For only the second time in the storied program’s 140-year history, the Princeton football team will board a plane to fly to a game this weekend, as the Tigers take on No. 22 The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. The Bulldogs, whose Southern Conference rivals include Football Championship Subdivision juggernauts Appalachian State, Wofford and Elon, boast an AP All-American at wide receiver in junior Andre Roberts and are coming off their first winning season in 15 years.Princeton’s fate will be controlled in large part by its ability to control Roberts, who is also a stellar returner in addition to his talent at wideout. The athletic junior broke the school record for most receptions in a single season with 78 last year, helping The Citadel set team single-season records for most points, 434, passing yards, 2,703, and passing touchdowns, 22. This season, Roberts has started where he left off. After a 64- yard punt return touchdown and hauling in three catches for 91 yards and two scores in a 54-7 shellacking of Webber International on Aug. 30, Roberts put on a show against Atlantic Coast Conference favorite Clemson. Roberts amassed 153 yards on nine catches, with a long of 42 and a 41-yard touchdown reception. He also added a 33-yard punt return. After the game, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden suggested that Roberts has a future in the NFL. The Tigers’ coaching staff is well aware of the challenge Roberts will pose to the defense.“He looked fast against Clemson, which is scary to me because I know how fast Clemson is,” linebackers coach Don Dobes said. Princeton, however, won’t be trying to do anything special to shut down Roberts, and no specific defensive back will be matched up with the wideout.“We’re just looking to use our speed and team defense to stop him,” junior strong safety Wilson Cates said. The Bulldogs’ offense outside of Roberts suffered serious losses to graduation last year, as recording-setting quarterback Duran Lawson, longtime starting running back Tory Cooper and the three receivers behind Roberts have all moved on. Sophomore Bart Blanchard, however, was impressive in limited action at quarterback as a redshirt freshman and is now expected to fill Lawson’s shoes. Blanchard dealt well with the pressure put on him by Clemson two weekends ago, suffering only one sack. The Tigers will need to apply similar pressure and will look to their experienced defensive line and outside linebackers to do so. The Bulldogs boast an offensive line with an average weight of 280 pounds, while Princeton has only one player over 255 in its front seven. Quickness and textbook footwork will be the Tigers’ only choice, as outmuscling The Citadel’s line won’t be an option. If Princeton can win the battle in the trenches, it will already have gone a long way toward slowing down Roberts and the passing game.“As [defensive coordinator Steve] Verbit said, a great pass rush is a defensive back’s best friend,” head coach Roger Hughes said. On the opposite side of the ball, Princeton will be looking to overpower the Bulldogs with its big and experienced offensive line. Junior left tackle J.P Makrai, who started at guard in every game since midway through his freshman year before moving to tackle this year, and junior right tackle Mark Paski, who has started every game of his career, will lead the group. It will be important for the offensive line to stand strong against the pass rush and open holes for shifty junior running back Jordan Culbreath, as The Citadel has a very undersized front seven that includes only two players over 225 pounds. An interesting development during the game will be how Hughes decides to use junior backup quarterback Dan Kopolovich.“It’s certainly not unlike what we’ve done in the past,” Hughes said. “Dan’s one of the best athletes we have. It would be crazy for us to stand around and have him standing by us on the sidelines and not have a chance to have him use his athletic ability on the field.”Citadel head coach Kevin Higgins said that the Bulldogs are preparing to face Kopolovich and senior starting quarterback Brian Anderson.“I think Brian Anderson had a great game for himself against Dartmouth,” Higgins said. “The fact that they moved Dan from the starting cornerback position to the quarterback position gives you an indication that he’s gonna be on the field as well.” One of the biggest differences between the two teams is that the Bulldogs already have two games under their belt, and as a result know much more about themselves as a team than Princeton does. The Citadel blew Webber International away in its first game, then lost to Clemson 45-17, a score many teams would have been proud of. The Bulldogs are coming off one of their best seasons in decades, and the team’s confidence is high. The Tigers, on the other hand, are coming off a disappointing season and haven’t yet had a chance to discover themselves. Heat and humidity will also factor into the equation, and to help prepare the team for southern weather, Hughes has been holding practices between 2 and 5 p.m. If Princeton has no trouble playing at full speed after a long offseason against a team that has already played two games and is able to win the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball, this game could turn out to be the Tigers’ third upset of a ranked team in as many years. But if the heat, humidity and the Bulldogs’ speed prove to be too much to handle, Princeton could be in for a long day.
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