Circle is a weapon for Tigers

PU at Columbia in Ivy football opener

By: Justin Feil
   It’s 3rd-and-long and Brendan Circle can’t wait to break the huddle.
   "I really enjoy third down," said the Princeton University receiver. "If we’re in a third-and-long, it’s the opportunity to keep the drive going, to keep the defense off the field a little bit longer. Sometimes we’re going to put them in bad field position and we’re going to need them to bail us out.
   "Keeping our drives alive, keeping the defense off the field — even if we don’t score — that’s very important in the grand scheme of the game."
   Those third-down conversions, and lack thereof on the defensive side of the ball, figure to play a big part in Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. Ivy League opener at Columbia. Both Columbia and the Tigers are 2-0, and both point to the importance of third-down conversions as a key to their early success.
   "We work very hard on third downs," said Tigers head coach Roger Hughes who is looking for his sixth Ivy opening win in seven tries. "We work very hard on second-and-longs. We work very hard on two-minute situations. I think you’re seeing the result of all that hard work. Our kids are not afraid of the two-minute situation. They were begging to go to the two-minute offense every drive after the first one (against Lafayette)."
   On offense, Circle is a first-down magnet. Of his 31 career receptions, 21 have gone for first downs. Yet he has never caught a pass longer than 41 yards, and you’ll probably never see him coming to take a handoff on an end around. He is a possession receiver, one best known simply for moving the sticks, rather than moving his sticks.
   "Coach calls me a change of pace receiver," said the junior from Villa Park, Calif. "If you look at the skills, with Brian Shields running track, he’s obviously got that straight ahead speed. Brian Brigham is real shifty. If I had to give myself something, it’d be more power than anything else. You actually get a lot of opportunities in that regard."
   Circle was one of the eight receivers found by quarterback Jeff Terrell last week in a career-best 261-yard passing day for the senior signal caller. Circle was not slowed by a hip pointer suffered in the season-opening win over Lehigh.
   Circle is part of an offense that has been opportunistic in its third-down conversions. Princeton ranks just fifth in the Ivy League after converting 9 of 25 third-down attempts. But it has already assembled two 17-play drives this season as well as a 12-play drive.
   "I think it speaks to the balance of the offense," Circle said. "We could go deep and score in one or two plays. I’m not saying we could just turn on and off a switch and do it, but we’re capable of doing both, which is very strong from a team standpoint."
   Opposing offenses haven’t enjoyed such success. The Tigers have been downright miserly in the first two wins of the year. The Tigers are ranked first in the Ivy League as opponents have converted just 19 percent of third-down attempts. They have allowed just four total conversions. Columbia is second with seven.
   "We understand," said PU linebackers coach Don Dobes, "the game is won or lost on third downs. We put ourselves in numerous situations in preseason where we’re highlighting certain down and distance situations. Our guys get very comfortable being in those situations. We spend a lot of time trying to make sure we put our guys in position to be successful in those situations."
   Converting third downs on offense and ending opposing drives on defense go hand in hand. Princeton has been able to build on its successes on either side of the ball.
   "I think the energy you see on the field on both sides of the ball, we kind of feed on that," Hughes said. "I get a sense when the defense makes a big play our offense comes out with a little higher step. And when our offense goes down and scores after a big defensive play, our defense comes back on the field and really steps it up to a new level."
   Circle, too, sees the effect on opponents when the offense can carry on a long drive. Princeton has been able to answer both Lehigh and Lafayette after falling behind because of sustained drives.
   "The 17-play drive we had in the second quarter against Lehigh really did a lot for the confidence of the team that we could drive the ball, that we could drive the ball with this team that everyone had question marks about," Circle said. "Then, leading into the Lafayette game, where we had the 12- and the 17-play drive in the first half, you could tell it was wearing out the defense. Like keeping our defense off the field and keeping them fresh, we were keeping their defense on the field and wearing them down for the fourth quarter."
   Circle and the Tigers face a different challenge in the Lions on Saturday. Columbia leads the Ivy League in turnover ratio by a full 2 turnovers per game. The Lions have taken to first-year coach Norries Wilson’s attacking style.
   "The kids on film are playing hard," Hughes noted. "They’re believing in what they’re doing. There’s an energy level on the field that I didn’t see last year.
   "They’ve been able to create a turnover on the first series in both of their first two games. The more that they create opportunities like that, the harder they play, the faster they play."
   Columbia plays just three down lineman, like the Tigers do, and stack eight quicker defenders behind them.
   "They’re all real athletic," Circle said. "It’s going to cause us and force us to be real particular about our cuts, particular about our decisions, knowing if we’re indecisive at any point they are going to take advantage of it."
   The defense may be new to the Lions, but there are less and less schemes that Circle and the more experienced Tigers haven’t seen already. Having played a year as Princeton’s leading wide receiver last season, Circle has noticed how his experience is useful with Terrell.
   "We just feel like when we line up on the ball, everything happens a lot slower," Circle said. "We have a chance to make our reads, have a chance to read the defense and we’re not so worried about figuring out what we have to do as far as from a play calling standpoint. We can worry about what we can do as far as the defense’s standpoint, worry about getting open or getting the right block to hopefully spring a run."
   Circle is part of a fleet of receivers that Terrell has been found at the perfect times this season. They hope to show the Lions on Saturday how difficult it is to defend so many options.
   "Brian Brigham and Adam Berry and Brian Shields and myself were here this summer," Circle said, "and we were able to work with Jeff a lot and work on our timing, knowing where each other are going to be when he hits that fifth step. He knows where we’re going to be."
   And more and more, the Tigers are finding themselves able to come up with the big plays on third down, the plays that help sustain a drive and keep the Princeton defense rested and ready to make stops of its own. That hasn’t always been the case for the Tigers, who as recently as the 2003 season, when they went 2-8, saw 39 percent of opponent’s third-down attempts end successfully.
   Hughes has been confident that the Tigers could turn around those statistics and make themselves more successful on the field. He points to something he heard from University president Shirley Tilghman this week in regards to the new policy to end early admission.
   "President Tilghman got up and talked about changing the culture and how difficult it is to change the culture," Hughes said. "She was presented with a question as to when we would know if her decision was correct. And she said, ‘It may be 10 years.’ That answer really resonated with me from the standpoint it really takes time to change a culture, for kids to really believe. The last three to four years, we’ve seen a quite increase in that confidence level. This year, we’re seeing the results of all the hard work we’ve put in the last three or four."