Football: Solid performance translates into 'W'

Maybe the football team should wear orange more often.

The Tigers (3-6 overall, 2-4 Ivy League) looked completely rejuvenated Saturday, beating rival Yale for the first time in three years and putting together a comprehensive and praiseworthy performance.

Entering the game, neither team could have claimed to be having a successful season, but the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-4) were favored, having beaten Princeton four of the last five years.

Wearing orange jerseys for the first time since last year’s nationally televised loss to Penn, though, the Tigers took the field with a ferocity befitting their mascot.

As early as the coin flip, it was apparent that Saturday’s game was going to be special. On the first play of the game, Yale linebacker Jordan Haynes ended up on top of sophomore defensive end Mike Catapano after the opening kickoff sailed out of bounds. Haynes began punching Catapano in the head and was quickly ejected, setting up a tense atmosphere for the rest of the game.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Wornham thrived in the intensity, putting together the most complete performance of his young career as a starter. Wornham finished 16-of-23 for 136 yards passing to complement his 55 rushing yards and one touchdown. Head coach Roger Hughes said it was among the best games he had seen as a coach. “I kind of ripped the quarterbacks last week, telling them that, you know, there’s a difference between being a quarterback and playing quarterback,” Hughes said. “And today [Wornham] managed this game as good as any quarterback we’ve had here, and it was fun to watch.” This is high praise coming from a coach who rode Ivy League Player of the Year Jeff Terrell ’07’s coattails to a league championship in 2006.

Wornham’s performance on offense was bolstered by a career day for junior running back Kenny Gunter, who has been hampered by injuries lately. With 119 yards and one touchdown, he was Princeton’s first 100-yard rusher since All-Ivy senior running back Jordan Culbreath, who went down against Lehigh earlier this year. The Tigers have scrambled all year to replace Culbreath, mainly using junior Meko McCray and freshman Akil Sharp, while Wornham has been the team’s leading rusher. But on Saturday, Gunter stepped up, supported by a strong effort from junior fullback Matt Zimmerman, who racked up 45 yards and one touchdown. Overall, the team ran the ball for 247 yards, its most since last year’s season-ending win over Dartmouth. The 24 points Princeton scored Saturday were the most it has put up in any game this season.

Wornham distributed the ball more than usual, as junior receiver Jeb Heavenrich helped redeem his injury-marred season with three receptions for 46 yards and three rushes for 30. Leading receiver junior Trey Peacock caught seven passes for 31 yards, and junior Andrew Kerr picked up four for 46.

Wornham said that he has felt himself maturing in the starting role over the course of the season. Saturday’s victory was indicative of his growth: Last year against Yale, Wornham got into the game as a reserve, going one-for-six for five passing yards.

“The nerves aren’t there as much as they used to be,” he said. “I would get out there, and my heart would be pumping, and my brain would be racing, and I wouldn’t know what to look for really, and now I’m watching more film than I have before and understanding defenses. And [as] Coach Hughes said, he really got to me when he said, ‘You’re playing quarterback. You’re not the quarterback.’ ”

The victory was a full-team effort, as new faces stepped up on defense. Once again without vocal leader senior co-captain and inside linebacker Scott Britton, who tore his ACL against Brown, the team relied heavily on junior linebacker Steve Cody. Cody, who was fourth in the nation and the league leader in tackles entering the game, finished with eight, below his season average of 12.29.

Senior defensive backs Cart Kelly and Dan Kopolovich each intercepted a pass. Junior defensive back Glenn Wakam’s pick in the fourth quarter essentially killed Yale’s momentum and set up senior kicker Ben Bologna’s 27-yard field goal to ice the game. Kopolovich, senior linebacker John Callahan and sophomore defensive back Matt Wakulchik had eight tackles apiece, while Kelly had seven. Standout play by some less-heralded underclassmen suggested that, while this season may not have gone quite as planned, the next one may be more promising.

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Hughes explained that Cosmo Iacavazzi ’65, the captain of Princeton’s last undefeated team, inspired the players the night before the game. “ ‘It’s about the muscle right here between your chest,’ ” Hughes quoted Iacavazzi as saying, pointing to his heart. “It doesn’t matter how good or bad [your record is]. It’s the Yale game, and it’s important, and there have been many years before you that have not beaten Yale. And it’s time to suck it up. We’re all with you. We are brothers. We would sell our souls right now to be able to play one play in this game with you guys.”

Indeed, the Tigers played like a team on a mission, beating Yale for the 50th time in what is the second oldest rivalry in college football.

Still, Princeton’s game was not flawless. The performance was marred by six fumbles, four of which the Tigers lost, including a costly drop by sophomore receiver Harrison Daniels in the Bulldogs’ red zone in the second quarter. Yale quarterback and Nebraska transfer Patrick Witt was picked off three times, but he still finished with 290 passing yards and one touchdown against an injury-prone Princeton secondary.

The Tigers were also fooled twice by Bulldog trickery, when Yale faked a punt for a first down and recovered an onside kick in the third quarter.

Lapses like this appear to have put Hughes on the hot seat recently. After finishing 4-6 each of the last two years, Princeton is now guaranteed its third straight losing season. This is only the sixth time in 140 years of Princeton football that the team has had at least three straight under-.500 seasons — the last time from 1999 to 2001. Though this win should pacify Hughes’ critics a bit, next week’s game at Dartmouth is still a must-win.

But after Saturday’s game, the Tigers allowed themselves some time to enjoy their victory. Basking in the glow of his fourth Yale win, Hughes explained, “We love playing each other, but we don’t like each other very much.”