Sprint Football: Season punctuated by difficult defeats

In its final home game, Princeton (0-6 overall, 0-6 Collegiate Sprint Football League) lost another heartbreaker, falling to Mansfield (1-3, 1-2) 28-3 and failing in its bid for its first win of the season. A week later, the Tigers traveled to Penn (5-2, 5-2) for a rematch with the Quakers. Much like their Sept. 26 matchup, this game ended with a lopsided 47-0 Penn victory.

Princeton’s Oct. 24 game against the Mountaineers started off with sloppy play from both teams. Fans who witnessed the first seven drives of the game were treated to four punts, an interception, a fumble and a missed field goal. The Tigers finally converted with four seconds left in the first quarter, when junior kicker Reid Fritz scored the first three points of the game on a 22-yard field goal. The score gave Princeton its first lead of the game and the season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the novel experience of playing with a lead was short-lived, as Mansfield running back Lucas Bailey ran for a touchdown early in the second quarter. The Tigers never regained the momentum after the Mountaineers’ first strike.

Princeton had its best passing game of the season against Mansfield, as senior quarterback Drew Dixon completed nine passes for 124 yards.

“Our defense did a great job against Mansfield in the first quarter. I think our first three offensive possessions began in their territory,” senior center and captain Rich Hagner said. “I don’t what it was, but we just could get our offense going.”

The running game, while much improved compared to Princeton’s woeful performance against Navy, left much to be desired. The Tigers managed less than a yard per carry on their 33 attempts.

Head coach Thomas Cocuzza once again resorted to trickery to pull his team out of some tight situations. Faced with fourth and two on its own 42-yard line, Cocuzza called for a fake punt, with junior wide receiver Anthony Soroka taking the direct snap and following the right tackle up the field for a two-yard gain, just enough to gain a new set of downs.

Senior linebacker Brendan Reilly returned to the field of play after missing the last two games with an injury. Reilly led all players on the field with 12 tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Adrian Colarusso also had a big day on the defensive front, recording four-and-a-half tackles for loss and two sacks.

“Our defense made some great plays in the first quarter against Mansfield,” Dixon said. “Unfortunately, our offense wasn’t able to capitalize. Although we started three first-quarter drives inside the Mansfield 30-yard line, we were only able to come up with three points.”

Following the defeat, the Tigers traveled to Philadelphia to take on Penn for the second time this season. The Tigers’ attempt at payback for the 43-0 loss suffered at home in their season opener was foiled by a lethal Quaker offense performing at its peak. Penn opened the game with three rushing touchdowns in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 47-0 win.

Princeton’s aerial attack showed some promise for the second consecutive game. Dixon completed 14 passes for 122 yards, hitting six different receivers in the process. The Quaker secondary made several big plays, however, picking off Dixon twice and returning a second-quarter interception for a 56-yard touchdown.

Running the ball effectively proved to be even more of a challenge for the Tigers. The offense lost 40 yards on 18 rushing attempts, its efforts stifled by a fast and versatile Quaker defense.

“We ran 95 percent of our plays out of five-receiver sets, with no running backs in the backfield,” Dixon said. “Most of our rushes were either scrambles when their defense dropped everyone into pass coverage or sacks that occurred when I couldn’t get the ball off in time.”

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Princeton was also forced to make some key personnel changes for the Penn game. Hagner missed the game due to sickness, forcing senior offensive lineman James Colby to take over at center while junior defensive lineman Jerry Nnanabu switched over to offensive guard.

The Tigers were led defensively by Reilly and junior linebacker Mike Schoder, who recorded 12.5 and 10 tackles, respectively. Colarusso led the team with three tackles for loss.

The defense held strong for most of the game but was burned on some huge plays, including an 85-yard touchdown pass. Nevertheless, the defense has been solid all season long and has been one of the highlights of an otherwise disappointing season.

“Our defense […] had 21 takeaways in only six games — not to mention a few blocked punts,” Dixon said. “And although it didn’t show up on the scoreboard, our offense improved throughout the year.”

“We certainly got a lot better this year and made strides in all areas, unfortunately we didn’t get our win,” Hagner said. “But I look forward to coming back as an alumnus and seeing the team get some wins next year. They will certainly be capable of it.”