FORD TOUGH: Princeton University linebacker AJ Pigford tumbles into the end zone after making an interception last Friday night against visiting Columbia. Pigford’s pick, which came at the Lion two-yard line, helped the Tigers overcome a 10-0 deficit on the way to a 17-10 win in the Ivy League opener for both teams. Princeton, now 2-1 overall and 1-0 Ivy, hosts No. 22 Mercer (4-1) on October 11. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Justin Feil
AJ Pigford has been begging to play some tight end for the Princeton University football team.
The sophomore defensive edge fortified his case with an athletic tip and interception at the goal line to change the momentum in the Princeton’s 17-10 comeback win over defending Ivy League tri-champion Columbia last Friday night at Princeton Stadium.
“The whole sideline felt different, the crowd felt different,” said Pigford. “I knew that we hit a different motor then.”
The game was a flip of the script from their first home game when the Tigers roared out to a 28-7 second quarter lead only to see the University of San Diego score the game’s final 28 points for a win. This time, Princeton was in a 10-0 hole after the first quarter before scoring the game’s final 17 points to win the Ivy opener for both teams.
“It’s a new year,” said Princeton head coach Bob Surace after improving to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Ivy play. “I mean we have new guys, they have new guys. Winning this game (is important) because you’ve got to stack wins in the league if you want to get to the actual finish result. I thought they are so well coached, so talented. I feel like each week we’ve played a better team.”
Princeton’s defense was struggling, coming in ranked last in the Ivies in scoring defense, giving up 35.0 points per game through two games. Columbia ranked last in scoring offense, averaging just 16.5 points per game through their first two games, and the Princeton defense held them well under their average. After surrendering 147 yards to Columbia on their first two drives, Princeton allowed just 167 yards of offense the rest of the game.
“We’re getting into our groove,” said Pigford. “We’re starting to find out our identity and all those things. We got a little bit more to work on, but I mean, who doesn’t have more to work on? So we’re just gonna keep on getting after it.”
Princeton trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and failed to convert a fourth-and-goal from the Columbia two-yard line late in the second quarter. With the Lions coming trapped in the shadow of their own end zone, Pigford leapt up from his left edge position and deflected a pass intended for a running back in the flat up in the air with one hand then dived forward to haul in Princeton’s second interception of the game.
“We always work on reading the plays, making sure we’re watching film and I’ve seen that play over and over on film,” said Pigford. “As soon as I saw the running back come out, I knew what I need to do. I knew I needed to track the ball.”
Senior linebacker Marco Scarano made a key fourth-down interception to keep the Tigers close earlier in the second quarter. Pigford’s interception was the first of his career. He was a big contributor as a freshman last year, including winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and over the season he amassed 22 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The tip and pick might be his biggest play yet.
“I don’t even know how he got to it,” said Surace of Pigford, a 6’3, 250-pound native of Snellville, Ga., who also lettered in basketball in high school. “What an athlete. To knock that down and actually catch it just shows the brilliance. He’s been begging to play some tight end, and I always tell him he doesn’t have hands. And he’s now on me.”
Pigford had to lunge forward and just barely corralled the ball before it hit the ground. He landed inside the Lions’ 1-yard line, inches from scoring a defensive touchdown.
“I was a little disappointed, but after I tipped the ball, I was like I just got to get the ball,” said Pigford. “We talk about being obsessed with the ball. I got to be obsessed with the ball. I got to get the ball. I got to at least get our turnover.”
Princeton’s short-yardage quarterback Asher Weiner ran around the left side for a 1-yard touchdown run two plays later to cut Princeton’s deficit to 10-7 going into halftime.
“We settled down really well after Marco had his pick, which was a heck of a play stealing from that guy,” said Surace. “And then when AJ’s happened, and then they didn’t try for a two-minute drive at the end, I felt when we went into halftime there was a really good feeling.”
The third quarter was scoreless, but Princeton moved into position to go ahead. Josh Robinson made a nice adjustment to catch Blaine Hipa’s long out for a 30-yard completion to the Columbia 18 to end the quarter. Robinson, a diminutive 5’7, 165-pound freshman who also returns punts, eclipsed his season total in one night with four catches for 73 yards to lead all receivers.
“Josh Robinson is a dawg,” said Hipa of Robinson who was later named the Ivy Rookie of the Week. “That kid is unbelievable. True freshman out of Florida. I mean, you put the ball in there, he’s going to go get it. And that’s what he did.”
Senior co-captain Hipa, who continues to rotate at quarterback with fellow senior and captain Kai Colon, was 5-for-6 for 78 yards in the third quarter after going 1-for-2 for 2 yards in the first half. Ethan Clark plunged up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown run to complete an eight-play, 71-yard drive and Esteban Nunez Perez’s extra point gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 14-10, a minute and a half into the fourth quarter.
“We work hard at this stuff all week and sometimes it doesn’t go your way, that’s football,” said Hipa.“But I think we stayed in it as a team. We trust our brothers and we finally put one together. It kind of clicked.”
After the Princeton defense held again, a third-down completion from Colon to Roman Laurio went for 49 yards to take Princeton back into the Columbia red zone. While the drive stalled, Nunez Perez converted a 38-yard field goal for a 17-10 Tigers lead with less than 10 minutes to play.
“It was really nice to see us settle down,” said Surace. “We got two senior quarterbacks playing and they really kept their composure. They both had plays they’d like to have back and they both held their composure. They’re such good leaders on the bench. That was really telling.”
Princeton’s defense made the plays to maintain the seven-point edge for the win. Defensive back Evan Haynie broke up a third-down pass at midfield midway through the fourth quarter to quell one drive. Columbia had one final possession with less than two minutes to go. The Lions reached the Princeton 42-yard line with three seconds left before Xander Menapace’s Hail Mary pass was knocked down by Scarano in the end zone.
“This league’s not easy to win in,” said Hipa. “Starting like this is a great way to get going, I think. And from here we’re just going to take this and try to push forward. I know we got one more out of the league, but take this win and move it into the league play.”
Turnovers played a key role in the first half, with each team making two. Princeton’s turnovers cost them scoring chances while the Tigers used Columbia’s second turnover to get on the scoreboard late in the half.
“They force you to drive the field,” said Surace. “It is hard to get big plays against that defense. They drop eight guys. The spaces are tight. We forced a few.”
Columbia struck first with a 29-yard field goal on their first drive of the game. A 25-yard completion coupled with a roughing the passer penalty moved the ball to the Princeton 18, and three plays later Columbia’s Lucas Bullock’s short touchdown run gave the Lions a 10-0 lead to end the first quarter. Princeton had not surrendered a point in the first quarter of their first two games.
“We struggled with communication,” said Surace. “We worked so hard this week on it and we had some missed assignments early. And it was frustrating because we’ve been playing mostly good with these errors.”
Princeton seemed to be gaining momentum with their first significant drive of the game to start the second quarter but it ended when Hipa fumbled the ball back to Columbia on a carry inside the Lions 35. Princeton’s defense forced a punt, but the Tigers gave the ball right back when Colon was intercepted inside Princeton territory.
Paul Kuhner cut inside a Columbia defender for a 51-yard completion from Colon that put the Tigers in the red zone. For the first time in nine opportunities this season, Princeton failed to score when in the red zone as Colon’s fourth-down pass from the 2-yard line was behind Jackson Green. But after Pigford’s play, the momentum changed and the Tigers pulled away for the win.
“You have to win those small plays, which we didn’t do in the first really 25 minutes, 20 minutes,” said Surace. “And even when we did, we had a fumble or we had an interception. We kind of stubbed our toe too much. I thought the second-half, I thought it was really brilliant. It was just six yards, four yards. Some of those third-down conversions were terrific. I was really happy with our patience.”
Before the game, Princeton honored the memory of Tiger Bech, the 2021 Princeton graduate and former football star who was killed in a terrorist attack in New Orleans on January 1. His family was on hand for the tribute, and both squads paused to applaud a video board tribute to Bech during a break in the game action.
“He’s looking down on us,” said Surace. “The energy we played with and the fight we showed. We were down 10-0. It’s emotional.”