Crimson picks apart Princeton's secondary

The football team is no stranger to second-half heroics from its secondary, particularly during Princeton's 130-year-old rivalry with Harvard. Last season, senior defensive back Kevin Kelleher marked his place in Tiger history by putting an end to the Crimson's hope for victory nearly singlehandedly. In Princeton's 31-28 win on Oct. 21, 2006, Kelleher intercepted two fourth-quarter passes by Harvard quarterback Liam O'Hagan to seal the victory.

Unfortunately for Princeton (2-4 overall, 1-2 Ivy League), the heroes in Saturday's 27-10 loss to Harvard (4-2, 3-0) all wore crimson. In a game that transformed from a close contest — the score was 13-10 at the half — to a rout in the second stanza, the difference lay in the two team's secondaries.

At the beginning of the season, the Tigers were optimistic about their reconstructed defensive backfield. Last season, Princeton enjoyed the services of two first-team All-Ivy players — cornerback JJ Artis '07 and safety Tim Strickland '07 — who combined for six interceptions. During the team's media day, defensive coordinator Steve Verbit emphasized their absence.

"We lost Strickland and JJ Artis. [Replacing them] is our biggest task," Verbit said.

Sophomore cornerbacks Dan Kopolovich and Cart Kelly are both new to their starting roles this season, as is senior safety Joe Cerreta. While they have had their moments — Kopolovich and Cerreta each have one interception — it is clear that the Tigers miss the combined safety net provided last year by Strickland, Artis and Kelleher.

Despite allowing only 113 yards on the ground, Princeton's defense could not prevent the big play through the air. Crimson quarterback Chris Pizzotti steadily picked apart the Tigers' revamped secondary to the tune of a career-high 365 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Pizzotti's performance is all the more remarkable considering that he did not begin the season as Harvard's starter. Pizzotti only stepped into the role after O'Hagan suffered a serious injury, but he is now 7-1 in his career.

Harvard's first score came on Pizzotti's 41-yard bomb to wide receiver Corey Mazza. Mazza pulled a slick double move along the sideline to gain a yard of separation from Kelly, who saw the pass sail just past his fingertips into Mazza's waiting hands.

Later in the first half, with the score knotted at 10, Princeton's secondary made a crucial mistake. With two minutes left in the second quarter, a blown coverage left tight end Jason Miller wide open. Pizzotti capitalized on the opportunity, hitting his man for a 59-yard gain that set up the go-ahead field goal. Harvard would never relinquish the lead from that point, and the Tigers would not score again.

The Crimson secondary had plenty to do with Princeton's scoreless second half. No statistic is more telling than the dumbfounding disparity in passing yards. The Tigers passed for only 84 yards during the entire game and completed passes at a 36 percent clip.

Harvard's defensive backs completely neutralized the Tigers' three primary receivers. Senior wide receiver Brendan Circle led the group with a scanty two receptions for 31 yards, while junior wideout Adam Berry lost bragging rights in the family by accumulating only 23 yards on two catches. Junior wide receiver Will Thanheiser, however, had the toughest day, with only one reception for three yards.

"Harvard has some tremendous athletes in their secondary," Circle said. "They certainly disrupted things, and they had a great game."

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In fact, one Harvard player had as many catches as any Princeton wideout. Crimson cornerback Steve Williams intercepted two passes after halftime — one from senior quarterback Greg Mroz, the other from junior quarterback Brian Anderson — to move into a tie for the football championship subdivision lead in that category.

Williams' first interception came on a third-and-eight play. Mroz, under pressure, rolled to his left and fired the ball into tight double coverage. Williams, the underneath man, stepped in front of the pass and easily picked it off.

His next takeaway iced the game for the Crimson. With four minutes left, Princeton faced a second and 10 on its own 33-yard line. Anderson threw a high pass that flew past his intended receiver. Williams, who was farther down the field, had to do little more than wait for the ball to arrive. Seven rushing plays later, Harvard walked off the field as the victor.

As Williams' effort demonstrated, a good secondary can do more than live up to its name: It can, in fact, be the primary reason for its team's success.