Football: Colgate to provide Tigers' toughest test tonight

After one of its worst losses in recent years, the football team (1-2 overall, 0-1 Ivy League) faces a quick turnaround in a game against No. 23 Colgate (5-0 overall). The Red Raiders, who will play the Tigers tonight in Princeton Stadium, are likely the toughest team on Princeton’s schedule.

The first step to success will be getting over the loss to Columbia. The 38-0 score marked the largest deficit by which Princeton has ever fallen to Columbia. The game also marked the first time Columbia has won at Princeton Stadium since its construction. Yet the score is somewhat misleading, because it does not show that the Tigers gained nearly 350 yards during the game. These efforts were undone by turnovers and inopportune penalties.

“One of the advantages of having a short week is that you don’t have a lot of time to dwell on the mistakes you made on Saturday,” head coach Roger Hughes said. “If you look at Saturday’s game statistically, if you had told me we were going to rush the ball for 200 yards and have 80 plays, I would’ve told you we were going to have 21 to 30 points on the board, and that wasn’t the case. The major telling statistic was turnovers.”

Tonight, the Tigers will face tough assignments on both sides of the ball.

“It’s a great challenge with a short week to have a team like Colgate come in here,” Hughes said. “They have a big physical offense, and their quarterback does a great job of directing that offense. On the defensive side of the ball, they’ve always been a big physical defensive front. We have a unique challenge — and a very big challenge — ahead of us this Thursday night.”

The Red Raiders’ offense is ranked sixth in the nation and is spearheaded by the top rushing attack in the nation. Running backs Nate Eachus and Jordan McCord both average more than 100 yards per game on the ground, while junior quarterback Greg Sullivan averages 88 rushing yards per game. The trio has scored 14 rushing touchdowns. Overall, the Red Raiders average 277 yards per game on the ground.

Princeton’s run defense has given up an average of 154.3 yards per game this season. The Tigers will need answers to the Red Raiders’ trio of running options if they wish to possess the ball for more than the 25 minutes, 45 seconds that they have averaged through three games.

Colgate is somewhat less dangerous in the passing game, but it’s still efficient. Sullivan averages 172.4 yards per game at a 62.4 percent completion rate. He has tossed seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. Wide receiver Pat Simonds stands tall at six feet, six inches, weighs 223 pounds and has 429 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season. Simonds will prove a significant obstacle for the Tigers’ secondary.

Defensively, Princeton has been led by senior inside linebacker and co-captain Scott Britton and junior inside linebacker Steve Cody. The pair has totaled 60 tackles in the five games started between them.

“They’ve really been the heart and soul of our defense at this point,” Hughes said. “Both kids run very well, have a great instinct for the game, and I think they’re [ranked] one and two in our league in tackles. They’re the kids that have really ignited our defense and our defensive play, and they’re the ones we’ll need to continue that level of play as we proceed farther.”

While its defense will be a challenge in tonight’s game, Princeton’s offense needs the most improvement if the Tigers are to succeed. The Tigers’ offense has posted only two touchdowns in three games. With senior running back Jordan Culbreath out for the season after being diagnosed with anemia, the Tigers will have to look for a new spark on offense.

That spark could be junior wide receiver Trey Peacock, who leads the Tigers with 15 catches on the season. He displays an impressive combination of speed and size, but he has dropped passes in recent games, Hughes said.

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“We’re hoping Trey can become our go-to guy, and he’s trying to transition into that role,” Hughes said. “He’s a big kid that runs pretty well and can be pretty physical. He’s made some outstanding catches, but the problem is he’s been a little inconsistent with his hands. Obviously, we’re working on that. We’re hoping he becomes the player we think he can be as we progress through the season.”

Peacock’s success will be crucial tonight, but the offensive wild card will be sophomore quarterback Tommy Wornham. In his first year at the helm, Wornham has shown flashes of brilliance but has also made some mistakes typical of inexperienced quarterbacks. Through three games he has 380 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 197 yards and scored a touchdown.

“It’s been inconsistent,” Hughes said. “At times he looks outstanding, and at other times he looks like a very inexperienced quarterback. I think with the loss of Jordan Culbreath ... who was figuring to be a big part of our offense, I think Tommy feels a little bit more pressure on himself to make those plays. I think the game is not slowing down quite at the rate that we’d like for him.”

With a strong performance from Wornham, Peacock and Princeton’s trio of running backs — freshman Akil Sharp, and juniors Meko McCray and Kenny Gunter — the Tigers could keep the Red Raiders off the field. But if the offense struggles to maintain possession of the ball, it will be another long day for Princeton.