Ivy League Football

Bob Surace needs to squeeze just a little more offense out of his team. With an 0-2 record, the Princeton Tigers have dropped two decisions on the season by a combined total of just four points. In the losses, the Tigers' defense has yielded an average of nearly 233 yards per game, with opposing quarterbacks averaging a 64 percent pass completion record.

By comparison, Princeton quarterback Connor Michelsen has struggled so far this season, with a 48 percent pass completion record (25-of-52). To his credit, Michelsen has not thrown an interception so far this year—but he hasn't thrown a touchdown, either. While the Tigers have spread the ball around to nine different receivers so far this season, none has more than six total catches.

The bright spots during the 2012 campaign have been in the running game, specifically Akil Sharp and DiAndre Atwater. The two backs have shown flashes of power and explosiveness, respectively. Sharp had the lone two Tiger touchdowns in Week 1, whereas Atwater broke away for a 53-yard touchdown romp against Georgetown.

This week the Tigers travel to New York City to take on the Columbia Lions, which marks the first Ivy League game this season for both clubs. The Lions (1-1) won their home opener 10-9 over Marist, but dropped a decision last week to Fordham, 20-13.

"We need to develop a level of consistency," said Columbia head coach Pete Mangurian after the loss to Fordham [as quoted by the Columbia University Athletic Department press release on GoColumbiaLions.com]. "Until we do that, we will not be able to be the team we want to be."

This week's game marks the third consecutive home game for the Lions to start the season, whereas the Tigers' 2012 season has started with three road games in their first four.

Game Time: 12:30pm EDT, at Robert K. Kraft Field (Lawrence A Wien Stadium), September 29.

Despite seeing its starting quarterback going down to an injury in the first quarter, the Georgetown Hoyas found a way to win on the road against the Princeton Tigers while scoring just one offensive touchdown.

Matt MacZura hit three field goals, including the game winner with just 14 seconds remaining, to lift the Hoyas to a 21-20 victory at Princeton Stadium before a crowd of 6,792. The Hoyas improved to 3-1 on the season, while Princeton dropped to 0-2.

Georgetown outgained the Tigers through the air and on the ground and even had more time of possession.

But the difference in the game was clearly special teams.

Princeton built a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter on the strength of two touchdowns by Mark Hayes and Will Powers, but a costly fumble by the Tigers was recovered in the end zone by Georgetown to narrow the score to 14-12 just before halftime.

Starting Georgetown quarterback Aaron Aiken, who had been 8-of-9 before injuring his ankle in the first quarter, was relieved by backup Stephen Skon, who finished 14-of-24 for 121 yards. Georgetown took the lead when Nick Campanella (nine carries for 63 yards) scored on a seven-yard run to give the Hoyas an 18-14 lead as the third quarter ended.

But DiAndre Atwater—son of former NFL defensive back Steve Atwater—ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to again put the Tigers ahead. After the extra point was blocked, the Hoyas found themselves down, 20-18.

But Georgetown mounted a 15-play, 72-yard drive that used five minutes and 20 seconds of the clock to set up MacZura's 33-yard field goal to lift the Hoyas to a hard-fought victory over their Ivy League opponents.

Princeton's special teams play was unquestionably its undoing, as not only did kicker Nolan Bieck have one of his field goals blocked (which, incredibly, the Tigers converted into their first touchdown), but he also missed three others. Perhaps most importantly, Bieck had his final extra point attempt blocked following the third Tiger touchdown, leaving the door open for Georgetown's one-point victory.

The Tigers will try to rebound and get their first victory next week on the road against Ivy League rival Columbia.

The Princeton Tigers made a valiant effort last week against Lehigh but came up a little short, dropping a 17-14 decision to the Mountain Hawks. Looking to change their fortunes, head coach Bob Surace's team returns to New Jersey for their home opener in a Friday night battle with visiting Georgetown. The Hoyas (2-1) are coming off a tough loss themselves, having been beaten at home by Yale, 24-21.

Georgetown is averaging 23 points a game this season, with running back Nick Campanella (216 yards) and quarterback Aaron Aiken (198 yards) powering the running attack.

Aiken (37 of 84, two touchdowns) is struggling somewhat, having thrown three interceptions so far this season. To his credit, Aiken has spread the ball around in the first three games, with no less than 12 different players chalking up receptions this year. Leading receiver Kevin Macari has seven receptions this season and is also the team's punt returner.

The Tigers started their season later than other schools, and it showed last week against Lehigh. In a statement after last week's contest, Bob Surace admitted [as quoted by Stephen Wood of The Daily Princetonian on DailyPrincetonian.com]: “Early in the game, we looked like a team that hadn’t played, and they looked like a team that’s a playoff team...It took us some time.”

Princeton quarterback Connor Michelsen struggled early in last week's contest, but played well down the stretch as the Tigers attempted to mount a comeback. Undoubtedly the bright spot of the game was the performance of running back Akil Sharp, who scored two touchdowns in the losing effort.

“It’s just nice to see him getting stronger as the game went on,” Surace said of Sharp, who was an integral part of the Tigers' second-half surge.

“I think we’re just coming together as a team,” Sharp said, “We came back in the second half and seemed to really believe." With the absence of star running back Chuck Dibilio this season, Sharp may well be only viable option for the Tigers' ground attack against the Hoyas.

Game Time: 7:00pm (ET), Friday, September 21.

Princeton Stadium, Princeton, NJ.

Television: ESPNU.

What looked to be a blowout by the end of the first half turned out to be an exciting contest, as the Lehigh Mountain Hawks found themselves holding on against a determined Princeton Tigers squad that came up just short in the 2012 opener for the orange and black.

Lehigh senior Zach Barket opened the scoring with a five-yard TD run in the first quarter, staking the Mountain Hawks to an early 7-0 lead. After a Jake Peery 23-yard second-quarter field goal, the Hawks scored again with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

The score opened up a 17-0 lead against a Princeton team that could not get on track offensively.

But, in the second half, the 7,346 in attendance at Goodman Stadium saw the Tigers mount a fourth quarter comeback when Akil Sharp (22 carries for 79 yards and 2 TDs) scored on a 13-yard run. When the extra point was blocked, Lehigh led 17-6.

Princeton quarterback Connor Michelsen (14-of-30 for 103 yards) drove the team a second time in the fourth quarter, hitting Roman Wilson with a pass that got the Tigers to the Lehigh 1-yard line. From there, Princeton capped the drive with Akil Sharp's second touchdown on the ground.

The Tigers elected to go for the two-point conversion, and Michelsen hit Roman Wilson to cut the deficit to 17-14 with just under five minutes remaining.

The Tigers took possession of the ball again, but when Michelsen overthrew receiver Shane Wilkinson on third down, Princeton elected to punt and rely on their defense to get the ball back.

With Lehigh facing a third down and needing 11 yards for a first down, hopes of a Princeton comeback were dashed: QB Mike Colvin hit Dylan Colgate to move the sticks and seal the win for Lehigh.

Princeton faces Georgetown next at 7:00pm EDT on Friday, September 21 at Princeton Stadium.

After a 2011 season that saw the Tigers go 1-9, tragedy struck the program when freshman sensation Chuck Dibilio suffered a stroke earlier this year.

The young running back, whose condition and story was well-publicized both locally and nationally, had run for over 1,000 yards in 2011, averaging over 100 yards a game. Now, what appeared to be the prime piece for the Tigers to build around is questionable to ever return to the gridiron.

Dibilio is staying close to football by working as a volunteer assistant coach with a high school program in Pennsylvania. While doing rehabilitation through the spring and summer, Dibilio is targeting a return to the field in 2013. An optimistic Dibilio states that he is "99 percent" sure that he'll make it back next season (as reported by Tom Hinkel of The Express-Times on lehighvalleylive.com)

”With Chuck, it’s been an on-going thing,” head coach Bob Surace said (as reported by Justin Feil of The Princeton Packet on CentralJersey.com). “As a 19-year-old and to have a stroke and to make the progress he’s made, it’s truly a credit to him as a person.”

But until next season, the anemic Tigers offense must find some way to pump adrenaline into an attack that was outscored by nearly a two-to-one margin last year.

”Against talented teams, we were very competitive," offered Surace of his team's 2011 performance. "We have to take it one step further and turn the competitive aspect into winning these games.”

The rushing attack may be sorely lacking with senior Akil Sharp (246 yards last season) taking much of the early workload while Surace looks for a breakout performer. That will put a greater demand upon the passing game.

Leading receiver Shane Wilkinson returns for his senior season (38 receptions for 384 yards), along with Matt Costello (29 receptions) and tight end Mark Hayes (11 receptions).

The quarterback position remains an open question, however, as Surace has not yet named a starter. While freshman Kedrick Bostic has looked promising in camp, the true battle is between sophomores Quinn Epperly and Connor Michelsen.

The Tigers open the season at Lehigh—the Patriot League Champions—who won their opening contest against Monmouth University 27-17 on September 1. Lehigh then faces Central Connecticut State on September 8 before returning home the following week to host Princeton.

Senior quarterback Michael Colvin (17-of-32) had a big game in Lehigh's opener, passing for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Nine of his passes went to fellow senior Ryan Spadola who had 111 yards in the game. Colvin was also the second-leading rusher in the game with 56 yards and a touchdown, behind running back Zach Barket (14 carries for 61 yards).

In order for the Tigers to turn "competitive" into "winning," it will fall to the defense to pressure Colvin and contain him when he runs.

"The strength of our team is the front seven on defense." said Surace.

If Colvin has time to throw, however, it could be a long afternoon for the Tigers, as the passing defense is somewhat suspect.

“Two years ago it was the run defense that was the big problem,” admitted Princeton senior linebacker Tim Kingsbury (as reported by Jay Greenberg on princetontigersfootball.com) “We worked on that and got much better last year.  Now we’re working on the pass defense.”

Game Time: 12:30pm (EDT). Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA.

The Princeton Tigers have fallen on hard times. The University that has won 28 National Championships, (the most in college football, with the most recent one in 1950) suffered through a terrible year on and off the field in 2011, and supporters expect that there is no place to go but up.

Former Cincinnati Bengals' assistant Bob Surace returns this season as Head Coach of the Tigers, and will rely heavily on defensive coordinator Jared Backus and offensive coordinator James Perry to guide a youthful Princeton squad in 2012. Surace will look to improve upon the woeful 1-9 record last season, which landed them dead last in the Ivy League.

But alumni and fans of the Tigers are hopeful that their fortunes will soon be improving. On defense, Second Team All-Ivy League defensive lineman Mike Catapano is returning for his senior year along with junior line mate Caraun Reid to anchor the Princeton line. Last year, the two players combined for thirteen sacks.

Catapano will serve as the team's co-captain along with junior linebacker Andrew Starks, who had 80 tackles last season for the Tigers. The captains will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to turn around a defense that gave up an average of 32.5 points per game last season.

If the Tigers are to really make strides this season, they will have to find a way to pump life into an anemic offense that averaged just 17.4 points per game last year.

This year, Ben Martin joins Surace's staff as running backs coach, replacing Andrew Aurich, who joined Greg Schiano's newly assembled group with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Highly questionable is the return of sophomore running back Chuck Dibilio, who had nearly 1,100 yards rushing last year and was undoubtedly a highlight in an otherwise forgettable season. Dibilio, the 2011 Ivy League Football Rookie of the Year suffered a stroke in January, but has shown good signs of recovery.

"Everything's going pretty well," Dibilio said of his rehabilitation. "I'm pretty happy about my progress so far."

The real question for the Tigers' offense is at quarterback, where sophomores Quinn Epperly and Connor Michelsen will vie for the starting job. Both quarterbacks saw limited action last season as backups behind starter Tommy Wornham.

The Tigers open their season on September 15 at Lehigh and face Columbia (the only team they beat last season) on September 29.

Championship No. 29 may not be in the foreseeable future, but Surace is optimistic about the upcoming season. "There's a lot of young guys out there," Surace said of his young team. "We cannot make as many mistakes. For us to compete against a top five team like Lehigh or the rest of our schedule after that game, it's a pretty demanding schedule, we can't beat ourselves."

“I was too proud to step away,” said Brown receiver Alexander Tounkara of the first time he arrived at football practice in high school.

Tounkara, originally from West Africa, thought he was heading to football (soccer) practice after high school in New York City.

“I showed up, the ball wasn't round and it was the wrong game,” he said. That’s where his pride stepped in, and he decided to give it a try.

Born in Guinea, Tounkara was forced to flee the country after his grandfather was incarcerated and taken from political office when a dictator took over. That led him to live in Belgium—where his mother’s trade is in the diamond business—and eventually moving to the United States.

"Time and effort. I spent every summer I had on campus just lifting and running one on one and trying to get better. It's hard work that's all I can say."

That is the work ethic Tounkara has had both on and off the field at Brown, where he double-majored in economics and international relations with hopes of working on Wall Street if the NFL didn't come to fruition.

Don’t let the degrees dissuade you from how badly the All-Ivy League receiver wants a shot at the NFL, though.

“Now that I’m playing it (football), I can’t see myself doing anything at the moment," he said.

“I think it was kind of like fate how I ended up in it.” Thinking he was headed to soccer practice only to end up playing football at Brown University, one would have to consider fate a very strong option.

Standing at 6’5” and 211 pounds, Tounkara ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at the BSN Collegiate Showcase, proving that he is a legit NFL prospect and, with some development and patience, he may stick around at the next level. 

Tounkara was very honest when explaining that is was a little stressful doing the combine drills live, and not having do over after do over as when training for the drills, saying he can definitely run under 4.50 flat.

“I love this game,” says Tounkara. Time will only tell if love and hard work will pay off for this unique and pleasant young man, or if he will just end up working in lower Manhattan on Wall Street.

Not a bad consolation prize.

 Follow me on Twitter: @BoMarchionte of College2Pro.com

For a moment, put aside the time line of Patrick Witt’s quest for a Rhodes scholarship and also the question of whether The New York Times' telling of his story is accurate. 

The question here is whether Witt—6'4", 230 pounds and 22 years old—can attract enough interest at the combine in late February to make it into the NFL Draft?   

The answer is, probably not. He’s certainly not on any of the usual radars. And while he appeared for the National Team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Witt did not distinguish himself. He was 2-of-7 for 21 yards during three drives. He didn't have any touchdowns or interceptions.

Coming out of high school, Witt was offered scholarships at several big-time football schools, finally chose Nebraska and was good enough to be a backup in 2008. He also appeared in the Gator Bowl that year. 

In his three-year career at Yale, he set several records for completions, attempts and for 6,033 yards. He had a 60 percent completion rate, which was a record, and threw for 37 TDs, which is second in Eli-ville history. 

Nevertheless, he seems more like a big fish in a small but pleasant pond. And not the biggest fish. He was Honorable Mention All-Ivy in 2011 and Second Team All-Ivy selection in 2010.  

The Ivy League has produced few quarterbacks for the NFL. Names that come to mind include Sid Luckman (Columbia), Jeff Kemp (Dartmouth), Jason Garrett (Princeton), Jay Fiedler (Dartmouth) and now Ryan Fitzpatrick (Harvard).  

Over the years, 28 Yale players have gone to the NFL.   

Interestingly, the "stigma" attached to Ivy League players is not only that it’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as 1-AA, but it’s the very idea of having someone who is perhaps too smart. 

Pat McInally, the long-time Bengal kicker from Harvard, says that New York Giants general manager George Young once told him that his perfect score of 50 on the Wonderlic intelligence test probably put off some teams.

"He told me, 'That may have cost you a few rounds in the draft because we don't like extremes. We don't want them too dumb and we sure as hell don't want them too smart.' " 

And now, here is Patrick Witt, whose GPA is reportedly 3.91, in a murky and melodramatic sports story that would be legless without the aspect of a Rhodes scholarship. Even so, the story is thin, and yet it is another revelation about the “families” that grow up around college football programs and the extent to which these kinds of athletes are protected by the institutions they serve. 

Here’s a rough timeline of what may have happened. 

Sept. 2011: A woman, another student, notifies the university of a sexual assault charge and begins a process that includes an informal resolution of the matter. According to the Times’ story “the most significant outcome (in such a case) might be an agreement to move the accused to a different dorm."

September/October (date unknown): While at home in Georgia, Witt applies for the Rhodes Scholarship, “knowing," according to the Times, that the final interviews will be on Nov. 19, the same day as the Harvard-Yale game, the most important game of the season for both schools. 

Oct. 31: Witt learns he is a finalist. He also receives an email from the university notifying him of the sexual assault allegation and the need to meet with university officials. 

Nov. 1: Witt meets with officials to discuss the complaint. According to Witt’s agent, Mark Magazu, the meeting ends with an agreement that accuser and accused will remain “amicable." Apparently, Witt is not asked to meet with administrators again, and that may have seemed like the end of the matter.

The same day, Witt tells The New Haven Register, in the context of a choice between "the big game" and the big scholarship: “The commitment I made to this team I believe would come first.”  

At one point, Witt tells ESPN he will pray over the decision. 

And thus, another media hero is sprung from the ribs of needy pundits and a sentimental public always on the lookout for success personified, and pure. 

Incidentally, Witt’s agent, Magazu, is a former wealth management specialist who now heads Atlas Strategies. On the company website, the list of client athletes represented does not yet include Patrick Witt.

Magazu has attracted some derision in web comments at The Yale Daily News in the last few days because in his rebuttal of the Times story detractors claim he offered enough information about the accuser that she can now be identified. 

Nov. 3: The Yale Daily News takes a reader poll asking whether Witt should go to the Rhodes interview or play in "the big game," or else await some wealthy alum who could perhaps provide a private jet to get Witt to the interview in Atlanta and back to New Haven in time for the game. Fifty-two percent of respondents pick that option.

Remember the particular culture here. Before the 1916 Yale-Harvard Game, the Yale coach, T.A.D. Jones, explained to his players, “Gentlemen, you are now going to play football against Harvard. Never again in your whole life will you do anything so important." 

November (date unknown): Someone, and “not an anonymous person”, but perhaps a Yale official making an unofficial gesture, notifies the Rhodes Scholarship committees that a sexual assault charge has been made against Witt, and one would think adds that the accuser has decided to pursue the matter through an informal, not a formal, process.

November (date unknown): The Yale Daily News, where Witt appeared as guest columnist, has the story, in whole or in part, but doesn’t publish it. According to a former opinion editor at the paper, editors also knew that the sexual assault claim had caused Witt to lose an offer to join the Boston Consulting Group after graduation. Witt interned at the group last summer.

Nov. 8 (Or thereabouts): The Rhodes scholarship committee sends an email to Witt asking that he make a choice and that the interview date cannot be changed. 

Nov. 10 (Or thereabouts): Yale University administrators send Witt an email notifying him that even if he withdraws, he could have an opportunity to reapply. 

Nov. 12: Witt is quoted in The Wall Street Journal to say, “I just need to make a decision and live with it.” 

Nov. 13: Witt withdraws his candidacy for a Rhodes scholarship. 

Nov. 19: Yale loses to Harvard, 45-7. Witt goes 24-of-39 for 226 yards. "I had a commitment to these guys long before I applied for that scholarship," Witt says after the game. 

Dec. 21: Football coach Tom Williams resigns after discrepancies are found on his resume. He said he had applied for a Rhodes scholarship while an undergraduate at Stanford. He hadn’t. He claimed to have played on the 49ers practice squad. In fact, he had attended a try-out camp for a few days. He had been with Yale for three years. 

Jan. 27: The New York Times story appears, reporting that the Rhodes Scholarship offer was rescinded after the committee was told about the sexual assault charge. Magazu responds to the Times insisting that Witt withdrew his application after being informed that the Rhodes Committee would not reschedule his interview. 

Through all this, one wonders why Witt scheduled the interview on the day of the Harvard-Yale game in the first place. Did he not check the schedule to see if there was a conflict? Incidentally, it was apparently common knowledge that it’s next to impossible to reschedule a Rhodes scholarship interview. 

Meanwhile, The Gray Lady has come under attack for a story based on people speaking solely on background, which is to say, where there is not only no attribution, but any information provided can only be used to verify other information. 

So no named sources, and the critics have no names either, all over a little story that should have remained little. But then, it slipped out through a crack. You can hear the bureaucrats scurrying through the ivy, worrying how the university’s image will be affected.

But what happened to the Yale press office, and why is this story not coming from them? At the least, they should come out with a proper timeline and resolved the question of whether or not Witt’s chance for the scholarship ended after the Rhodes committee was told of the charge against him. 

And what about these other questions? Did the university—and in particular, the residential college dean who would have signed off on the scholarship application—know about a minor charge against Witt while at the University of Nebraska? Or for that matter, a minor incident in New Haven, or even the sexual assault charge at Yale.

And would the university have refused to re-endorse Witt’s candidacy? And how was it that Yale hadn't checked the resume of Tom Williams? And why did Witt apply for a scholarship whose qualifications include "moral force of character?" Did he even apply for the scholarship in good faith, or was it all just a feint? 

No doubt the plot will eventually reveal itself. The veil of confidentiality only covers so much.     

Here is yet another example of a university administration not paying attention, not knowing enough about the people in their community, not knowing quite what to do in a crisis and in Yale’s case, forever caught up in the Dick Diver world of "the big game," at the expense of Lux et Veritas, not to mention God-given common sense and thoroughness. 

After seemingly passing up an opportunity at a Rhodes scholarship in November to help his team against Harvard, Yale quarterback Patrick Witt was the darling of the college football world. As it turns out, though, it was nothing more than a sham.

According to Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times, however, it turns out that Witt didn't skip his Rhodes interview because of the Harvard game, rather he was no longer eligible for the scholarship. The Rhodes Trust suspended his candidacy due to an alleged sexual assault incident between Witt and a fellow student.

While no report was filed with police regarding the alleged incident, the accuser made an informal complaint to Yale's Sexual Assault Harassment and Response and Education Center, according to the report. The female student said Witt sexually assaulted her in her dorm room, but the informal complaint process doesn't find guilt or innocence.

The fact that Witt said that he was withdrawing himself from Rhodes consideration in order to remain committed to his team now looks like an embarrassment. At the time, Witt received a great deal of praise from many media outlets for being an incredible teammate, but it turns out he actually fabricated the story.

Witt is now maintaining that the sexual assault case had nothing to do with his withdrawal from Rhodes consideration and that he had already made the decision to withdraw ahead of time because of the Harvard game, according to Barry Petchesky of Deadspin.

Witt is currently being represented by Atlas Strategies. The company's president of image consulting, Mark Magazu, said that Witt did withdraw because of the Harvard game and that the accuser was a woman "with whom he had engaged in an on-again, off-again relationship beginning in the Spring of 2011 and ending about two months before the informal complaint was filed."

Without speculating on Witt's guilt or innocence in the alleged sexual assault, he deceived everyone by saying that he withdrew his candidacy. The truth was that his candidacy was revoked. Rather than the scrutiny he surely would have faced, Witt put a positive spin on ending his pursuit of a Rhodes scholarship and was lauded over because of it.

I can understand why he might not have wanted to tell people the real reason he was no longer pursuing a Rhodes scholarship, but to create a blatant lie was wrong. Simply saying that he was suspending his candidacy certainly would have sufficed, but for whatever reason Witt decided to go overboard.

It's strange that he thought nobody would ever find out the truth. In fact, it's amazing that it has taken more than two months for his assertion to be debunked. Witt received two months of undeserved positive attention and I find it to be despicable.

This revelation is made even worse by the fact that former Yale head coach Tom Williams resigned over the fact that he had fabricated parts of his resume. The most well-documented fabrication was that he dropped a Rhodes scholarship candidacy himself 20 years earlier, but that wasn't the case.

Perhaps the alleged sexual assault is a misunderstanding or maybe he's being framed, but the fact of the matter is that Witt was disqualified from Rhodes scholarship consideration. If Witt had said nothing on the matter then that would have been fine. The fact that he misled the media as a whole, though, makes this so much worse.