Penn Smothers Princeton, 44-13
Victory sets up head on collision between 5-0 Penn and 5-0 Harvard at Franklin Field with the Ivy League title at stake next
week.
(Nov 9, 2002 -Princeton, N.J. - University of
Pennsylvania Press Release) - One play was all it took for the Red and Blue to serve notice to Princeton that the Tigers were going to be in for a long game. Travis Belden's sack of quarterback Matt Verbit in the Princeton end
zone 5:43 into the contest officially kicked off a Penn party that ended with the #21 Quakers' declawing the Tigers, 44-13, at Princeton Stadium. The victory left the Red and Blue (7-1 overall, 5-0) undefeated and tied with Harvard (6-2, 5-0) atop the Ivy League standings, and set the stage for a rematch of last season's undefeated game between the Quakers and Crimson with the Ancient Eight crown on the line once again.
"What better way to start off a game," senior linebacker Belden stated of his first career safety, and second Penn safety in as many seasons. "Right off the bat we made that big play."
"They've responded very well under the pressure," Head Coach Al Bagnoli said 
of his team, which is in a position to capture him a fifth Ivy League championship at Penn in one week. "That's the `X' factor.
"I hope whatever we're doing we keep it up a couple more weeks."
Belden's sack came on Princeton's third offensive play of the contest as the Tigers never recovered from Josh Appell's 33-yard punt that pinned Princeton on their own 6-yardline to start its first drive of the contest.
The Red and Blue defense came at Princeton with a vengeance all game long, and especially in the first half, as Penn allowed the Tigers only two first downs on seven possessions, while holding Princeton to just 29 yards of offense for the game's first 30 minutes.
Belden's safety set the tone for the entire Quakers' squad as Mike Mitchell marched Penn
down the field 57 yards on nine plays after the ensuing kickoff. The drive culminated in rookie running back Michael Recchiuti scoring his first collegiate touchdown on a 1-yard run as the Red and Blue took a 9-0 lead into the second quarter.
Penn added to that lead on another huge drive as Mitchell orchestrated a 71-yard, 11-play epic that finished on Stephen Faulk's 1-yard touchdown run, giving him his team-leading ninth score of the season. Peter
Veldman, who was a perfect 6-for-6 on the day on extra points, made it 16-0 Penn just six seconds into the second quarter.
While the Quakers' offense was putting up points on the scoreboard, the defense was keeping Princeton in negative yards. Vince Alexander stopped the Tigers' next possession after the Faulk touchdown, picking off his career-high fifth interception, just as Verbit threatened to lead Princeton across midfield for the first time in the contest. Meanwhile, Belden appeared to be all over the place, recording a team-high seven solo and 10 total tackles.
If Penn's relentless play was not enough, Princeton punter Elliot Bishop's could not hold onto a snap as the Tigers attempted to punt on fourth-and-10 on their own 17-yardline with 1:17 remaining in the opening half. Bishop was tackled for a 14-yard loss and Penn took over on the Tigers' 3-yardline. It
took the Quakers just two plays to capitalize on the mistake, as Recchiuti carried in his second 1-yard touchdown of the contest, and Penn headed into the half with a commanding, 23-0, lead.
The second half was more of the same, as Fred Plaza scored his second touchdown of the season on a 30-yard interception off Verbit halfway through the third quarter as the Red and Blue went up 30-0 on Veldman's extra point.
Appell continued to give Princeton poor field position, as the sophomore punter pinned the Tigers inside the 20 five times, and hit a career-long 58-yard punt in the fourth quarter.
Princeton did manage to reach the end zone twice in the fourth quarter as Brandon Benson carried in a 1-yard score with 10:55 to play. Four minutes later, Kevin DeSmedt regained Penn's 30-point lead with a four-yard reception for a touchdown, as the Red and Blue led 37-7 with 6:56 to go.
The Tigers added one more score, as Verbit hit Blair Morrison on a 14-yard touchdown pass 1:29 later. Verbit attempted a two-point conversion but was thwarted. Princeton's two late touchdowns quickly became academic after Chris Dougherty recovered his own forced fumble on Verbit on the Tigers' 3 with 3:13 to play. One play later, Todd Okolovitch added the Quakers' sixth touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run.
The Penn Pulse: The victory was Penn's fifth straight over Princeton and is the Quakers' longest streak over the Tigers since winning six consecutive games from 1972-1977. The 44 points scored were the Red and Blue's most against Princeton since posting 47 in 1943 ... Rob Milanese extended his receptions' streak to 37 games. He hauled in a game-high 10 passes for a team-best 84 yards. All-time in his career, Milanese has caught 235 passes for 3,099 yards .... Mike Mitchell's 45 pass attempts were a career-high. He finished the contest 29-of-45 for 248 yards and one touchdown ... Bryan Arguello's second-quarter sack of Verbit was the first of his career ... Al Bagnoli improved to 8-3 lifetime against Penn's archrival, while the victory was also the 160th of his coaching career (74th at Penn) ... Chris Dougherty recorded a career-high four tackles in the game.
All images on this web page are copyrighted 2002 by Robert Swanson