NO JOSHING: Princeton University football player Josh Robinson looks to elude a pack of Columbia defenders in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, freshman receiver Robinson made a game-high six receptions for 60 yards in a losing cause as Princeton fell 38-14 to No. 19 Mercer University. Robinson was later named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second straight week. The Tigers, now 2-2 overall and 1-0 Ivy League, start their Ivy stretch drive by playing at Brown (3-1 overall,
0-1 Ivy) on October 18. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Digging an early 21-0 hole against visiting Mercer University last Saturday, the Princeton University football team fought back in the waning moments of the first half.

Tiger junior defensive back Evan Haynie picked off a pass and raced 55 yards down the sideline. Princeton proceeded to cash in that turnover, marching 43 yards in six plays, getting a two-yard touchdown pass from Kai Colon to Aidan Besselman to narrow the gap to 21-7 and give it a lift going into halftime.

Princeton freshman receiver Josh Robinson believed that sequence could help the Tigers turn the tide against the Bears.

“We had momentum for sure,” said Robinson. “We build off of defense and the defense off of offense. We work together building off of each other.”

Princeton head coach Bob Surace, for his part, was hoping that his squad would build on that momentum.

“You go into halftime and it is 21-7,” said Surace. “We did a good job executing and scoring down there. We get the ball in the second half and things look good.”

Things, however, went poorly from there for Princeton as No. 19 Mercer scored 17 unanswered points in the first 16 minutes of the second half on the way to a 38-14 win, dropping the Tigers to 2-2 overall.

Surace acknowledged that the Bears, who improved to 5-1, posed a formidable challenge for the Tigers.

“They are really good,” said Surace. “Look, you have to be more precise, disciplined and all of those things. We have got to coach it and execute it better. It is a learning moment, we played a ton of young guys. We went into the game knowing we were going to do that. Some of them played really well and some of them had their moments.”

Robinson had his moments against Mercer, making a game-high six receptions for 60 yards, including a spectacular over-the-shoulder 38-yard grab in the third quarter.

“I knew it was going to come to me for sure,” said Robinson, a 5’7, 160-pound native of Tampa, Fla. “It was just tracking the ball and getting my two feet in bounds. It was good ball by Blaine [Hipa].”

For Robinson, his performance was another step forward in the wake of making four catches for 73 yards in a 17-10 win over Columbia on October 3 to start Ivy League play.

“That was my first start as a freshman, it was a real confidence builder,” said Robinson, who has now been named the Ivy Rookie of the Week for the second time in a row. “It is just having a big heart and playing bigger than I am. I appreciate the guys and the other receivers as well.”

Looking to build on his strong start, Robinson is concentrating on fine-tuning his game.

“It is just getting better with my craft, my route running and blocking on the perimeter as well,” added Robinson. “That is what we teach in our receiver room as well. It is having grit. If the ball is not going towards you, find somebody to block. That is the biggest thing.”

Surace pointed to the play of Robinson and the team’s other starting wideout, Jackson Green, who made two receptions for 40 yards and one touchdown, as bright spots in the loss to Mercer.

“They have both been playing well,” said Surace. “I think our receiving group as a whole has played really well. Those two guys made some really big plays.”

On Saturday, Mercer made most of the big plays on the day as they outgained Princeton 503 yards to 257 and built a 28-18 edge in first downs, making 7-of-12 third down conversions. The Bears recorded five sacks and recovered two Tiger fumbles while Princeton had no sacks and didn’t cause any fumbles.

“The hard piece is that one of their strengths of their team is up front and we struggled in that area,” said Surace. “It is really hard when you are struggling to pass protect and we couldn’t generate any rush. Everybody struggles with them. It wasn’t like shock that they are good. When that happens we have to be a little more disciplined.”

With Princeton starting its Ivy stretch drive by playing at Brown (3-1 overall, 0-1 Ivy) on October 18, Surace knows his players need to be more disciplined as the Tigers look to move to 2-0 in league play.

“As I said to the guys, you have an overall record but the one that has always had a heightened priority is the Ivy League,” said Surace. “Brown is playing really well. They beat a team similar to Mercer in Rhode Island. They are causing a ton of turnovers. We haven’t handled the ball as well as we could have so we are going to have really do a better job with that.”

Robinson, for his part, is confident that Princeton will handle its business as it gets into the thick of Ivy action.

“It is just locking in, preparing as much as we can, getting our bodies right for Brown because they are a great opponent as well,” said Robinson. “It is going to be a great stretch. We have to be prepared mentally and physically.”