Win over Cornell breaks three-game losing skid

"When the wind is cold and the sky is dark, Ducks fly together!" And when the rain poured down on Princeton and Cornell, the Tigers roared in unison.

In a scene reminiscent of the classic film "D2: The Mighty Ducks," the football team charged out onto the field last Friday night sporting new orange jerseys and a Duck-like determination to bounce back from its three-game losing streak.

The 34-31 win over the Big Red (4-3 overall, 1-3 Ivy League) was a team effort for Princeton (3-4, 2-2) culminating in a 58-yard, go-ahead touchdown run by sophomore tailback Jordan Culbreath midway through the fourth quarter. It was the second touchdown of the day for Culbreath, who amassed 145 yards on 11 carries in just his fourth collegiate game.

With little more than seven minutes left in the game and the Tigers trailing Cornell 31-27, a holding penalty pushed the Tigers back to their own 42-yard line, facing first and 18. Head coach Roger Hughes called for an option pitch to Culbreath, the offensive line held and a pair of blocks by senior running back Rob Toresco and junior wide receiver Adam Berry sprung Culbreath down the right sideline.

"The thing that got me out was great blocking," Culbreath said. "I just had to make one cut, and I was in the endzone."

Princeton's three-point lead was in danger on the next series, as Cornell quarterback Nathan Ford — who picked apart the Tiger secondary for 291 yards on the night — looked to move his team back into the red zone. Sophomore cornerback Dan Kopolovich had other thoughts, though, and outran a Big Red receiver to set up a diving interception that gave Princeton the ball back on its own 24-yard line.

The Tigers were forced to punt, but junior punter Ryan Coyle's 40-yarder bounced off the facemask of Cornell's Bryan Walters and was recovered by Toresco, who validated Hughes' strategy of using his best position players on special teams.

The Big Red managed to threaten one last time less than a minute on the clock, reaching the Princeton 30-yard line with nine seconds to go in the game. With Cornell kicker Peter Zell lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt, Hughes called a timeout just moments before Zell blasted a perfect strike through the uprights. That kick nullified, Hughes called a second consecutive timeout to ice Zell even further, and on his third trip out to the field Zell's attempt sailed wide right, sealing Princeton's 34-31 win.

"A win like this is huge," senior captain and wide receiver Brendan Circle said. "Friday night, being on national television, and to break the [losing] streak we had is huge."

The excitement didn't begin in the fourth quarter — it started as soon as the Tigers blazed onto the field in their new uniforms. Senior quarterback Greg Mroz made his first start, and on Mroz's first pass, Circle recorded his 100th career reception, becoming only the seventh player in Tiger history to reach that mark.

Though the Tigers could not score on their opening drive, they got possession back quickly when sophomore linebacker John Callahan forced a Ford fumble on Cornell's second snap of the game, which was recovered by junior nose tackle Matt Koch.

Mroz took the ball most of the way to the end zone himself, twice pushing through the middle of the Cornell line for 12-yard gains, with his second run putting Princeton up 7-0.

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The Big Red responded before the end of the first quarter, using a textbook drive of short rushes and midrange passes from Ford to knot the game at seven.

Princeton's opening possession of the second quarter was short but sweet. Thanks to Culbreath, it took the Tigers only one minute, 14 seconds to march 68 yards and go back on top. On the same play that Hughes would later use for the game-winning score, Culbreath cut down the sideline for 49 yards and his first career touchdown.

The Princeton defense made a stand on the next drive when Kopolovich reached in and tipped a pass away from Cornell, which was hauled in by lunging sophomore defensive back Wilson Cates.

The Tigers were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, however, and a high snap to Coyle led to a punt block. On the very next play, Ford completed a 12-yard pass to Canty, tying the game at 14.

Turnovers would continue to plague the Big Red, though, even as they churned out major yardage against the Tiger defense. Sophomore cornerback Cart Kelly joined the interception party with 6:49 to go in the first half when he outleapt a Cornell receiver for the pick and then spun through a bevy of Big Red tacklers to run the ball back to the Cornell 18-yard line.

Three plays into the ensuing Princeton possession, Mroz fired a pass to Toresco inside the 10, moments before being hit by the Big Red rush. Toresco blew past three Cornell defensemen on a curving run into the end zone. Another high snap doomed the Tigers' extra point try, though, leaving their lead at just six points.

The gaffe proved costly when Cornell responded with a go-ahead touchdown 1:21 before halftime. Princeton took full advantage of the little time remaining on the clock, however, as a 22-yard run by Culbreath brought the Tigers into Cornell territory on the first play of the drive. With 27 seconds remaining, Princeton stalled on the 22-yard line. The Tigers lined up for a field goal on fourth and three, and Cornell called two consecutive timeouts. The Big Red efforts to ice junior kicker Connor Louden proved futile, however, as Princeton never intended to go to him in the first place. On their third trip out onto the field, the Tigers ran a field-goal fake, with the holder Circle keeping the ball and willing his way 22 yards for a touchdown.

"We had the fake called when they called the first timeout," Hughes said. "We were going to run it all the way through. It didn't get down to where he called two timeouts and made me mad. We were running the fake all the way."

On receiving the snap, Circle popped up with the ball looking to pitch to Louden.

"Every time we've run [the fake], we practiced with the guy coming straight at me, and I pitch it to Connor, and he's supposed to run it in," Circle said. "[Cornell's defenders] went straight to Connor, and I saw nothing but daylight in front of me."

Louden got a chance to kick on the ensuing extra point, which he knocked through the uprights for a 27-21 Tiger lead 19 seconds before intermission.

Cornell scored 10 unanswered points after halftime, using a two-yard Ford rushing touchdown and a 26-yard field goal by Zell to take a 31-27 lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth.

That score would hold until Culbreath's breakthrough 58-yard effort.

"Obviously we were in need of a rally game to hopefully springboard us through these next three games," Circle said. "They are all winnable games, but they are all against very tough teams."

The Tigers will look to build on the thrilling victory as they continue their Ivy season this Saturday against Penn in Philadelphia.

There's no telling what color Princeton might go with for its road jerseys, but a future with Culbreath in the backfield figures to be dazzling indeed.