Tiger receiver Opara’s two-point conversion knocked down in 20-18 defeat
By: Justin Feil
It worked once, but not twice.
Following a last-minute touchdown, Princeton wide receiver Chisom Opara’s end-around option pass, his second pass attempt of the day, was knocked away to prevent the two-point conversion and seal Lehigh University’s 20-18 victory Saturday night in Princeton Stadium.
The Mountain Hawks improve to 3-0 on the year and 2-0 vs. the Ivy League while Princeton fell to 0-2 this season, Roger Hughes’ first as Princeton head coach.
"The halfback pass was wide open earlier in the game," Hughes said. "That’s what we practiced for that situation. We called the time out, we talked it over, we practiced this play. With as much success as we had on the speed sweep, we felt if they came up at all, we’d just dump over their head.
"Am I going to question myself? I’m going to question myself about 30 calls tonight when you lose a two-point game. But by the same standpoint, that’s what we practiced, the kids were confident, they wanted to do it, we wanted to do it. So that’s why we did. That’s why we practiced it."
Hughes has seen his Tiger team go down fighting twice in two weeks to Patriot League opponents. Last week, Lafayette drove 80 yards for the winning score with two seconds to play. This time, following a four-yard touchdown plunge by Kyle Brandt with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter that left it 20-18, Princeton called time out to set up a play to tie Lehigh, the 19th ranked team in Division I-AA.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Opara, who had been in motion, took the hand-off from PU quarterback Tommy Crenshaw and rolled down toward the right sideline. Opara looked into the end zone for a receiver and slowed for a second to look for a running alley. None opened, however, as he cut upfield toward the end zone. Just before he was tackled, he pitched the ball forward, but it was batted away by Lehigh cornerback Jason Pinkney. Any chance for an upset vanished when Lehigh recovered the ensuring onside kick.
"I don’t believe in moral victories although I’m very proud of how our kids played," Hughes said. "They played every snap of every quarter, and once again, we had a chance early in the game when Lehigh put some points on the board early, our kids could have folded their tents and they didn’t. I told them afterwards in the locker room that they should have nothing to hang their heads about. Quite frankly we became warriors today."
Princeton trailed, 10-0, when Opara’s first pass of the day on an end-around went 34 yards to Nate Lindell to set up the first of four Taylor Northrop field goals on the day. Northrop converted a 46-yarder to get the Tigers on the scoreboard with 5:37 to play in the first quarter.
After Lafayette scored on their third straight possession of the game with 1:06 to play in the first quarter, the Tigers roared back with a 48-second drive highlighted by a 19-yard pass from Crenshaw to running back Kyle Brandt. A late-hit penalty tacked on 15 extra yards. Crenshaw finished the day 14-for-28 for 111 yards. The Tigers got a 50-yard field goal from Northrop to finish the drive and bring themselves within seven, 13-6, just before the first quarter ended.
After Bob Farrell blocked a Lehigh field goal attempt early in the second quarter, Princeton marched down the field and Northrop knocked through his third field goal of the day, this one from 27 yards with 6:19 to play before the half ended. He added his final one, a 24-yarder, with 19 seconds left in the third quarter that narrowed Lehigh’s lead to 20-12.
"It feels very good," said Northrop of his best personal day in Orange and Black. "It feels good just to get out there and do what you train for every day of the year. This is really what I’ve poured my heart into. I love playing the game. I’m putting everything I have into it. Any time I can get on the field, I’m more than happy to do it."
The Tigers might have not have needed Northrop’s kicking leg had it not been for some first-half turnovers. Princeton could have felt fortunate to go into the locker room trailing by just four, considering Lehigh’s average starting field position was the Princeton 41, except that Crenshaw had a pass intercepted with barely a minute that turned the deficit to 11 points.
The Mountain Hawks converted the turnover into a touchdown with 24 seconds to play in the half to open a 20-9 halftime lead. Lehigh’s first score of the game came early in the first quarter when they converted a Crenshaw fumble. The PU junior quarterback’s second interception of the day, late in the fourth quarter, did not end up hurting Princeton because Tiger captain Michael Higgins recovered a fumble to set up Princeton’s final drive, capped by Brandt’s first score of the season.
The Tigers will travel to New York next Saturday to open their Ivy League season against Columbia. But the Lions won’t be getting an average 0-2 team from Old Nassau, not after playing so well against the highly regarded Lehigh team.
"If there was ever a loss we could take something good from, it’d have to be this," said Brandt, who rushed for 90 yards on 26 carries. "We’re really ready for the Ivy schedule. I think we’re about as confident an 0-2 team as you can possibly be. It sounds a little ridiculous, but I think we are."