Stagnant second half sinks Tigers

In the football team's wildest game of the season, there were so many big plays that the entire affair seemed scripted for the sake of highlight reels. Even halftime grew into a larger-than-life event, with an extravaganza performance by visiting Hampton's marching band.

In the end, Princeton (2-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) left the field with a heartrending 48-27 loss to Hampton (4-1) — all the more painful because the Tigers had dominated the first half and led by 13 before the Pirates and their band stole the show. For all the trick plays and long rushes that Princeton executed early on, it was a failed fourth-and-goal conversion that ultimately decided the day and proved that football really is a game of inches.

The decisive moment came on the second play of the fourth quarter. The Tigers had moved to within six inches of the Pirates' end zone and were looking to tack another touchdown onto their 27-21 lead.

"At that point, we had them on the ropes," head coach Roger Hughes said.

Hughes decided to go for the touchdown on fourth down rather than kicking a field goal that could have made it a two-possession game. Hughes went with an option play and noted afterwards that Hampton lined up in the exact formation he expected. But knowing what the defense was sending proved a much easier task than blocking against it.

Hampton's front seven attacked, aggressively surging through gaps and cutting off senior quarterback Bill Foran's rushing lane. Foran tossed the ball to sophomore tailback Kenny Gunter, who was brought down by Pirate linebacker Michael Swett and defensive tackle Vernon Bryant.

"We're going to see the film tomorrow and be sick," Hughes said.

Hampton scored on all four of its ensuing possessions to complete the decisive comeback, while Princeton's offense shut down. Few could have predicted such a sea change in the Tigers' fortunes given how well the offense performed in the first half.

The Princeton scoring began when Foran connected with senior tight end Jake Staser on a dramatic touchdown pass — a fade route to the corner of the end zone that Staser bobbled before making a brilliant recovery — to knot the score, 7-7.

Hampton responded immediately with another touchdown, but the Tigers chipped away at the lead with two field goals by junior kicker Connor Louden that mad the score 14-13 in favor of the Pirates.

Later in the second quarter, Princeton's offense truly came together — demonstrating, albeit briefly, its considerable potential. On two consecutive drives, Foran ran virtually untouched through the heart of the Hampton defense for touchdowns of seven and eight yards, putting the Tigers up 27-14. Foran finished the game with 181 yards through the air and another 60 on the ground, along with three total touchdowns.

After halftime, however, things began to unravel. Turnovers, which the Tigers managed to avoid before halftime, plagued the team in the second stanza.

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On Princeton's first drive of the third quarter, Hampton linebacker Charles Robinson stepped in front of an errant pass by Greg Mroz and returned the pick for a touchdown. The 80-yard score cut Princeton's lead down to 27-21.

The Tigers' next possession ended with the game-changing turnover-on-downs in the red zone, a failure exacerbated by the fact that Hampton went on to mount an exhausting touchdown drive after getting the ball on its own four-yard line.

During the drive, the Tigers incurred four penalties — none more significant than a questionable pass interference call on sophomore cornerback Cart Kelly that gave the Pirates a fresh set of downs. Hampton took advantage nine plays later, knotting the score with a one-yard touchdown run by backup tailback Van Morgan. Senior lineman Matt Murphy blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt to keep things even at 27, but that was about the only point that Princeton would deny the Pirates the rest of the way.

On the third play of the ensuing Tiger possession, senior fullback Rob Toresco fumbled the ball after a jarring hit by Hampton defensive end Marcus Dixon. Pirate running back Kevin Beverly converted the turnover into a touchdown less than four minutes later, putting Hampton up 34-27 for a lead it would never relinquish.

The Tigers' first comeback attempt was short-lived. On the opening play of the next drive, Foran threw a pass that was tipped and hung long enough for Pirate cornerback Sam Pope to snatch out of the air. Pope's interception — and his subsequent 31-yard return — gave Hampton the ball on Princeton's 21-yard line. When Beverly scored his third rushing touchdown of the day four plays later, the game was effectively over.

"Once the momentum swings, it's kind of like a snowball effect," Hampton head coach Joe Taylor said.

It would be hard to argue with that assertion, particularly given how much the dramatic fourth-and-goal stop seemed to have ignited Hampton's performance in the fourth quarter. The Pirates outscored the Tigers 27-0 in the final 15 minutes, forcing three turnovers over that stretch.

The game's three-touchdown spread concealed the fact that Princeton decisively outgained Hampton in total offense — 484 yards for the Tigers, compared to only 353 for the Pirates. Hughes, however, refused to take solace in such considerations.

"There's no consolation. There's no moral victory," Hughes said. "You either win or you lose. We lost."