Football: Sometimes winning means wanting it more

That was the question posed to the football team’s offense by head coach Roger Hughes as it took the field down three points with 10 minutes left in Saturday’s 27-24 victory over Columbia.

After a touchdown proved that the offense “wanted it,” the defense made its stand, forcing a late fumble to preserve the three-point victory.

“[That final defensive stand] is a testament to our heart and character,” junior linebacker Scott Britton said, echoing Hughes’ question. “When we needed a big play, we got one. We wanted it more than they did.”

It was certainly not the most well-played victory in Princeton history, but the Tigers (2-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) showed a lot of determination against the Lions (0-3, 0-1) on Saturday, responding excellently to adversity and maintaining their composure.

Princeton came out firing and closed the first half with a 14-10 lead, but its first-half performance was far from ideal. A spread offense is designed to open the passing game, to create options all over the field. For the first two quarters, all of senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson’s eight completions went to two players — junior running back Jordan Culbreath, whose four catches were all in the flat, and senior wide receiver Will Thanheiser, who leads all Princeton receivers by a large margin in both receptions and receiving yards this season.

Anderson is accurate — he opened the game with eight-straight completions and has a career completion percentage of better than 60 percent — but when the ball goes only to one of two targets, even the most accurate passer becomes one-dimensional.

In the second half, however, Anderson and the offense began to spread the ball around. On the third play of the half, Anderson found sophomore wideout Trey Peacock for a 34-yard gain, then went back to Peacock for the game-winning touchdown. Sophomore fullback Matt Zimmerman also had a catch in the second half.

Defensively, the injury-plagued Tigers struggled for parts of the game but saved their best play for when it mattered most. Already missing junior linebacker John Callahan, who is out for the season, the Tigers also played without senior defensive end Tom Methvin and junior linebacker Jeff Jackson, both of whom were pregame scratches.

“[Methvin and Jackson] are two great players,” said Britton, who stepped up in their absence with a team-high 11 tackles and a forced fumble. “It is unfortunate that they cannot play, but other players certainly stepped up. … This defense has a lot of character and a lot of depth.”

Saturday’s win is best characterized by two words: preparation and perseverance. The team did not have its best game on Saturday, and Columbia is by no means the best team Princeton will face this season, but the Tigers were ready for every possible situation and found a way to win.

“I am extremely proud of our guys,” Hughes said. “We came back a number of times, and every time you win like that it improves the character of your team. … We also took care of the football, which is a necessity in every single game we play.”

Offensively, the Tigers were prepared for Columbia from the game’s opening snap. Anderson and the offense scored twice on their first two possessions, which Anderson attributes to Hughes and his staff poring endlessly over game tape during the middle of the week.

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Hughes also heavily stresses game-winning situations in practice, a routine that undoubtedly paid off for both the offense and defense on Saturday.

“We practice game-winning situations twice a week, every week, including during the spring,” Hughes said. “The offense is certainly used to these situations, and in a way, the defense is too.”

With the Tigers down three in the fourth quarter, the offense responded with a play it had worked on in practice just one day earlier. On Friday, Peacock, who caught the 52-yard game-winning touchdown, had struggled with the route, prompting criticism from Hughes. On Saturday, Anderson said there was a “silent understanding” that Peacock would not repeat his errors.

That Hughes and the offense worked on the play one day earlier is noteworthy, but perhaps more telling is that Hughes called Peacock’s number in such a critical spot, knowing that the sophomore had struggled in practice.

“Trey is an unbelievable player, and he is just getting better,” Hughes said. “As he continues to gain experience and improve, he will factor more and more into our offense.”

The defense, which participates in those game-winning situations in practice, was equally up to the task Saturday. Forced to defend a slim three-point lead late in the game, the defense forced a Columbia punt with six minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the game, then forced a fumble with 1:32 left to ice the victory.

This is the second fourth-quarter victory for the Tigers in as many games, eerily reminiscent of the 2006 Tigers, who went 9-1 and won the Ivy League title. Is it too early for comparisons? Perhaps, but the ability to win games like this is often the difference between good teams and great ones.

“I have been saying since the spring that this team is very similar to the 2006 team in its attention to detail, intensity, cohesion and work ethic,” Hughes said. “I am not saying we are going to 9-1, but I do like how we have progressed so far this season.”

Saturday’s game film will show plenty of things to work on heading into next weekend’s showdown with Colgate, but there is also a lot to be proud of — namely, the confidence of a two-game winning streak and a solid start to the Ivy League season.