Big plays take the day

If the football team learned one thing Saturday, it was that it should never let down its guard, even against a perennial Ivy League doormat like Columbia.

As the second quarter began to wind down, Princeton (2-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) was up 21-3 and feeling relaxed. With 2 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the half, the Lions' Austin Knowlin caught a 69-yard pass, struggled free of sophomore defensive back Dan Kopolovich's tackle and ran the ball uncontested into the end zone.

Princeton's next possession began promisingly. A 31-yard kickoff return, paired with a 15-yard rush through traffic by senior quarterback Bill Foran left Princeton on Columbia's 47-yard line. On the next play, however, a slow outlet pass intended for junior wide receiver Adam Berry was picked off by Andrew Shalbrack, who ran the ball back 56 yards for his first career touchdown, bringing the Lions within four.

"We certainly find ways to keep games close," head coach Roger Hughes joked. "And I'm very complimentary of Columbia taking advantage of our mistakes. That Columbia team flew around and had more fight in it than has been in that place in a long time."

That fight was evident from the opening drive. A well-executed pitch to junior wide receiver Will Thanheiser from Foran earned the Tigers a berth on the Lions' 31 yard line, but tough defense and a holding penalty brought the Tigers back to the 29, bringing up fourth and 18.

Taking a timeout and deciding against the 47-yard field goal attempt, Hughes called for his offense to return to the line. Shalbrack had excellent coverage of senior wide receiver Brendan Circle, however, and stymied the fourth-down conversion.

Shalbrack's defense began Columbia's opening scoring drive, a 12-play, 68-yard effort that ended in a short field goal attempt from the Princeton three-yard line.

Eight minutes into the first quarter, Foran stepped back on the field, taking the snap on his own 25. Under pressure, Foran threw to Circle downfield. Circle leapt and snagged the pass, bringing the Tigers into the Lions' half of the field.

Two plays later, facing second and 14, Foran had no options in front of him. A huge block by his offensive line and his own quick feet saved him as he earned eight of his 84 total rushing yards. The next play saw a similar feat, as Foran — with the Columbia defense mid-tackle — found Circle between two Columbia defensemen for the first down.

Foran's athleticism ruled the drive, as he used his feet to move the ball forward on two more key plays, including a four-yard touchdown run.

After Princeton exchanged punts with the Lions, senior defensive back Kevin Kelleher read the quarterback transfer and grabbed a tipped pass out of the air for his fifth career interception.

Kelleher's effort put the Tigers in excellent position on the Lions' 41-yard line. A rush by senior running back Rob Toresco brought up third and one. Foran handed the ball to Toresco again, and this time he ran for 32 yards, squeezing into the corner of the end zone with a pack of Lions on his tail.

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Princeton's next score was the product of junior tailback R.C. Lagomarsino's efforts. Foran engineered the 96-yard drive with long throws of 27 and 32 yards to Circle and Berry respectively. To seal the 21-3 lead, Foran handed off to Lagomarsino for a 5-yard touchdown run.

The next four minutes were fraught with problems for the Tigers as momentum shifted towards Columbia. The Lions held onto that momentum through halftime, and on their first drive of the second half, quarterback Craig Hormann led his team past the Tigers to take the lead, 24-21.

With less than two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter, senior quarterback Greg Mroz took the reins from Foran.

"We just needed a spark," Hughes said. "Greg showed today he's a pretty good athlete; he can run, too."

With a sure arm, Mroz fired off passes to Lagomarsino, Circle and senior tight end Jake Staser to bring Princeton to the Columbia 25. Then Mroz showed his versatility, darting to the outside to get into the red zone.

Following a roughing the passer penalty, Mroz handed the ball off to Lagomarsino on first-and-goal. Lagomarsino ran into a mob of lineman, bounced free of the barrier and forced his way past the hands of two Columbia defensemen. Laying out, he moved the ball into the end zone to put the Tigers ahead, 28-24.

The Tiger defense stepped up on the Lions' next possession, as junior defensive end Tom Methvin stripped Pete Stoll and senior defensive back Blake Williams recovered the ball.

The ensuing six-play, 31-yard drive forced Mroz to once again utilize his versatility, as he rushed for 18 yards and threw Princeton's only touchdown pass of the game to Staser.

Columbia answered with a score of its own, moving 68 yards in nine plays and successfully executing a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 35-32.

On the following drive, Mroz took a helmet to his hand while rushing and left the game, bringing Foran back on the field. Foran fumbled on his first snap, but Kelleher evened the score two plays later, intercepting a crossing pass as he came from the inside out.

With less than five minutes on the clock, Princeton began the final scoring drive of the game. Foran marched the ball 57 yards, moving it the final eight himself to score the go ahead touchdown.

"I guess you could say it was sort of one of the bend and don't break days — we'd like to bend less," Kelleher said. "But when it came down to it, up front [on defense] we played really well, and those guys worked hard all game."

With the victory, Princeton notches its first Ivy victory of the season. The Tigers will look for a more rigid performance Saturday, as they conclude their out-of-conference schedule against Hampton.