On an electric Saturday afternoon, Princeton Football (1–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) took on the Lafayette Leopards (3–2 overall, 1–0 Patriot League) away at Fisher Stadium and emerged victorious after key plays on both sides of the ball.
After a disappointing season home opener loss, the Tigers were itching for their first win of the year. Right into the first quarter, the Tigers forced a three-and-out for the Leopards, setting the opportunity for Princeton to score. In the same fashion as last game, the Tigers alternated quarterbacks throughout the game on a timed basis in order to give both the freedom to play without fear of being taken out of the game after a bad play.
Executing an aggressive passing attack, the Tigers managed to penetrate through the Leopards’ defensive line, with key efforts coming from senior quarterback Kai Colón, who hurled a dime to junior wide receiver Aidan Besselman for a clean turn catch.
After a series of successful first-down completions, junior running back Ethan Clark crossed the one-yard line for a rushing touchdown. Coupled with a successful PAT from junior kicker Esteban Nunez Perez, the Tigers took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter.
Despite the early lead, the Leopards retaliated with several passing and rushing attacks of their own. Princeton desperately looked for effective run stoppers, with which they had struggled against the San Diego Toreros. The Leopards pushed through the Tigers’ defense for a touchdown pass and evened the score just moments into the second quarter.
Hungry for another lead, the Tigers began their possession with a solid punt return caught at the 40-yard line. Sophomore running back Kai Honda then took the reins. He consistently found open lanes and gained good yardage, generating several first downs for the Tigers. To finish it off, senior running back Dareion Murphy spun past Lafayette’s linebackers and claimed his third touchdown of the season, giving the Tigers a 14–7 lead.
Under pressure to respond, senior linebacker Marco Scarano knocked the ball loose from Lafayette running back Kente Edwards. Senior dual-threat quarterback Blaine Hipa capitalized on the fumble with a rushing touchdown of his own for the Orange and Black, giving the Tigers a 14-point lead.
With this momentum, the Tigers’ quarterback Colón tossed a clean spiral to sophomore wide receiver Paul Kuhner after a pump fake corner, leaving him wide open at the 44-yard line. However, the possession was short-lived, forcing the Tigers to a coffin-corner punt and starting Lafayette at their two-yard line.
Princeton, however, was quick to recoup their rhythm after Lafayette made a disastrous pass that junior defensive back Torian Roberts intercepted and took to the house. The 38-yard pick-six gave the Tigers a 28–7 lead.
“That pick-six play came straight from film. We’ve been preaching hitches and goes,” Roberts told The Daily Princetonian. “Just reading the quarterbacks and watching the receivers, all that comes from film study.”
In possession once again, the Leopards scored a quick rushing touchdown, yet still struggled to narrow the score gap before the end of the first half.
Filled with high hopes and energy, the Tigers looked forward to controlling the second half as well. Yet early into the third quarter, Colón was sacked by Lafayette’s defensive linemen, forcing a punt for the Tigers.
The Leopards’ sudden change of pace initially disrupted the Tigers’ defense, but they quickly regrouped and prevented the Leopards from breaking through on their possession, forcing yet another punt.
With the adjustment, the Tigers continued to make good yardage with Perez also making a 26-yard field goal, once again extending the lead to 31–14.
With a little over a quarter of playtime left, the Leopards pushed for a bolder playstyle, ending the third quarter on their 48-yard line. The drive ended with a much-needed touchdown, narrowing the gap to 31–21.
Even with their hard-fought effort, the Leopards struggled to maintain possession as another fumble caught by junior defensive back Kyler Ronquillo paved the way for a later touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jackson Green, furthering Princeton’s lead to 38–21.
“Extremely gritty. Everyone is sacrificing every single rep,” said Colón when asked about the team’s performance. “The entire team trusts that whoever’s out there is going to make a play.”
Even with Lafayette’s last-minute touchdown effort, the Tigers stood victorious, redeeming themselves from their season-opener performance.
“We did a great job executing third downs on both sides and disguising coverages to get them slightly off balance,” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 told the ‘Prince’ postgame. The game marked Surace’s 100th career win.
The lessons carried over from the San Diego game proved effective against the Leopards, as the Tigers managed to maintain momentum into the second half this time around and adjust their defense accordingly throughout the game.
Princeton will match up against Columbia back home at Powers Field next Friday at 7:30 p.m., giving the Tigers another opportunity for their first season home game win.
Andrew Kang is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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