Press Roundup: Lehigh 14, Princeton 17

(Photo Credit: Brian Castell, The Brown & White)

It's difficult for everyone to write a wrap-up during a tough loss. The reports coming from all corners in Lehigh's 17-14 defeat at the hands of Princeton show interesting glimpses at what's happening within the team.

Official release: Lehighsports.com

"I think we out-played Princeton for the most part but in the end they made two big plays and that proved to be the difference," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "We had a chance to win there at the end. We had the ball with two minutes to go, driving down the field and just couldn't get it done. We've been in this position before and have come up short too many times."

Morning Call: Lehigh Offense Can't Get it Done Against Princeton

''We're still a football team that's trying very hard to find ways to win games like this,'' Coen said. ''If we're going to be a good football team, we've got to win a game like this. We've got to find a way to go down the field in the last two minutes and win it or at least take it to overtime and win there. I've been saying it for four years, so it's on me.''

Express-Times: Breaking Down J.B. Clark's Struggles

"Sometimes QBs think too hard and don’t just play," Coen said when asked about junior QB J.B. Clark's struggles. "That’s one thing you can say about sophomore QB Chris Lum -- he was just playing. We need to have a guy there who isn’t worried about doing anything but play and moving the team.

"I love J.B. He’s a great leader, competitor. You make decisions like that, they’re not easy to make, to tell that kid he’s sitting down."

Morning Call: Coen Finds Himself in QB Quandary

''I'm going to be fair to both guys and watch the film,'' Coen said. ''I'll probably base my decision on what I see on the film. J.B. wasn't awful. It was just that nothing was really happening offensively. Sometimes when you go to a relief pitcher you get a spark. Yet as good as some of the things [Lum] did, he made a lot of mistakes.''

''It's going to be a thoughtful decision,'' Coen said. ''I really don't want to get into a situation, if I can help it, where we're going to go back and forth with different guys. If we were to go with Chris, we'd give him the opportunity to be the guy. I haven't made that decision yet.''

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''The first game of the season against [Central Connecticut State] was very disappointing and we talked about that,'' Coen said. ''I thought he really improved in the Villanova game and I expected him to come out and play really well [Saturday].

''I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that quarterbacks sometimes think too hard and they just don't go out and play. One thing about Lum is that he was just playing out there, but as he said himself, he felt no pressure and didn't have any expectations and those types of things. We need to have somebody out there who is not worried about doing anything but playing and moving the team.''

Groller's Corner: Lehigh Seeing Another Season Slipping Away

The story to come out of this game was the quarterback change. I actually thought it could have and maybe should have come sooner.

Lum For whatever reason, J.B. Clark has not been the same quarterback that led Lehigh to that big win at Lafayette last November or played well in several other late-season games.

Chris Lum energized the offense when he came into the game. He wasn't perfect with his throws, but he provided mobility and a deeper, crisper passing threat. Everybody seemed to play better when he came into the game, especially wide receiver Jake Drwal who made several terrific catches.

I don't know what's going to happen at QB from here. Coen loves Clark's leadership skills, loves his confidence. But Lum's a year younger (a sophomore, while Clark is a junior) and may have more upside. Coen said he wasn't going to get into a quarterback-by-committee situation. He will evaluate everything, make a decision and stay with it.

I don't see practice, but from what I've seen from Lum in the Brown and White game last April, his drive late against Villanova and again today, I think he can get the job done.

Right now, Lehigh has to find a way, somehow, to get the job done, and win a game. Harvard's next and it won't be any easier this coming Saturday.

Brown & White: Football Team's Rally Too Little Too Late

"I think going into the half with some points on the board definitely changed the momentum of the game," said junior RB Jay Campbell. "Going into the second half, we were looking at the game as if it was 0-0. If we executed better, we could have easily come away with the win."

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"When Chris came in, we wanted to rally behind him and keep his confidence up so we could try to win the game," sophomore WR Jake Drwal said.

"When Chris was put in, he gave us a spark," senior LB Matt Cohen said. "We wanted to get behind the young quarterback. He played aggressively when we needed him to in the fourth quarter."

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Lehigh fought hard until the end, but came up short in an upsetting loss.

"As much as it hurts to have a performance like I did, I'm not going to sit back and give up. I'm going to keep working as hard as I can until I get it right," junior QB J.B. Clark said.

"The defense played a solid game, so we are looking forward to building on that and putting a full game together next week against Harvard," Campbell said.

Princeton Packet: Tigers Hold Off Lehigh for First Win

"The tight end broke out and I saw the quarterback looking at him, and I broke on it and he threw it a little inside,” said junior LB Stephen Cody, who led Princeton with 11 tackles. “I got my hands on it and caught it and thought I’d take off. I took off down the sideline and the quarterback gave a good pursuit, but luckily he slipped off the tackle and I was able to get in the end zone.

“It got us going pretty good,” he added. “Even Coach got a smile on his face. I’m not sure of the exact date, but I think it’s been a while since we got a defensive touchdown. It got us a little swagger going on the sideline. That got us some confidence.”

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“I expected the inside backer to come outside, but he stayed,” sophomore QB Tommy Wornham said. “I ran out there and we had a receiver out that had just been moved from quarterback this week make a sweet block and there was no one there. It was pretty surprising, but it was awesome.”

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“Both teams set offensive football back maybe 20 years,” Princeton head football coach Roger Hughes said. “Neither team executed the way that they could have.”