Louden's FG lifts Tigers

When push came to shove, the football team looked to its defensive front seven to make the big play once again. In a game of big momentum shifts, Princeton (4-6 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) overcame a late comeback by Dartmouth (3-7, 3-4) to capture a 17-14 overtime win and a share of fourth place in the Ivy League.

"I'm really proud of my football team right now," head coach Roger Hughes said. "We hung around and found a way to make a winning play."

The obvious winning play was junior kicker Connor Louden's 25-yard walk-off field goal. The more important one, however, may have occurred earlier.

After Princeton won the coin toss in overtime, Hughes elected to kick off to the Big Green. It was a surprising decision — Dartmouth had just completed a grueling 14-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Bennewitz to wide receiver Phil Galligan. That play, which ended with zero seconds left on the clock, knotted the score at 14 and sent the game into overtime.

Hughes continued to trust his defense, and his players repaid that trust in spades. On the Big Green's second play, running back Nate Servis ran it up the gut. The Tiger front seven surged through the gaps, hitting Servis early and stripping the ball. When the dust cleared, senior linebacker and co-captain Jon Stem, in the final series of his Princeton career, came out with the ball on the 25-yard line.

Princeton's offense had sputtered since scoring twice in the first quarter. Now, rejuvenated by the resilience demonstrated by their counterparts on defense, the team's playmakers got the ball rolling again.

On the first play of the possession, junior quarterback Brian Anderson rolled out to his left. With plenty of running room, Anderson took off and slashed forward for 16 yards.

Anderson finished the game having completed 16 of 21 passes for 186 yards in addition to leading the team with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

The Tigers played more conservatively from that point on. On the nine-yard line, well within Louden's range, the offense called two runs between the tackles. With the perfect setup for a game-winning field goal, Louden did not disappoint. His successful kick ignited a midfield celebration for Princeton's players.

Given how dominant the Tigers' offense looked at times, the team's relatively low-scoring game was surprising. In a de facto audition for next year's starting job, Anderson led Princeton to two touchdown drives on its first two possessions.

The Tigers' first scoring drive featured a mix of the old and the new. Anderson hit freshman wideout Trey Peacock on a key first-down reception and later connected with junior receiver Adam Berry on a titanic, 51-yard bomb that brought Princeton to the two-yard line.

At that point, the Tigers dialed up reliable senior running back Rob Toresco, who punched it in for six. Toresco, who ran for 36 yards and a touchdown on his 10 attempts, also caught his 100th pass during the game — a feat only nine other Princeton players have accomplished.

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Having the lead clearly fired up the defense, which quickly stopped Dartmouth and gave Anderson another chance on the attack.

The quarterback stepped up, methodically moving the ball downfield before calling his own number on the drive's last play. Running the option, Anderson kept the ball and ran left. Seeing a hole, he cut inside and stepped over a low tackle attempt to score his first and only rushing touchdown of the game. The score put the Tigers up, 14-0.

Dartmouth would not score until the fourth quarter. The Big Green's best opportunity in the first half came on a fourth-and-goal play from the two-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal, Dartmouth attempted to run a quarterback draw. Sophomore linebacker John Callahan sniffed out the play and brought Bennewitz down for a dramatic seven-yard loss.

The Big Green engineered two clutch scoring drives in the last 15 minutes of the game to send the game into overtime. Fullback Ryan Mahoney bulled into the end zone on a successful fourth-down play with 8:42 remaining in the game to cut Dartmouth's deficit to one touchdown, and Bennewitz connected with Galligan for the second score.

Luckily for the Tigers, the comeback attempt ultimately failed. Overall, the game was a fitting send-off for a strong senior class and also gave Princeton a measure of hope for next year's team. Players such as Anderson, Callahan and sophomore defensive back Dan Kopolovich — who recorded 11 tackles and an interception against the Big Green — demonstrated the talent that the Tigers will depend upon next season.

"I'm really happy for the seniors," Hughes said. "And I think the rest of the guys can use this as a springboard into off-season workouts."