In their final non-conference game of the season, the Princeton Tigers (2–2 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) faced the No. 25 Mercer Bears (5–1, 4–0 Southern Conference) at the Princeton Stadium on Saturday.
On this overcast and lightly rainy day, the energy was low. For much of the first half, the Tigers struggled to make any headway against the Bears. In a game oddly reminiscent of last year’s 34–7 loss against Mercer on the same weekend last year, Princeton never really got going after conceding key turnovers. Fumbles and sacks would end up being the story of Princeton’s day as they struggled against Mercer’s elite pass rushers.
Princeton continued with their rotating quarterback system, subbing in senior quarterback Kai Colón and senior quarterback Blaine Hipa for each other every two drives. Colón continued to look like the slightly better option of the two, throwing for both touchdowns of the game and passing for 124 yards on 21 attempts.
“They were really good — going into the season, they were ranked really high,” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 said to The Daily Princetonian about Mercer after the game. “In the last few weeks, they’ve played really well but of course, we’ve got to be more precise and disciplined, and we’ve got to coach it and execute it better.”
Mercer began play with a characteristically methodical drive, pushing up the field for 72 yards on 13 plays and scoring on a walk-in touchdown in the red zone to make the game 7–0. The Bears this year are led by quarterback Braden Atkinson, who ended up with 347 yards on the day.
The Tigers’ attempt to replicate this didn’t go far. Miscommunications on downs and a strip sack against Colon ended the drive early at the Mercer 39-yard line.
The teams exchanged punts, but after being pinned on their own 2-yard line, the Tigers gave the Bears the ball at the 47. Struggling to put pressure on the quarterback, they allowed another touchdown drive.
“The strengths of their team are up front on both sides,” Surace said to the ‘Prince.’ “We struggled in that area and it’s really hard when you’re struggling to pass protect and we couldn’t generate any rush … we have to evaluate what we are doing on those third downs.”
At 14–0, the Bears didn’t let up and midway through the second quarter, they managed to find another wide-open receiver for their third touchdown of the day. Following busted coverages, fumbles, and sacks, the Tigers were looking pretty hapless.
With 6:28 left in the half, the Tigers once again punted the ball away after a three-and-out in which they once again failed to get their run-game going. At the half, they would have just six net rushing yards on 15 attempts and by the end of the game, it would only increase to 66, their lowest by far all season.
On the following Mercer drive, a glimmer of hope emerged for the Orange and Black: A pass fell right into the hands of junior defensive back Evan Haynie, who snatched it and ran 55 yards, all the way to the Mercer 43. With great field position, the Tigers finally managed to convert a drive and make it 21–7 following a Colón pass to junior wide receiver Aidan Besselman for his first career touchdown.
Despite being down at the half by two scores, the Tigers still had all to play for. Given the 211 passing yards they conceded in the half, a 14-point deficit was as good as they could have hoped for.
In the second half, however, two early touchdowns for Mercer in the third quarter dashed any hopes of a Princeton comeback. Another fumble by Colón on a strip sack and two separate turnovers on downs saw the Tigers’ hopes slip away.
“Honestly I just feel that in all phases, I could have done better, the receivers could have done better, the O-Line could have done better, the quarterback, the whole offense could have had a better game,” first-year wide receiver Josh Robinson shared with the ‘Prince’ regarding the offense’s struggles.
The fourth quarter saw a Mercer field goal followed by a 75-yard touchdown drive that put Tiger senior wide receiver Jackson Green on the scoresheet. Nothing more would come of it though, as the game ended in a relatively quiet fashion.
The Mercer team wasn’t perfect — they gave up an interception and their defense had coverage weaknesses — but Princeton was not able to capitalize on any of the opportunities that produced. Injuries are undoubtedly taking a toll — Princeton is missing key players in the secondary as well as in the wide receiver corps.
However, Princeton should stay hopeful for this season. Despite similar scorelines, they looked a lot stronger in this game than they did last year, and, thus far, they seem to have figured out many of the problems that plagued them for all of last season.
A big test awaits them next week as they face Brown (3–1, 0–1 Ivy League) on Saturday, Oct. 18, who have largely been playing well this season and even received votes in the most recent rankings.
“Brown is playing really well, they beat a team similar to Mercer in Rhode Island,” Surace told the ‘Prince’ about the upcoming matchup. “I just saw the stats — they’re causing a ton of turnovers and we haven’t handled the ball as well as we could have, so we’re really going to have to do a better job of that.”
With the limited number of conference games in the Ivy League, every matchup is crucial. But this year with the FCS playoffs on the line, every game means even more. It will be up to the Tigers to see how they face this challenge.
Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections@dailyprincetonian.com.
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