Dixon, Soroka score first touchdowns of the season

Princeton (0-3 overall, 0-2 Collegiate Sprint Football League) has been plagued by offensive inefficiency all season. The offense, however, finally seemed to find its rhythm against Cornell (2-2, 1-1) early in the third quarter, when senior quarterback Drew Dixon tucked the ball under his arm and ran seven yards into the endzone for the team’s first points of the season.

“It was a great way to set the tone in the second half: forcing a turnover on downs by tackling the punter after a high snap, then having the offense punch it in for a touchdown, leaving us only two scores down with over 25 minutes left in the game,” Dixon said. “If we can start playing like that in the first quarter, too, we’ll be in some games these next three weeks.”

The most sensational play of the night came just a few minutes later. Dixon hooked up with junior wide receiver Anthony Soroka late in the third quarter on a 45-yard touchdown pass. Soroka, who sat out last week’s game against Army with a high-ankle sprain and was listed as questionable as late as the pre-game dinner, dressed but did not see any action in the first half.

His big catch in the third quarter re-energized the Tigers and brought the fans to their feet in Princeton Stadium. It was a particularly meaningful moment for Soroka, as his family was visiting from Wisconsin and was in the stands for his electrifying touchdown grab.

“Before the snap, it was obvious that they were blitzing, which left them with one-on-one coverage on Soroka,” Dixon said. “I knew that we had a good chance to score so long as we picked up the blitz. The line and back picked up the blitzing backers perfectly and gave me enough time to throw the ball deep. Soroka shook his guy, so all I had to do was get him the ball.”

“It’s definitely great to have Soroka back, and his presence on the sideline definitely gave our team some more confidence,” senior center and tri-captain Rich Hagner said. “He’s another weapon, and the kid has a history of making plays.”

After a relatively slow first quarter, Cornell found its offensive rhythm. In the absence of starting quarterback Zak Dentes, Elliot Corey called the shots under center for the Big Red. Corey transformed a Cornell offense usually keen on the passing game into one that relied heavily on the run. Corey netted 104 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rush attempts and also threw for three scores on the night.

Though Cornell’s potency was mostly a result of its good team speed, Princeton’s health woes also contributed to the lopsided final score. Senior linebacker Brendan Reilly, the team’s leading tackler through the first two games, and sophomore defensive lineman Adrian Colarusso did not play against Cornell due to injuries, forcing the Tigers to revamp their defensive strategy against the Cornell attack.

“We were missing one starting inside linebacker and one starting defensive end — we played with a 3-4 defensive front instead of our usual 4-4,” Dixon said. “Playing with an extra defensive back, we were stronger against the pass. But it left a little more room for the quarterback to scramble, especially when the linebackers were in pass coverage.”

Princeton’s one major weakness, the offensive line, put on a much-improved performance Friday night. Though the line gave up eight sacks against a speedy and versatile Cornell defense, the squad was able to hold the pocket and picked up the blitzes well.

“We made a lot of improvements last week during practice, and it certainly showed in the game,” Hagner said. “Our offensive line got a lot better and was making and sustaining blocks well on passing plays, and I think our receivers did a much better job getting open and gave Drew Dixon a chance to throw the ball.”

The Tiger defense, which has been quite impressive this season, held its own against the Big Red and came up with several key stops and momentum-turning plays. Senior wide receiver and defensive back Mykel Kulkarni started Princeton on its first drive of the night by picking off a pass from Corey less than three minutes into the game. The defense also created two turnovers on downs, including one at the start of the second half that gave the Tigers the ball on the Cornell 22 to set up Princeton’s first touchdown. Junior linebacker Mike Schoder led all players with nine-and-a-half tackles.

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“I was very proud of our team on Friday night,” Hagner said. “We came out and played hard against a good Cornell team. The game was really much closer than the score reflects — Cornell scored two late touchdowns. We made some mistakes and could have capitalized on some opportunities, but I think that everyone and every unit showed substantial improvement from earlier weeks.”

“If we keep improving, we will be successful in the next three weeks,” Hagner added.

Princeton takes on Navy (4-0, 2-0) this Friday at 7 p.m. on Powers Field. Colarusso will return in time for kickoff this Friday, while Reilly is expected to be back in action for the following week’s matchup against Mansfield.