Tigers anxious for season’s first game in Princeton Stadium
By: Bob Nuse
If it seems like it’s been a long time since the Princeton University football team played a home game, that’s because it has been.
The Tigers played their last home game on Nov. 18, 2000. After having their home opener against Lafayette canceled two weeks ago in the wake of the tragedies at the World Trade Center, Pennsylvania and in Washington, D.C., the Tigers will finally get to return home when they host Columbia, 7 p.m. Saturday at Princeton Stadium.
"It does seem like it’s been a long time since we’ve played a game here," said junior defensive back Paul Simbi, who has been starting at cornerback for the Tigers since he was a freshman. "We missed that first game then we went on the road to Lehigh. It will be exciting to finally get to play here in front of our fans."
Walking around campus, Simbi gets the feeling the fans are as anxious for the home opener as the players are.
"I’ve seen signs up about the game, which I had not seen before," said Simbi, a native of Roseville, Minn. "With it being a night game and the opening game for us in the Ivy League, I think there are a lot of people that are looking forward to the game.
"The first couple weeks were a little strange with everything that happened. We spent a lot of time preparing for Lafayette, then that game was never played. It’s like studying for a test and then finding out you don’t have to take it."
Simbi, as well as the rest of his Princeton teammates, is hoping the Tigers play more like the team that took a 3-0 halftime lead against Lehigh, rather than the one that eventually went on to lose, 34-10. As far as which Princeton team will show up, Simbi is as anxious to find out as anyone.
"That’s what we’re trying to figure out," he said. "We know we have to eliminate the mistakes we made and get everyone in the right place at the right time and go from there. We made too many mistakes last week, especially on the defensive side of the ball."
In Columbia, the Tigers will be facing a team that mirrors themselves in many ways. Both teams were 3-7 a year ago, with Princeton winning the game between the teams in overtime. Both also opened the season this year with losses, as Columbia dropped a 23-20 decision to Bucknell in overtime after having built a early 10-point lead.
"We’re looking forward to getting back on the field," Princeton coach Roger Hughes said. "We don’t feel like the way we finished at Lehigh is an indication of the way we can perform. The kids were very upset with the way we finished last week.
"I think most of them would have liked to have added another 60 minutes to the clock and gotten right back out there on the field."
Hughes, like his players, is anxious to get back out and see what kind of progress has been made in the week of practice since the opening loss. He knows it’s the fine tuning of a lot of little things that can make the difference.
"We had two times last week where we had a blitz on and then we called it off," Hughes said. "Nine of the guys heard it and two didn’t and they found the gap and scored. I think we have to be patient with the program as it develops. It’s a growth pattern. You want to win the game, but you also want to grow as a team."
"I think when you have a second half like we did last week, it makes you practice even harder," Simbi added. "You look at the film and see how close you are to correcting mistakes and making the plays. You want to get out there and do it on the field."
The Tigers finally get a chance to do that in front of their home fans Saturday night. It’s certainly been a long time coming.