Rejuvenated Tigers Host No. 19 Crimson

A Harvard squad stands undefeated at midseason, looking to keep its record intact. Traditional rival Princeton has produced surprising results through five games. Sound familiar?

The stage is set precisely as it was at this time last year, when the Crimson knocked off the Tigers 43-40 in overtime to capture a legendary seesaw contest and preserve its unbeaten season.

The only difference this time around is Princeton’s record. Last year, the Tigers stood mired at 1-4, having only recently won its first game after dropping four consecutive contests to start the year. It came as a great surprise, then, when Princeton pushed the Crimson to the brink in Cambridge last October, tying the game with a late fourth-quarter score, and falling only on a Garret Schires touchdown pass on the tail end of the overtime shootout.

But this year Princeton (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) heads into the game with the opposite record of a year ago, and is now tied with No. 19 Harvard and No. 22 Penn atop the Ivies. With vivid memories of last year’s thriller in mind, the Crimson (5-0, 2-0) need only look at the current standings for an additional reminder of the increased gravity of this meeting.

So what exactly, if anything, makes this year’s Tigers team so much more fearsome than its 2003 incarnation?

It may be that very little has changed but Princeton’s luck.

“They might have been the best 2-8 football team in America last year,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

On top of the heartbreaker at Harvard Stadium, the Tigers dropped a tight game against Columbia and a double-overtime nail-biter at home versus Yale.

This year, however, Princeton kicked off its season at home with a victory over annual Patriot League opponent Lafayette. Instead of playing perennial powerhouse Lehigh, the Tigers took on a softer San Diego team.

This year’s Columbia game as compared to last year’s 33-27 loss could serve as a microcosm of Princeton’s more fortunate 2004 season. Last year at home, the Tigers blew a 20-point advantage, regained the lead with 26 seconds left, only to surrender a last-second, game-winning, 49-yard Hail Mary.

This time around, Princeton caught all the breaks. The Tigers knotted the game at 20 apiece with a last-minute field-goal drive to force overtime. After blocking Columbia’s extra-point attempt, they converted their possession into a full seven points and escaped with a 27-26 victory.

Another reason for Princeton’s sudden success may lie in the return of key players absent in 2003 to an experienced and talented roster.

The offensive side starts quarterback Matt Verbit and the top three leading rushers from last season, including current rushing leader Branden Benson and workhorse Jon Veach. In the Tigers last meeting with the Crimson, Veach lit up the Harvard defense for a career-high 205 yards.

Princeton did, however, lose its top two receivers from last year—B.J. Szymanski to the MLB amateur draft and Blair Morrison to graduation—but they have been more than adequately replaced.

Running back Greg Fields has been the team’s leading receiver to this point with 14 catches out of the backfield, while defensive back Jay McCareins—younger brother of New York Jets star Justin—has taken on offensive duties as well and chipped in for 10 grabs after missing last year due to academic ineligibility. They have been complemented by wide receiver Clinton Wu and tight end Jon Dekker, who combined for 15 catches.

The roster’s real depth, though, lies in its defense. The Tigers have been bolstered by the return of 2001 and 2002 leading tackler, All-Ivy linebacker Zak Keasey, from a leave of absence. His 59 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions have anchored the middle of the defense, and his tackles tie him for the team lead with Justin Stull, the Ivy League’s leading tackler last season.

Also returning from ineligibility is 2002 All-Ivy selection Brandon Mueller, chipping in with 32 tackles and 2 interceptions at safety.

Still, the improved Tigers must contend with a juggernaut Crimson team that has opponents around the Ivy League on alert.

“[Harvard’s] offense is nothing like anything we have seen during this season,” Stull said in a press conference earlier this week. “This will be our greatest test of the year and will let us know where we are in the league.”

Entering this weekend’s contest, the Crimson holds an eight-game winning streak in the all-time series, beating Princeton every year since 1995. That adds to the motivation of a Tigers team with Ivy title aspirations and a personal score to settle with their nemesis.

“You factor in that they haven’t beaten us since 1995 and it makes them all the more dangerous because it’s just killed them to be in that situation,” Murphy said.

A less demanding schedule, maturing players, returning talent and a little bit of luck have united to make these Tigers a tad more terrifying than they seemed a year ago.

Now they face Harvard not as league doormat, but on the cusp of joining the Ivy’s upper echelon.

“It is a situation where you have a team on top and another team that is trying to be on top,” Princeton coach Roger Hughes said earlier this week in a press conference. “[They are] fighting for their right to be there.”