Princeton beats Yale

Senior quarterback Jeff Terrell has been waiting 364 long days for a second chance, and Princeton students have been waiting twelve long years for a bonfire. Terrell redeemed himself after last year's five-interception fiasco by making the football team's and students' bonfire dreams a reality. The senior cemented his legacy as the quarterback to bring the blaze back to Cannon Green with a 445-yard virtuoso passing performance as he led the Tigers (8-1 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) to a 34-31 come from behind victory over Yale (7-2, 5-1).

"Right now it's hard to put it in words how good [this win] feels," said Terrell, after a single-game passing performance that was the fourth-highest in Princeton history. "After last year I felt it was my job this year to come out and put it behind me."

Terrell firmly pushed old memories aside with an epic 57-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Brian Brigham that put the Tigers ahead for good with 7 minutes and 36 seconds remaining.

Brigham was not even initially the intended receiver, but after the ball had just missed his hands on a similar play at the end of the first half, he was determined to enact revenge and begged junior wide receiver Brendan Circle to switch with him.

"I went out on the field and I was like, 'Brendan, you gotta let me do this play, I gotta get this guy back,'" Brigham said. "It seemed like the ball was up there for what seemed like forever — Jeff just put it right on me."

Brigham faked out the Bulldog back that was tailing him, caught the ball on the fly at around the 15-yard line and never looked back, escaping into the end zone untouched. Circle got his chance to shine a few moments later as Terrell lobbed him a ball for the two point conversion that would settle the final score.

In the first half, Yale's running back Mike McLeod and quarterback Matt Polhemus had its way with the Tiger defense. Mcleod scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives and racked up 151 yards. After the break, however, Princeton allowed the star running back just 35 yards, as the defensive unit held the entire team to a just single field goal over the final 30 minutes.

"It's a matter of not being too anxious, not making the play that's not yours to make," senior defensive linebacker Brig Walker said of the turnaround. "We just had to take a step back, have an even keel, make a few adjustments, play hard, tackle — that's how we win games."

After the Elis' potent offense established a 28-14 halftime advantage, the Tigers revved up their two-minute attack — a no-huddle system in which Terrell calls the play based on how he sees the defense develop.

"Our team has great confidence in that mode. In fact, if you ask them they'd probably like to do it every snap, but I like to stay involved in the offense and call a play once in awhile," Hughes said. "The reason we have that confidence is the man behind the center making the plays."

With 4:18 left in the third, a 57-yard punt by Colin McDonough rolled out of bounds to pin the Bulldogs at their own 5-yard line. The Tiger defense forced the Elis into a three-and-out, to give offense the ball back on Yale's 41-yar line. From there, Terrell engineered a seven-play, 41 yard drive drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Circle. The score cut the lead to 28-20, but Princeton did not get any closer after a botched extra point attempt.

With 10:52 remaining in the game Yale added three points with a 20-yard field goal from kicker Alan Kimball, increasing its lead to 11.

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Terrell responded immediately by throwing five straight completions on the next Tiger possession. On the fifth and final play of the drive, Terrell hit Circle in the back of the endzone for his second touchdown pass to bring the Tigers within five with 9:24 remaining. A failed two point conversion maintained the Elis' advantage.

"This team is so even tempered and so even emotionally that we play a certain level," Hughes said. "I call it relentless monotony and that's basically what we do."

Backed by a rowdy Princeton crowd — the nine busloads of students created a veritable sea of orange behind the Tigers' bench — the relentless second half defensive effort continued as a tip by Tim Strickland forced Yale to punt after advancing just five yards. The change of possession, set up Terrell's game-winning pass to Brigham, an instant addition to the Princeton athletic lore.

With the offense having done its part, the defense came up with huge stops, to force the Bulldogs to punt after allowed just 17 yards.

With 4:51 still to play, Yale was counting on its defense to get the ball back for one more shot. The Tigers, however, whittled away the remaining time and after a 13-yard completion on third down, all Terrell had to do was take a knee to ice the win.

"It's hard to explain what a heck of a football game that was," Hughes said. "I'm very proud of the fact that there was never any panic on the sidelines."

Though not this season's first time the Tigers have won after coming from behind, Yale put on such an offensive show in the first half that one might have expected the team to be rattled.

For McLeod's first score of the game, running back Matt Murray put the Elis within striking distance on a 32-yard carry down the right sideline and almost grabbed the touchdown himself before junior defensive back Kevin Kelleher tackled him at the 4-yard line.

The Bulldogs' next drive took a mere three plays, as McLeod rushed for 59 yards on two carries, securing the touchdown by breaking a tackle in the center of the field and diving for the end zone on a 13-yard rush. McLeod's third and fourth touchdowns were more of the same as the defense simply couldn't contain the Bulldog running game.

The Tigers' two touchdowns of the half came as the result of a Terrell fumble and a Terrell pump fake. On the first score, Terrell drove into the Yale defensive line and lost control, but Adam Berry recovered the loose ball on the other side of the line to run unopposed into the end zone. On the second TD, after four straight Terrell completions, the senior scrambled to his left, faked a pass to outwit cornerback Casey Gerald, then sauntered over the goal line for the score.

"Jeff's been waiting for this game 364 days now and never let on, that's the type of leader he is," Hughes said. "He's always been like a coach on the field, but this week he stepped it up. This game was real important to him personally."

The game was important to more than just Terrell, as evidenced by the busloads of Princeton students that made the journey to New Haven, Conn., a supportive crowd that rushed the field in celebration once time expired. The football program has been waiting eleven years for an Ivy League title and a win next week against Dartmouth will clinch at least a share.