Football: Defense falters against dynamic Colgate attack

A number of key injuries have played a part in Princeton’s defensive struggles. Two opening-day starters from Princeton’s front seven were on the sideline with injury: sophomore lineman Caraun Reid, who may return next week, and senior linebacker Steven Cody, who is out for the season.

But injuries are a fact of football, and the Tigers have not coped well with the losses. Colgate scored on each of its first five possessions — netting four touchdowns and a field goal — and would have been 6 for 6 in the first half if not for a fumble at the Princeton 10-yard line with a minute remaining.

Princeton simply could not stop the Raiders’ rushing attack, which rolled for 360 yards and averaged 6-yards per carry. Noah Jackson and Nate Eachus took most of the handoffs, constantly moving the chains and keeping the Tigers’ defense on the field. Colgate had tremendous success running between center and left tackle — gaining 6.9 yards per carry on those plays — which opened up the outside for quarterbacks Greg Sullivan and Steve Rizzo, who combined for 153 yards on just 11 rushes.

Fearing the threat of the potent Colgate running game, Princeton had difficulty putting pressure on Sullivan, who was forced out of the pocket only once and was never knocked down on 16 pass attempts. On one third-down play in the second quarter, the Tigers blitzed but could get nowhere near the quarterback. Sullivan had plenty of time to pick out Doug Rosnick for an 18-yard gain, extending a drive that resulted in seven points.

“Option teams [like Colgate] take away the pass rush,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said. “They run the football often, so it’s hard to get after the quarterback. We just tried to contain him.”

Sullivan had success attacking the young safeties down the middle. His three longest passes of the day went between the hash marks and were all complete, including a 34-yard touchdown over the top to Rosnick. The senior quarterback finished the day 14 for 16 for 205 yards, completing all nine passes to Rosnick for 141 yards (plus a 10th that was called back for an illegal block).

“Sullivan makes his reads with such speed, you can’t practice for that,” Surace said. “He struggled some [earlier in the year] with his accuracy, but he was on fire tonight.”

The Princeton secondary had no more success tackling its opponents than it did covering them. Colgate receivers racked up 96 yards after the catch, frequently breaking tackles immediately after gaining possession. This trend culminated late in the second quarter, when Rosnick caught a buttonhook and looked to be wrapped up for a short gain, but instead broke free for a 39-yard touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Tigers’ offense scored on its first and final drives but struggled for the rest of the game. Aside from those two possessions, junior quarterback Tommy Wornham completed just nine of 24 passes, and Colgate defenders held the receivers to just 45 yards after the catch on 21 receptions. Senior wide receiver Trey Peacock— who entered the game with a Division I-leading 139.7 yards per game — was limited to 80 yards on eight catches.

While Colgate effectively ran up the middle out of shotgun formations, Princeton characteristically stuck to the edges on the ground. The Tigers ran between the tackles just seven times — including one scramble through the middle by Wornham — and netted just 19 yards on those plays.

The Tigers’ fast-paced offense has been slowed down by opponents in the last two weeks after Princeton won a thrilling 36-33 double-overtime shootout against Lafayette. But as Princeton heads into the remainder of its Ivy League schedule, little on that side of the ball will matter if the defense does not improve.