Cornell running game too strong for Tigers

As Cornell rolled to the Collegiate Sprint Football League championship last year, the Princeton sprint football team played its part, helping the Big Red kick its season off with a 29-0 laugher.

This time around, the Tigers made the case that they have something of their own to play for this season. Though Cornell (1-0 overall) triumphed 49-26, Princeton (0-1) gave its fans at Princeton Stadium plenty of opportunities to cheer Friday night. Senior quarterback Alex Kandabarow ran for two touchdowns and connected with junior wideout Lon Johnson for another as the Tigers posted their highest scoring game since 2004.

Cornell managed to grind out the victory by running the ball 58 times on Princeton's defense, accounting for 80 percent of its offensive plays. The Big Red was able to ride its running game after jumping out to an early two-touchdown lead, fueled by two Kanabarow first-quarter interceptions.

"It's early in the season," Kandabarow said. "The offense as a whole is still trying to get on the same page."

Kandabarow bounced back from his early mistakes with a nine-yard touchdown run 33 seconds before the end of the first quarter, which made the score 14-6 and put the game in reach for Princeton.

In the second quarter, though, the Big Red resumed its ground assault and scored another touchdown 31 seconds into the period. Things were looking up for the Tigers when freshman defensive lineman Adrian Colarusso's forced fumble, recovery and touchdown made the score 21-12, but the Big Red put up 14 unanswered points late in the second quarter to dash Princeton's hopes for victory. The two touchdowns made the score 35-12 and put the game out of reach for the Tigers.

Princeton's style of play contrasted greatly with Cornell's gameplan. While the Big Red seemed to pass only when necessary, the Tigers used an aerial attack as their primary means of moving down the field. This difference could be seen in the box score at the end of the game, as Princeton attempted 44 more passes than Cornell, while only chalking up 10 more completions.

This discrepancy could be due to the Tigers' unreliable run game. In 24 rushing attempts, Princeton only managed to gain 54 yards, compared to Cornell's rushing output of 342 yards and five touchdowns on 58 attempts.

"Last year's offense passed a lot, so it's no surprise that we passed 59 times," Kandabarow said.

In the second half, Princeton's defense had a little more success stopping Cornell from scoring, holding the Big Red to only one touchdown. But the offense had trouble moving the ball and could not capitalize on the opportunities provided by the suddenly stingy Princeton defense.

One of the few second-half offensive highlights for the Tigers occurred late in the fourth quarter, when Johnson, who finished the game with seven receptions for 140 yards, hooked up with Kandabarow for a 75-yard score. The touchdown not only made the final score a more-respectable 49-26, but it also demonstrated the potential of the pass-heavy Princeton offense when it is clicking.

Kandabarow finished the game with 19 completions on 59 attempts, throwing four interceptions along the way. He also led Princeton in rushing yards with 25 and averaged 39.7 yards on six punts, including a 52-yarder.

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Highlights like those weren't enough to take the Big Red out of its game Friday, but they certainly took the Tigers one step closer to their goal of consistent competitiveness.