BREAKING THROUGH: Princeton University running back Ethan Clark (No. 21) bursts through the line in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, sophomore Clark rushed for a career-high 117 yards in a losing cause as Princeton fell 34-7 at No. 7 Mercer. Clark came into the game having rushed for a total of 37 yards in his college career. The Tigers, now 1-3 overall and 0-1 Ivy League, host Brown (2-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy) this Friday night as they head into the league stretch drive. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton University football team trailing No. 7 Mercer 17-0 heading into the second quarter last Saturday, it would appear that the Tiger defense was getting shredded.

But with the undefeated Bears scoring one touchdown on a punt return and another on a fumble recovery in the end zone, the Princeton defense was actually holding the fort.

“We gave up three defensive points in the first half,” said Princeton head coach Bob Surace. “We were better tackling. I thought we played really well defensively.”

Late in the second quarter, an interception by Torian Roberts gave Princeton the ball at the Mercer 33-yard line. The Tigers cashed in the turnover as Ethan Clark scored on a one-yard touchdown run to help Princeton draw to within 17-7 at halftime.

Surace believed that the Tigers were in decent shape at that point despite the rocky start.

“They are a very aggressive defense, they are No. 1 in almost every category,” said Surace. “I thought we had a really good plan, we blocked well.”

But that best-laid plan went awry as Mercer, now 6-0, pulled away to a 34-7 win before a crowd of 8,881 at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga. as the Tigers fell to 1-3.

While Princeton did get into Mercer territory in the second half, the offense misfired as quarterback Blaine Hipa threw three interceptions and took some key sacks over the last two quarters.

“We had 14 drives on offense which is a lot,” said Surace, whose team lost two fumbles and had four interceptions on the day as it was outgained 376 yards to 196 by the Bears. “We had nine of them where we were in points territory where we should have a field goal or be in the red zone. We missed opportunities. We had two sacks on one, we had interception on one, we had an interception on another, we had a sack on another and we had a drop on two of them. You can’t have nine scoring opportunities against that defense and only come away with seven points. Against that defense, you have to come up with at least 24 points.”

The play of sophomore running back Clark was a bright spot for the Tigers in the second half as he rushed for a career-high 117 yards on 21 carries.

“Ethan ran great, he is a such a tough runner,” said Surace of the 6’1, 215-pound native of Clarkston, Mich., who had rushed for a total of 37 yards in his career coming into Saturday.

“He just ran really hard, he has good vision. I think starting running backs are averaging about 18 yards a game against them and he had 117 so we did well with that.”

Putting the Mercer loss in the rear-view mirror, Surace is focused on the Ivy stretch drive which starts when Princeton hosts Brown this Friday night.

“I break the year up into four quadrants; the first one is when the season ends. and that is the offseason that goes until May,” said Surace.“The next season is the preseason which starts in June. Even though we are not coaching them in June, that is when they are working out with each other and prepping. It goes until about 10 days before the opener and then you have the first four, Columbia and the three non-conference games. You are looking to grow, of course you want to win. Then you have got your championship season, the last six weeks. The team that wins the title has to win at least five. If you lose the opener, you may have to win all six that way. You hope you have grown.”

Despite the 1-3 record, Surace is seeing some positive growth.

“There are areas where we are growing in a good way,” said Surace. “We are running the ball. That is a very good offense and they went 2-for-12 on third downs. We really grew in that area and got off the field constantly. I thought our pass rush was much better. We got them out of rhythm.”

But looking ahead to the Ivy gauntlet, Surace acknowledged that Princeton has to find a rhythm.

“We are going to play all good teams down the stretch,” said Surace. “This team was maybe at a little different level. It wasn’t like they were head and shoulders better than Columbia (who defeated Princeton 34-17 on October 5) but they were at a different level. We have got to finish drives with more consistency with all 11 guys. It is a little thing here, a little thing there. Against that caliber of an opponent you can’t do that because the margin is so narrow.”

The Tigers will be facing a tough opponent this Friday in a Brown (2-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy) squad that is coached by former Princeton offensive coordinator James Perry.

“James has done such a great job, it shows how much it takes time,” said Surace. “He has had good quarterback play since he got there. Jake Wilcox is tremendous. They have good wide receiver play too. Where they have improved is that they are really good up front. Our former O-line coach Eddy Morrissey is back there and he is doing a great job up front with them. Their front seven is physical, they are playing really well on defense. It is going to be a different style. They are more wide open on offense but they do run the ball, they are running the ball well. They are really physical on defense.”

Surace is hoping that having some reinforcements back on the field will help the Tigers get on the winning track.

“We lost our depth with injuries but most of those guys are coming back,” said Surace. “I think there will be eight of them back this week and depending on some health things, maybe 10 or 12. That will settle down some of the errors.”