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Web Exclusives: From the Cheap Seats a PAW web exclusive column by Matt Golden '94 (email: golden2@erols.com) October 25, 2000 Bad, but getting better Driving out to Easton, Pennsylvania, to cover the Princeton versus Lafayette football game earlier this autumn, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the Tigers. It was their first game under head coach Roger Hughes, who, as Dartmouth's offensive coordinator, directed the Big Green's perennially high scoring units of the early-mid 1990s. Would Princeton open up its offense and punish the Leopards with a relentless aerial onslaught? Would the Tigers use deception and creativity to render Lafayette's defenders tentative and confused? Or would I see the same stale brand of football that we have become accustomed to in recent years? To my dismay, the Tigers squandered several early scoring opportunities and were unable to generate any down-field passing game for the first three quarters of the season opener. Lafayette, battling its own futility for much of the day, forged ahead during the second half, and I firmly expected the Tigers go quietly toward their first loss of the Roger Hughes Era. However, I was dead wrong. The Tigers dominated the fourth quarter - tying the game with 45 seconds to play - before losing in the game's waning moments. The 2000 Tiger football squad is not very good. They will be outclassed by many of their opponents and will struggle for every win. But there is reason for hope. The Tigers showed great improvement from week one to week two, coming within a failed two-point conversion of tying nationally ranked Lehigh as the clock wound down. And with their prospects looking bleak, trailing Columbia by 10 points and having lost their starting quarterback to injury, the Tigers staged another late rally to force overtime and gain their first win of the season. Hughes has implemented a few new wrinkles that may catch the eyes of the fans. His offense is spreading the ball around and finding ways to create mismatches. The defense is again stuffing the run, but now is attacking the quarterback with more frequent blitzing. The Tigers have some explosive young athletes on both sides of the ball, and they are getting valuable experience early in their careers. But most importantly, this Princeton team is playing with pride and confidence. And true to their new coach's mantra, they are playing that way without regard for the scoreboard or their record. If Hughes and his Tigers can maintain their upward curve and, most importantly, their confidence throughout some of the thumpings that undoubtedly await, the football program can expect bright things in the not-too-distant future. By Matt Golden '94
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