Football: Princeton bounced from Bethlehem

“Getting into the red zone is one thing, but finishing drives is important,” Surace said. “It was just one of those games. It felt like we were a few inches short on a lot of things.”

Junior quarterback Tommy Wornham had a career day, throwing for 392 yards and completing 63 percent of his passes. But Lehigh scored 11 points off a pair of interceptions in the second half, sealing a season-opening defeat for Princeton at Goodman Stadium.

Facing a one-point deficit in the third quarter, Wornham rolled right and overthrew junior receiver Isaac Serwanga, putting the ball right in the hands of Mountain Hawks safety Jarard Cribbs. Cribbs returned the ball to the Princeton 15-yard line, and a field goal gave the hosts a four-point lead.

With 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Wornham again airmailed Serwanga, and Cribbs was again there for the interception. The turnover sparked a nine-play, 3-minute-25-second drive that ended with tight end Alex Wojdowski’s second touchdown catch of the game, clinching the win for the home team.

“[Wornham] threw the ball very well and ran the offense,” Surace said. “He had some tremendous runs on third downs. I think he’d like to take those [interceptions] back, but the tempo we run is like running a fast break, and even the Magic Johnsons turn the ball over some.”

The Tigers drove deep into enemy territory in three of their first four second-half drives, but they came away with only a field goal each time. Junior kicker Pat Jacob connected from 35, 39 and 43 yards, and finished the game five-of-six on field goal attempts. He became the first Princeton kicker to make five field goals in a game since 2003.

The fourth field goal brought the score to 20-19 and cut Lehigh’s lead to one point. Surace called for an onside kick, but his gamble was not rewarded. Jacob’s kick bounced up and hit him in the thigh before it had traveled 10 yards, giving the ball to the Mountain Hawks at the Princeton 37-yard line. The hosts marched down the field and scored on a halfback pass, extending the lead to eight points.

“It was one of those games where I felt our defense had been on the field [a lot] right then,” Surace said. “We were either going to be on a short field or we were going to get the ball right back. Both defenses were tired in the second half, and we had practiced that kick a number of times against that return formation. Pat has hit it every time in practice, but it just nicked him.”

On the final Lehigh drive, senior linebacker and co-captain Steve Cody was injured while tackling Jake Drwal after a 16-yard completion. Cody, who led the Tigers with 12 tackles, had to be carted off the field on a stretcher with an apparent leg injury.

“I don’t remember [Cody] ever lying on the field before,” Surace said. “He could run all day, so it’s not a conditioning problem. He’ll go to the hospital and get it looked at.” Initial reports suggested that the pre-season All-American would be out for the season, but the Athletics Department has not confirmed his injury.

Junior center Mike Muha left the game with an injury in the Tigers’ second series and did not return.

The Tigers gained 305 yards in the first half — nearly double the host’s total — mostly from Wornham’s arm. Still, Lehigh held a 14-13 lead at halftime thanks to excellent field position. Princeton started only one of its first eight possessions beyond its own 30-yard line, while the Mountain Hawks did so six of nine times in the first half.

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The visitors showed some discomfort early in the first quarter. They gained a total of just eight yards in their first two possessions, resulting in a pair of three-and-outs.

“[The no-huddle offense] did take a little getting used to, getting in sync — the first two series didn’t go as planned — but as we kept going, we moved the ball as well as we could,” senior receiver Trey Peacock said. “It stops you from thinking so much. If we continue to play fast, hopefully we can cut down on the mistakes we make.”

Lehigh took advantage of a short field for the game’s first score on a 52-yard drive. After a few successful running plays, tight end Alex Wojdowski hauled in a floater at the Princeton 2-yard line. Quarterback Chris Lum took it from there, sneaking into the end zone to put the hosts up 7-0.

Princeton struck back when the field-position battle swung its way for the first time. After a 37-yard Tiger drive stalled in enemy territory, sophomore Joe Cloud’s punt was downed at the Lehigh 4. Two plays later, sophomore linebacker Andrew Starks stripped the ball from Lehigh running back Jay Campbell. Junior defensive lineman Mike Catapano fell on the ball at the Mountain Hawks’ 14-yard line. Princeton could not push the ball into the end zone, but Jacob split the uprights to put the visitors on the board.

The Mountain Hawks got a short field of their own early in the second quarter, recovering a fumble by senior fullback and co-captain Matt Zimmerman at the Princeton 28-yard line, but they could not move the ball in four tries. Wornham completed five of six passes on the ensuing drive to move the Tigers down the field, but his sneak on fourth-and-one from the opposing 22-yard line was unsuccessful.

Wornham got revenge on the next possession with a long strike. Facing third down, he connected on a deep post pattern to Peacock, who was met with nothing but daylight for an 80-yard touchdown. Princeton’s longest pass play since 2004 gave the visitors a 10-7 lead.

“We had gone through how this route would work against them when they were in a certain coverage,” said Peacock, who finished the game with 196 yards on eight receptions. “So I expected Tommy to throw the ball to me, and it worked out.”

Lum injured his left ankle in the first quarter and was roughed up on consecutive pass plays early in the second, forcing the starter out of the game. Backup Michael Colvin led the Mountain Hawks to a three-and-out in his first series but had more success in his second.

Taking over at the Lehigh 42, Colvin completed a 28-yard pass down the seam to Wojdowski and a 10-yard screen to Drwal. Fullback Sean Farrell capped the drive with a 1-yard score, putting the hosts back on top.

Jacob added a 24-yard field goal at the halftime horn, once again set up by a Lehigh turnover.

With less than 2 minutes to play, Colvin threw a pass right into the arms of junior cornerback Blake Clemens.

Wornham completed three long passes to put the Tigers in field goal range despite a pair of penalties.

With 3 seconds remaining, the junior stepped up in the pocket to avoid a free blitzer and hit senior wideout Andrew Kerr with a 20-yard pass to set up Jacob’s boot.

The Tigers hope for better luck against a Patriot League opponent next week.

Princeton takes on Lehigh’s main rival, Lafayette (0-2), on Saturday in the Tigers’ home opener.

Lafayette fell 19-14 in a close game with Ivy League favorite Penn (1-0) on Saturday.