Insult meets injury in 83-0 shellacking

Well, at least they got to play this one.

Two weeks ago, the sprint football team forfeited its game against Army due to a long injury list. Friday, though still beat up, the Tigers managed to field a team in their 83-0 loss at Navy.

When Princeton (0-5 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) showed up at Navy (4-0), the Tigers knew it was going to be a struggle. Not only did the Midshipmen boast an undefeated record, but Princeton was outnumbered by roughly 50 players. Lackluster preparation may have also contributed to the blowout.

"We had a poor week of practice, and that combined with having 50 less players than our opponent made for hardly even a match at all," senior wide receiver Lon Johnson said.

Johnson led the offense with 34 receiving yards and five rushing yards. Junior quarterback Drew Dixon threw for 43 yards, including a 22-yarder to Johnson. As a whole, the team scraped together 60 total yards of offense.

"It looked as if our offense was going to be able to move the ball early on, but we just couldn't put points on the board," junior wide receiver and defensive back Doug Wolf said.

Several Tigers pointed out that Navy is a perennial powerhouse.

"Navy is always tough competition," Wolf said. "From their physical prowess to their sound fundamentals, they are truly an elite and complete team."

Navy churned out 550 total yards of offense, with 373 of those coming on the ground. It also completed 21 first downs, compared to the Tigers' four. Princeton did, however, possess the ball longer, besting Navy by five minutes, 52 seconds.

"We knew what to expect from Navy," Wolf added. "We simply didn't execute."

The Tigers now have two weeks to gear up for their last game of the season, facing Penn. Princeton already lost to the Quakers earlier in the season, 60-7, but the Tigers are hopeful for a different result the next time around.

"We're putting all of our efforts into our last game against Penn, which we're all looking forward to, particularly the seniors." Johnson said.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Returning to the Ivy League and matching up against a school closer to Princeton's size should even the playing field a little bit, giving the Tiger seniors a chance to avoid ending their careers with a winless season.

At the very least, Princeton would like to put up a fight against its Ivy League rival.

"We are going to use these next two weeks to make the necessary adjustments so we can come out strong ... against Penn in our season finale," Wolf said.

Princeton will hopefully be healthier when it faces Penn. After two weeks to rest up, the Tigers should be able to put up more of a fight.