Lehigh's 35-22 win over Princeton got a slew of coverage this weekend, including a (brief) mention by Sports Illustrated, in their "Streaks" section from the Associated Press: "Lehigh snapped a seven-game losing streak against Ivy League with a 35-22 win over Princeton."
Locally, however, there were more writeups of Lehigh's hero performance than you can shake a stick at, including another gallery of photos from the Morning Call and even a current student with a few shots of the game as well. Read on below the flip. (more)
Before I get to the rest of the media recaps, though, I asked senior DB/CB Jarard "Main Main" Cribbs about his two interceptions vs. Princeton, and here's what he had to say:
The first interception Princeton was sprinting towards the sideline and the WR sat down in the hole and the QB tried to lead him, but overthrew him and hit me right in the hands and facemask. I must say it came quicker than I expected.
The second interception the quarterback tried to squeeze it behind the LB's and in between the safety and I. He overthrew his man again and it found its way to my hands again. Last week vs. Nova we gave up big plays out back in the secondary because we were worrying about doing somebody else's job instead of doing what we were taught and playing with the correct technique. DB Coach Gerard Wilcher said let the game come to you and play the right technique and good things will happen. That's exactly what happened.
Here are the official recaps from around the local area.
Official Release: Lehigh Outlasts Princeton, 35-22, To Earn First Home Win
"Obviously, it was really important to get a win today," explained Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "I was happy our kids hung in there. We were not all that efficient offensively in the first half, but I thought we settled down and moved the ball fairly well in the second half, maybe with the exception of one drive. The defense came up big to turn the ball over and the offense was able to finish the drives in the fourth quarter, which was huge. We’re always glad to see those things happen."Morning Call: Lehigh Tames Tigers In Big Finish
Morning Call Photo Gallery
Senior CB/PR Jarard Cribbs said he looked at the scoreboard and thought "Not again."
"Our motto for the season is to finish," Cribbs said. "We're in so many close games and our 4-7 team last year definitely would have gave this game up. We would have handed it over to them and they would have walked out of here with a win. But everybody stepped up and said 'we really need this one.' Everybody had to believe in each other, do the right technique, and [good] things would be done."
Express-Times: Lehigh Tops Princeton, 35-22
"No-huddle can surprise you at times," Cribbs said. "You're looking for the call and they're lined up ready for the play. It's difficult at first but you get used to it."
"Defensively with the exception of the one big TD, which I'm not happy about, we were really bend not break," Coen said. "We forced five field goals down there but gave up a lot of yards."
Brown & White: Hawks Soar By Tigers
My First Lehigh Football Game Experience
"They had that one big play where they threw that long touchdown, and everyone got together as a defense and rallied to get it out of their head," senior LB Al Pierce said. "I think we did a good job especially with our adjustments and getting the calls in real quick before the play happened [with the no-huddle]."Morning Call: Colvin Shows He's More Than Just A Runner
"I'm really proud of the offense for stepping up and putting up 35 points," junior QB Chris Lum said. "Our team has struggled in making the big play in close games and stepping up and getting the win."
"At halftime, coach [Dave Cecchini and sophomore QB Michael Colvin] talked about a lot of things to improve, and seeing the field better," Coen said. "I think we probably called plays in the second half that better suited him.
"But the bottom line is that he executed those plays and made some big throws. He did a real nice job of stepping up and leading the offense both with his legs and his arm."
Colvin had a special connection with Wojdowski, a senior tight end. They teamed up three times for 58 yards and one touchdown in regulation play and hooked up again on a two-point conversion.
Both the TD and two-pointer came on a play that began with Colvin rolling right and throwing back left.
"Alex has been one of our most reliable receivers the last couple of years and we had a play we really liked down in the red zone," Colvin said. "When we called the play, I was excited about it. It felt great to get that first touchdown pass. As a quarterback, that's what you want to do."
Colvin, who speaks with the poise of a savvy senior rather than a sophomore, said he was excited to get an opportunity to play more, but acknowledged he knows he's still the backup.
"It's unfortunate Lum went down, and I am sure he'll be back. … he's still our starter," Colvin said. "It took me a little while to see what they were doing. It was different being out there than watching from the sideline. I got a better idea as things went on."
"If Colvin has to be the guy this week, we'll run the full package with him and he'll be more prepared for it because he'll get more reps in practice."
Express-Times: Groome Fitting In At Linebacker
"The first game with him going down and me stepping up, it was a big game for me personally," junior LB Mike Groome said. "Now it’s on my shoulders because I have to make plays and lead the defense."Trenton Times: Loss of Cody Will Hurt Princeton
The Daily Princetonian: Another trip to Lehigh, Another Co-Captain Gets Felled By Serious Injury
One of the squad’s unquestionable stars, leaders and co-captains was felled by injury, potentially out for the season.
Last year, it was senior RB Jordan Culbreath, the All-Ivy League star rusher. On Saturday, it was senior LB Steven Cody, a pre-season All-American who finished last year ranked fifth in the Ivy League in tackles per game. Cody went down with an apparent leg injury while making a tackle late in the fourth quarter, and he did not get up until he could be hoisted into a stretcher and then carted off the field. It was a scary moment for the Tigers, who now seem likely to have lost a leader at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium for the second straight year.
"Unfortunately, it does look like he is going to need surgery," head coach Bob Surace said. "We have other injuries that we'll know more about on Monday. But with Steven's injury, we know he's pretty much gone for the year."
“It was obviously a physical football game, and there’s a lot of momentum swings in that game,” Surace said after the loss. “It comes down to a few plays, and we were a few plays short. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and correct some things, but I couldn’t be prouder of how hard we played.”
“Last year, we had to overcome [Culbreath’s injury],” he said. “It sounds like it’s going to be the same thing this year. We have to come together. You know ... I don’t think anyone in the stands can blame these guys effort-wise.”
"Obviously, we don't want to throw the ball 51 times. That's not our game plan but we did and he more than showed he was capable of running the offense."
Surace also admits, that the game plan against Lehigh was to be aggressive and that will be a part of their approach all season if the situation is right.
"(Lehigh) broke some tackles, or broke runs that we were just a step off away from getting the tackle. We need to work on our positioning and our attack and again, those things are fixable."
TigerBlog: Half Full
Princeton Packet: Tigers Fall In Football Opener
”There were a lot of momentum swings in the game,” Surace said. “I thought Lehigh was a tremendous team. I have been telling these guys that all week. It comes down to a few plays and we were a few plays short. I couldn’t have been more proud of how hard we played. Next time we need to fix the result thing.
”The way our offense works, the no-huddle offense is a constant game of cat and mouse. You either throw or pass based on what the defense is going to run. Other than the turnovers and the penalties, I thought we had pretty good balance offensively.”
”I love playing in it,” WR Trey Peacock said of the offense. “I wasn’t exactly sure going into the preseason. We threw a lot today and being a receiver I really enjoyed that. The up-tempo is great and it keeps you from thinking too much on the field. We are going to continue to play hard and play fast and hopefully we’ll cut down on the mistakes we’re going to make.”
”Our practices were extremely hard and we kept up the tempo,” Peacock said. “That’s a big part of our offense. It took us a little while to get in sync. The first two series didn’t go as planned. But as we kept going we got better. We just had a couple of mistakes on our side. The effort was there and I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
The injuries to C Mike Muha, LB Steven Cody and WR Jed Heavenrich were a pretty significant storyline to Princeton's 35-22 loss to Lehigh on the first day of Ivy League football for 2010.
Peacock was unstoppable, with eight catches for 196 yards and an 80-yard touchdown reception on which he split two defenders who had no chance of covering him or catching him on the play. The 196-yard day was the eighth-best in school history and the best since 1991, when Michael Lerch went crazy against Brown. Peacock, at 6-3 and 210 pounds, is a big target, and he was easily the best player on the field Saturday.
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