Entering Saturday's matchup against Princeton at Princeton Stadium, Brown and its opponents had averaged a total of 61 points per game. Given the history, no one in the crowd should have been surprised that the Tigers and Bears would combine for 83 points.
What was surprising was that Princeton (2-3 overall, 2-0 Ivy League), carrying the Ivy League's worst offense and starting its third-string quarterback, would score 55 of those points. Becoming the first freshman to start a game under center in the history of Princeton football, David Splithoff led a once impotent Tiger attack to 514 yards of total offense and a 55-28 win.
Atop the Ivies
Princeton's win makes the Tigers a surprising frontrunner in the Ivy League race. Nearly written off after a 1-3 start, the Tigers are now knotted atop the league standings with Penn and Cornell, the preseason favorites. Brown (3-2, 0-2), once considered one of the strongest teams in the league, now rests on the bottom.
"We had a bad day today, pure and simple," Brown head coach Phil Estes said. "Princeton had a great day. Princeton played well, did a great job. Last year [when Brown won 58-30], Princeton had a bad day. Now they gave us a bad day."
Sight for sore eyes
The game was a treat for the 18,113 Princeton fans, as the home team had six plays of over 47 yards, five of which resulted in touchdowns.
Unseen for most of this year, the sight of Tiger ball-carriers in the open field was old hat by the end of this offensive spectacle.
The first of Princeton's big plays came with a minute to play in the first quarter and set the tone for the remainder of the game. Brown marched easily down the field for a touchdown in its first possession of the game. Princeton managed a field goal on its next drive, but Brown still held the momentum.
The Tiger defense managed to stymie the Ivy's best offense on the next drive, however, forcing a punt. Sophomore Andy Bryant received the kick at the Princeton 44-yard line and evaded the first would-be tackler to reach a gaping hole in the middle of the Bear coverage. From that point, he raced down an open seam to the right sideline, going untouched for a 56-yard score.
Trailing for the first time, 10-7, Brown abandoned its running game. Princeton adjusted to the one-dimensional Bear attack by dropping eight men into coverage. Brown would still pile up 386 yards on a remarkable 59 passes, but its highly-touted scheme failed at crucial moments, resulting in four Tiger interceptions.
"We made the plays we had to," said senior linebacker Chris Roser-Jones, who had two interceptions for the second time this year. "I think we did a great job of doing our individual jobs."
Emerging star
With the Brown offense contained as tightly as possible, the remainder of the game belonged to Splithoff. The freshman took advantage of the high-risk Bear defense, deftly avoiding blitzing backs to find open Tiger wide receivers. Splithoff completed 13 of 17 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns.
"We were really confident coming in that he'd be able to do some good things, but it'd be stupid to say we expected him to do this," senior offensive lineman Ross Tucker said.
He made his first collegiate touchdown pass from a precarious third down and 19 during the second quarter. Evading one lineman's grasp and stepping away from another, the freshman launched a pass downfield to sophomore wide receiver Nate Lindell, who leaped up to haul in the strike. There was no one between Lindell and the end zone, so the sophomore easily stretched Princeton's lead to 17-7.
Clever play calling allowed Princeton to continue taking advantage of the aggressive Bear defense. Lindell scored again on a wide receiver screen from 50 yards out, sophomore running back Cameron Atkinson broke off a 47-yard touchdown run on a draw play, and Splithoff ran 48 yards to the Brown 12 on an option.
Despite Princeton's dominant offense, Brown was still within two scores early in the fourth quarter and pushed Princeton to a third and six on its next possession. On that play, however, Splithoff rolled right and jumped over a diving lineman before finding senior fullback Marty Cheatham downfield. Cheatham made an acrobatic catch and then turned on impressive speed to beat the Brown defenders to the end zone.
Although the Tigers were safe with a 41-21 lead, they poured on two more touchdowns, turning what was supposed to be a close game into a rout.
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