Courtesy: Beverly SchaeferLike last season, the Princeton football team was there with The Citadel through 30 minutes. And like last year, the second half got away from the Tigers in a big way. In a game far closer than the score indicates, Princeton dropped its 2009 season opener 38-7 to The Citadel.
The Bulldogs, who played their first game two weeks ago and began their preseason 19 days before Princeton did, took advantage of both their experience and several Tiger miscues in the fourth quarter, when they turned a close game into a rout. Two missed field goals and two interceptions, including one that bounced off two players already on the ground, led The Citadel on a 21-0 run over the final 10:01.
“We’re disappointed, but we don’t think they are 31 points better than us,” said head coach Roger Hughes, who began his 10th season at Princeton Saturday. “I told the team that we’re facing adversity now, and we need to stay together, look at the film and get better.”
The film will show plenty of plays that were made by Princeton, and plenty that could have been made. All things considered, sophomore quarterback Tommy Wornham had a solid starting debut; he completed 24 of 41 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown against a defense determined not to let Jordan Culbreath control the game. Culbreath, the 2008 Ivy League rushing champion, rushed for 67 yards on 15 carries.
Wornham completed seven passes to Trey Peacock for 45 yards, four passes to Andrew Kerr for 56 yards and five passes to Matt Zimmerman for 42 yards. The Citadel’s Bart Blanchard, coming off a strong 2008 season, completed 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.
The Princeton defense was led by senior linebacker Scott Britton, who recorded nine tackles, including one on 4th-and-goal at the 1, while sophomore Matt Wakulchik recorded eight tackles. Both Joel Karacozoff and Mike Catapano combined on a pair of sacks, and each had one of Princeton’s four pass break-ups.
The pair’s first sack on third down ended The Citadel’s first drive, and a short punt with a friendly bounce gave Princeton possession in Bulldog territory to start its second offensive possession.
Wornham rushed for one first down, and following a pass to Harry Flaherty, the sophomore quarterback was able to draw The Citadel offsides. Culbreath found an inside seam on second down to get the ball to the 5, and that’s where Princeton got its first bit of end zone magic. Wornham had Kerr on a quick out, but his bullet pass went through Kerr’s hands; fortunately for the home squad, Heavenrich saw the whole thing and dove for the catch just inside the right sideline.
The Citadel cut the deficit to four points on its second offensive drive, as Blanchard got more comfortable in both passing and running. A 16-yard pass, which followed a holding call, and a 12-yard run were key plays in a 9-play, 44-yard drive. Sam Keeler finished the drive with a low 40-yard field goal.
After a stop, the Bulldogs went on a 15-play, 58-yard drive that featured a pair of short fourth down attempts and zero points. After a three-yard run by Terrell Davis on 4th-and-2 kept the drive moving, long runs by Roberts and Van Dyke Jones helped move The Citadel inside the Princeton 5. With 4th-and-goal at the 1, Citadel head coach Kevin Higgins passed on the field goal and called on Dallas once again. This time, he was met at the line by Britton, and then Keola Kahuliokalani, and was stopped short of the end zone.
Princeton was able to get some breathing room for the punt, but its inability to sustain a possession cost the defense some much-needed rest. The Bulldogs finally cashed in when Blanchard hit Alex Sellars for a 12-yard touchdown pass in the front of the end zone. That gave The Citadel a 10-7 lead, which it would hold into the third quarter.
After a strong defensive possession to open the second half, Wornham moved Princeton down the field and threatened to tie the score, but a 31-yard field goal attempt by Ben Bologna bounced off the right uprite and back into the field of play. The Citadel capitalized on the shift of momentum and, aided by a pass interference penalty on third down, drove 80 yards on 10 plays and got a three-yard option touchdown run by Van Dyke Jones.
In desperate need of both possession time and points, Wornham began his best march of the day. After several short rushes and passes that kept the chains moving, Wornham hit Kerr on a crossing pattern for a 32-yard gain. While the defense got a rest, the scoreboard wouldn’t change; Bologna’s 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by lineman Kyle Anderson, and the score remained 17-7 with only seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The critical blow would come over the next 10 plays and 80 yards, as The Citadel all but clinched its first victory with a precise, ball-control drive. Using inside rushes and short passes, the Bulldogs moved down to the 1 and took a 24-7 lead on a burst by Dallas.
Wornham engineered another solid drive, moving 53 yards over 13 plays; completions to Peacock, Kerr and Zimmerman moved the ball deep into Bulldog territory. The sophomore tried to hit Peacock on a crossing pattern, but as the junior receiver went down to make the catch, he got tangled with a defender also going for the ball. The ball somehow tipped off both and was snagged by Jonathan Glaspie, who was alert enough to turn upfield, find the left sideline and sprint to the 2 before being caught by Zimmerman. Dallas’ two-yard run moved the lead to 31-7 and iced the victory.
Princeton will look to win its first game next weekend when it travels to Lehigh for a 12:30 p.m. start.
