Football: Collision at Columbia

Now, almost a year after that lopsided defeat — which in many ways signaled the beginning of the end of the Roger Hughes era — Princeton (1-1) will head to Manhattan to take its shot at revenge in what could turn out to be a tightly contested match with Columbia (1-1).

“It definitely [stung] to have come out in [last season’s] Ivy League opener and get blown out like that,” junior defensive lineman Mike Catapano said. “It’s something you think about and you dwell on, so we’re looking to do a much better job this time.”

By most measures, the Tigers and Lions are evenly matched teams. Neither squad has yet shown itself capable of playing overpowering, lights-out football, and it is unlikely that either will be able to turn Saturday’s game into a replica of last year’s matchup.

Guiding the Lions this weekend will be quarterback Sean Brackett and running backs Leon Ivery and Nick Gerst. Together, the three make up the core of Columbia’s potent offense. Brackett, Ivery and Gerst are all extremely comfortable running the ball, and each racked up more than 60 rushing yards when the Lions defeated Towson. Brackett has proven himself to be one of Columbia’s biggest threats on the ground, with a team-leading 120 rushing yards this season.

“[Columbia does] a terrific job of making plays on the run,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said. “They run a lot of different plays and they pose a lot of different threats, whether it’s their regular, base, pro-style plays or their option plays. They’ve got some really good offensive lineman, and they’re a well-rounded team.”

Princeton’s defense seems well-suited to counter Columbia’s preference for running the ball: So far this season, the Tigers have held their opponents to an average of only three yards per rushing attempt. As it did last week against Lafayette, Princeton will need to play team defense and focus on group defensive work when it tries to stop the Lions. Strong play from sophomore linebacker Andrew Starks, senior linebacker Jon Olofsson and sophomore defensive back Mandela Sheaffer — all of whom have totaled over 12 tackles in two games — will go a long way toward ensuring that Columbia creates as few scoring opportunities as possible.

During their own possessions, the Tigers need to continue to play the kind of lightning-quick football — replete with packages involving multiple receivers — that they used so effectively against Lafayette.

“We’re playing so fast, so physical — when you’re playing that fast, it takes a lot of thinking out of it, which is huge for me,” junior quarterback Tommy Wornham said.

Indeed, Wornham’s decision-making has vastly improved this season — especially considering that he often finds himself facing a collapsing pocket and throwing on the run. If Princeton’s offensive line can provide Wornham with a little extra time this Saturday, the Tigers should be able to come up with multiple scores and get back on top of what was once an uneven rivalry.