Princeton football (3–1 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) was in control throughout the entire game during their 28–13 win over the Wagner Seahawks (1–5, 0–2 NEC) on Saturday.
“I thought it was a good game, and we made enough plays,” Head Coach Bob Surace ‘90 told The Daily Princetonian postgame. “I felt we were aggressive. At times it was really successful, which was a help.”
Following a Wagner three and out, first-year quarterback Wyatt Becker delivered an 18-yard pass that resulted in a one-handed catch along the sideline by junior running back Kai Honda. That was soon followed by a 28-yard touchdown pass that was hauled in by sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith in the back corner of the end zone.
“It was something that we practiced and we got the look that we wanted,” Becker said of the play. “When you have guys like that on the outside, it makes my job easy. All I need to do is put the ball somewhere near him and he'll come down with it.”
Following a Honda rushing touchdown, Wagner responded with a touchdown of their own to trail by just four, 14–10.
The Tigers’ response was swift. A 35-yard catch and run on a third and ten by sophomore wide receiver Josh Robinson brought them into Seahawk territory. Two plays later, Honda broke tackles during a 31-yard scamper to the end zone that gave the Tigers a 21–10 lead. It marked his eighth touchdown of the season and second of the day.
“I think our play action was our strongest asset this game,” Honda said. “The ability to push the ball down the field, that was obviously huge for us. Being able to get third and long consistently was great.”
Princeton started the second half off hot. Facing a fourth and one at the Wagner ten, they elected to go for the conversion. Sophomore quarterback Eli Friend took the snap and ran forward through a crowd, dragging a Wagner defender with him as he dove into the end zone, building the Tigers' lead to a commanding 28-13 with five minutes left in the third.
The Tigers’ defense, which forced a shutout against Albany earlier this season, has been effective at keeping teams out of the end zone. In the second half, they made that fact clear to Wagner, allowing zero points and forcing three turnovers, including an interception from junior defensive back Casey Etienne Jr.
When discussing the game plan adjustments that helped Princeton dominate Wagner defensively, Surace spoke of his halftime message.
“Being in the right gap. We just got a little bit loose with the gaps. And it hurt us containing the quarterbacks and things like that. I thought in the second half we were much more sound. My halftime speech was not screaming and yelling. It was confident that we could get back to being who we are when we’re good. And that’s being in the right gaps and being really sound technically.”
Becker and sophomore quarterback Ty Ciongoli combined to go 15/30 through the air for 198 yards. Honda rushed for 103 yards on 22 carries. Robinson and Smith were the team’s two biggest receivers, gaining 84 and 61 yards, respectively. The Tigers played well on key downs, going 8/15 on third down and 2/3 on fourth downs during the game.
Despite the 15-point win, the team felt like they could’ve played better.
“I thought we didn’t play well up front on either side and we’re going to have to be a lot better going forward,” Surace told the ‘Prince.’ “That’s our strength, and we were just okay. We’ll look at what happened technically. There’s a lot of technical things that I’ve got to do a better job.”
“I’m never going to say no to a win, but I feel like we left a few plays on the table,” Becker said, echoing his coach. “We have to come to practice next week and really attack and remind ourselves that nothing is given to us. And after we watch film on Sunday, we’re on to Brown.”
Princeton is now 3–1 overall and 1–0 in the Ivy League. The Tigers’ three wins match the total victory count of each of their last two seasons. Their next game is on Saturday, October 17th, at home against Brown (2–2, 0–1), where they will look to earn their fourth straight win.
Walker Vivian is a Sports reporter-in-training for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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