Heading into the 2007 season, there were a lot of unanswered questions. Senior quarterback Bill Foran, a versatile athlete whose quick feet added a new dimension to the Tigers’ offense, was a totally different quarterback from his predecessor, Jeff Terrell ’07. Terrell led Princeton to a championship with his arm. A big question was how the 2007 squad would adapt to Foran’s mobile style of play.
Other questions included how a youthful offensive line would fare in protecting Foran, how to fill the void left in the defensive secondary by key playmakers J.J. Artis ’07 and Tim Strickland ’07, and which players would step up and take on leadership roles. The Tigers only had one returning first-team All-Ivy selection, senior wide receiver Brendan Circle. In 2006, Circle was Terrell’s go-to guy, amassing 835 receiving yards and scoring seven touchdowns.
Circle noted the importance of having the seniors on the team aid the younger players.
“There certainly was an expectation from a lot of the younger guys that those of us with experience from the championship team would help them on the field,” Circle said.
With all of these uncertainties in tow, Princeton (4-6 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) fell far short of a repeat Ivy League title, tying for fourth with Dartmouth and Penn.
Two problems plagued the team all season: turnovers and injuries. In 2006, the Tigers only fumbled the ball six times. In 2007, Princeton fumbled the ball twice as much. Throughout the season, the Tigers saw leaders like Foran, senior quarterback Greg Mroz and senior tight end Jake Staser sidelined by injuries.
The Tigers began their season with a 32-21 loss to Lehigh. Princeton fumbled the football three times in the game, and Foran threw two interceptions in his debut as a starter. The next week, however, Foran showed poise in the pocket in a 20-14 victory over Lafayette. The Tigers committed no turnovers in the game, as Foran rushed for 45 yards and threw for 190. Senior running back Rob Toresco also spearheaded the offensive attack, rushing for 66 yards on nine attempts.
In its Ivy League opener, Princeton made a statement with a thrilling 42-32 win over Columbia. This was one of the Tigers’ more impressive offensive efforts of the season, as the team gained 570 yards of total offense. Foran accounted for a sizable portion of it, rushing for 84 yards and throwing for 236 more.
In a historic first-ever meeting against Hampton, Princeton saw a 27-14 halftime lead slip away as the Pirates surged to a 48-27 victory. Once again, turnovers proved to be the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel, as the team committed five in the game.
The next week, Princeton suffered a 33-24 loss to Brown, committing six turnovers. Despite the loss, Foran had a big game, accounting for all three of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
Against Harvard, the Tigers lost their third-straight game, falling 27-10 to the eventual Ivy League champion Crimson. In that game, Princeton saw both Foran and Mroz leave the game with injuries, resulting in the debut of junior quarterback Brian Anderson. The favorite for the starting spot next season, Anderson finished his season completing 19 of 27 passes and throwing two interceptions in three games.
“By watching Bill and Greg each week in games and comparing myself to them everyday in practice, I was able to uncover some strengths and weaknesses in my quarterbacking ability,” Anderson said. “I would like to try to emulate the aspects in which they had success and work this summer to correct the areas where they were less successful.”
The bright spot of the Tigers’ season was a dramatic 34-31 revenge victory over Cornell at Princeton Stadium. The huge morale boost came from an unexpected source: sophomore running back Jordan Culbreath. In the pouring rain, Culbreath had his breakout performance, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Facing a 31-27 deficit with just under seven minutes remaining, Culbreath broke free for a 58-yard score that put Princeton ahead for good.
After the emotional victory over the Big Red, the Tigers’ offense hit a roadblock in a 7-0 loss against Penn. In what proved to be a true defensive battle between the two teams, junior linebacker Collin McCarthy had an impressive 14 tackles. The loss dashed Princeton’s hopes of a shot at the Ivy League title.
Against Yale, the Tigers committed four turnovers en route to a 27-6 loss. Junior wide receivers Will Thanheiser and Adam Berry had good games in a losing effort, each making five catches. With the departure of Circle — who had 475 receiving yards in his senior season — Thanheiser and Berry are expected to play a bigger role in Princeton’s passing game next season.
Despite falling short of a repeat Ivy League title, the Tigers ended their season on a high note with an emotional 17-14 overtime victory against Dartmouth. After a key fumble recovery by senior linebacker and co-captain Jon Stem, junior placekicker Connor Louden punched the 25-yard winning field goal through the uprights.
Throughout the season, Princeton utilized a running-back-by-committee system that amounted to a total of 1,710 yards on the ground. Aside from Foran, whose versatility and mobility resulted in a team-leading 395 total rushing yards, the tandem of Toresco and junior running back R.C. Lagomarsino anchored the backfield. Toresco also proved to be Foran’s favorite target through the air, with Toresco catching 41 passes on the year.
Next season, the Tigers will most likely use another committee of running backs, with Lagomarsino, Culbreath and sophomore Kenny Gunter likely to see time in the backfield.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Tim Boardman had a team-leading 84 tackles, earning him first-team All-Ivy honors. Senior safety Kevin Kelleher ranked second on the team with 71 stops. Though their presence in stopping the run will certainly be missed, the team is counting on a junior trio of experienced defensive linemen — Pete Buchignani, Tom Methvin and tri-captain Matt Koch — to stifle opponents next season.
The 2007 season began with many unanswered questions and ended with an emotional victory that should give the Tigers confidence and momentum heading into next season, a new year with another new quarterback at the helm.
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