat Harvard, but the blood, mud and sweat will not be enough. The Tigers need someone to step up and solidify their offense if they are to rise to the challenge, if they are to take down the Crimson and, most importantly, if they are to win the Ivy League.