In sports, two points don't get you very far, except maybe in soccer or hockey. But two points could take you a long way toward understanding the football team's win this weekend.
Thanks to high-quality defensive play that buttressed a sometimes shaky but effective enough offense, Princeton defeated Columbia, 19-6.
Ironically, though the Tigers held a 14-6 halftime lead after finding the end zone twice in the second quarter, only the stalwart Tiger defense was able to find those last ten yards in the second half.
Senior punter Colin McDonough helped set the Tigers up for one of the most exciting plays in football with a good punt that another player on special teams downed at Columbia's own three-yard line with about four minutes left in the third.
Thanks to a false start that pushed the line back to the one, Princeton couldn't have had the Lions in better position by the time Columbia had a chance to attempt a drive. As Columbia's quarterback, Craig Hormann, took the snap deep into the end zone and went fruitlessly through his progression, it was already too late.
To cap off the game's scoring, senior defensive lineman Michael Meehan swept in around the far side of the line and took down Hormann before he could even ground the ball — notching the two points for a safety that capped off a brilliant defensive performance by the Tigers on Saturday.
"It turned out as sort of a delayed blitz," Meehan said. "I just dropped off and... made the play."
The Tigers did have some difficulty getting on the board at the beginning of the game, though. After forcing a Columbia three-and-out, senior quarterback Jeff Terrell completed his first pass to junior wideout Brendan Circle to march up to the Columbia 37-yard line. But the Tigers stalled out around there.
After another stop on Columbia before the Lions even reached midfield, the Tigers tried again, only to have Terrell throw an interception on a pass intended for senior wide receiver Brian Brigham.
The third time, though, was a charm. Starting from their own 26-yard line, the Tigers moved upfield — despite holding and false-start — penalties to gain the Columbia 25-yard line after a screen pass to junior running back Rob Toresco. Sophomore tailback R.C. Lagomarsino had the next first down for Princeton with a rush to the 14.
Terrell then found sophomore wide receiver Adam Berry to advance to the six-yard line, and Toresco and Lagomarsino again moved the Tigers to the one-yard line. But it looked as though the Tigers might stall out there.
Fourth-down score
After two miscues by Terrell on a quarterback sneak and a fumbled snap, the Tigers converted on fourth down for the score. With a man right in his face, Terrell completed a play-action pass to closely covered sophomore tight end Billy Mitchell on the near side of the end zone for the score and a 7-0 lead.
Unexcitingly but crucially, the defense came up with another three-and-out stop of the Lions — note the pattern here — and the Tigers found another score on their next possession.
Princeton took the ball at midfield, thanks to a good return from senior wide receiver Brian Shields, and, despite a botched play for a loss, Terrell completed a great pass on third-and-eight to Circle, 26 yards downfield.
Now at the Lions' 22-yard line, Terrell and Toresco each rushed down to the four-yard line before Lagomarsino found his way around the far end of the line for the score with nine minutes, 57 seconds left in the half. The 14-point advantage turned out to be critical, giving the Tigers room to maneuver in the second half when their offense stalled.
"We forced them to play from behind and in the end, that [was crucial]," head coach Roger Hughes said.
Princeton's lead, and its lack of offense in the second half — the Tigers only managed a field goal off sophomore kicker Connor Louden's foot early in the third quarter — set up the defense to prove its merits. The Tiger defenders only allowed the Lions 70 offensive yards in the entire first half, and their performance continued in spades.
Walker intercepts
After a Princeton fumble by Shields on a kick return in the third, the Lions took the ball back at the Tigers' 36-yard line. On third-and-five, senior linebacker Brig Walker pushed his receiver out of the way and caught the ball for himself, coming up with an interception that helped sap the Columbia sideline of its energy.
Remarkably, Walker made the play after the defense had just been on the field — but fatigue hasn't been an obstacle for this year's defense.
"Our defense relishes the challenge," Hughes said of his players, who were on the field quite a bit on Saturday.
The pressure continued for the rest of the game as the Tiger defense held the Lions scoreless despite spending perhaps an inordinate proportion of time on the gridiron.
Two points, too. An inordinately low sum for a defense that's added so much to this year's Princeton football team.
The Tigers are back in action at Colgate next Saturday.
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