With two seconds left on the clock and the score tied at seven in the football team’s matchup with Lehigh, all eyes were on senior kicker Connor Louden.
The Mountain Hawks tried to ice Louden moments before his kick, but the stunt had little effect.
“I kind of expected it when I looked up and saw they had one timeout left,” Louden said of the wait. “I was just going to go through my routine regardless.”
And he did, banging home a 32-yard field goal to give Princeton (1-1 overall) a 10-7 win in its home opener against Lehigh (1-2).
The game was a tightly contested defensive battle, with numerous momentum swings. The Tigers came out on top, however, showing the kind of poise and composure that the 2007 squad often lacked.
Princeton had picked up 54 yards on just three plays to set up the field goal, including a 46-yard connection from senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson to senior wideout Will Thanheiser. Junior running back Jordan Culbreath took a two-yard loss on third down but fell in the middle of the field to set up a straight shot for Louden. Afterward, Anderson, who also serves as the team’s holder, lifted Louden into the air.
The first-year starter continued to improve Saturday night, completing 20 of 29 passes for 244 yards. He did not turn the ball over or lose his composure after early setbacks and was clutch down the stretch.
“We had enough time at the end,” Anderson said. “We run the two-minute drill so often [that] even if the long pass had fallen incomplete, we wouldn’t have felt as if we were in a hole.”
Head coach Roger Hughes was pleased with the team’s performance and noted the striking contrast to last year’s game, when the Tigers were drilled, 32-21.
“We let some of these types of games get away last season,” Hughes said.
Early in the game, Princeton looked like the better team but failed to capitalize on two early red-zone opportunities. The Tigers’ first drive was a 17-play, 79-yard endeavor that lasted a whopping 10 minutes, 26 seconds, but the Mountain Hawks halted the Tigers on fourth and one when Anderson was stopped on an attempted sneak.
Lehigh countered with its own mammoth drive, moving 71 yards on 15 plays in 8:11 before watching a 46-yard field goal fall short.
The Tigers’ next drive saw the first big offensive play of the game, as Culbreath burst through the line and streaked down the sideline for a 46-yard gain before being pushed out at the two. But Anderson was sacked for 10 yards on the next play, and after two incomplete passes, the Tigers were forced to attempt a field goal. Louden’s attempt was blocked by Lehigh linebacker Heath Brickner and picked up by linebacker Al Pierce. Anderson eventually chased down Pierce but not before he reached the Tigers’ eight-yard line. Two plays later, the Mountain Hawks took a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first half.
But Princeton’s offense returned to the field undaunted by its two failures and found itself in the red zone within two minutes following a 46-yard completion from Anderson to senior tight end Joe Magro. This time, the Tigers put points on the board, courtesy of Culbreath. The tailback broke through the heart of the Lehigh defense again en route to a 15-yard gain and finally took it in from the one-yard line on a sweep to tie the game at seven, only 2:29 after the Mountain Hawks’ touchdown.
Following Culbreath’s score, the teams traded possessions for the rest of the game without scoring until Louden’s game-winning field goal. Junior outside linebacker Jeff Jackson grabbed an interception on Lehigh’s final drive of the first half, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize before time ran out. In the second half, punts and turnovers on downs ended every drive save the last one. Lehigh’s vaunted defense gave up yards but not points, and Princeton was able to match the Mountain Hawks step for step despite a few lapses from the secondary.
“I thought the defense’s confidence really grew as the game went on,” Hughes said. “We bent a little more than we should have in the first half, but we picked it up in the second half.”
The team can take several positive notes away from its home opener. The Tigers had 392 total yards and 21 first downs and held the ball for 32:45. As was the case last week, Anderson regularly had a lot of time to throw and was only forced out of the pocket on a few poorly executed plays. Thanheiser finished with nine receptions for 120 yards, while Magro chipped in with three catches for 67 yards.
Culbreath was once again asked to carry much of the load in the running game, as freshman linebacker Jonathan Meyers suffered a season-ending injury in practice this week. The first-year starter responded with renewed vigor, carrying 20 times for 126 yards and a touchdown. On his 46-yarder, he showcased his strength and agility by breaking through a couple of arm tackles close to the line and streaking down the sideline before being pushed out of bounds.
The defense was also impressive, surrendering Lehigh’s only points off a blocked field goal. Number two receiver Mike Fitzgerald, who hauled in the first-half touchdown, gave the secondary trouble at times, but the Tigers were able to lock down Sekou Yansane, the Mountain Hawks’ most touted player coming into the game.
But most important of all was the huge stop the defense made in the final few minutes of the game. After starting from its own 39-yard line, Lehigh had been moving the ball effectively with running back Matt McGowan. On third and two from the Princeton 34, McGowan was finally stopped for a gain of one yard by junior cornerback Cart Kelly and Jackson. A long field goal wouldn’t have been worth trying, given Lehigh’s earlier miss, so the Mountain Hawks elected to go for it.
Senior defensive tackle and tri-captain Matt Koch halted Lehigh fullback Adam Watson for no gain, however, and the Tigers won the game four plays later on Louden’s 32-yarder.
“I was just really happy for the team,” Louden said. “The coaches and players really deserved it.”
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