Sept. 23, 2006

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PRINCETON, N.J. (www.lafayette.edu) - Jeff Terrell had 300 yards of total offense, including 261 in the air, and threw for three touchdowns to lead Princeton to a 26-14 win over Lafayette on Saturday night at Princeton Stadium.

Terrell was 20-of-31 and threw a pair of scoring passes within a span of 3:01 early in the fourth quarter after the Leopards had taken a 14-13 lead. J.J. Artis had a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions deep in Tiger territory to end Lafayette scoring threats as Princeton improved to 2-0. The loss drops the Leopards to 2-2.

Princeton ran 29 plays and racked up 137 yards of offense on its first two drives but came away with only six points. The Tigers drew first blood halfway through the first quarter on a 30-yard field goal by Conner Louden after driving 67 yards in 12 plays.

Louden extended the margin to 6-0 on a 38-yard field goal with 13:01 left in the second quarter to cap a 17-play, 70-yard drive. Princeton converted four third downs, including a pair of third-and-10 situations from deep in its own territory. Terrell also earned two first downs on running plays before the Leopards forced Terrell to throw the ball away on a third-and-18.

Tim Watson jumpstarted Lafayette's ensuing possession with a 41-yard kick return to the 47. An offensive pass interference penalty negated a 30-yard pass from Brad Maurer to Shaun Adair, and the two just missed on a long scoring pass three plays later.

Maurer connected with Adair for a 16-yard touchdown on Lafayette's next possession after the defense forced its first three-and-out, and Adair set the offense up with great field position with a 33-yard punt return to the Tiger 36-yard line. The Leopards converted a fourth-and-one from the 16 on a six-yard run by Hurt, and Lafayette scored two plays later. Rick Ziska knocked in the extra point to make the score 7-6 with 3:08 left in the half.

Princeton struck quickly to go ahead 13-7 with 35 seconds remaining, as Terrell covered 76 yards in eight plays and tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brigham to close the drive. Lafayette put itself in position for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Ziska at the end of the half, but the kick fell short and to the left.

Lafayette got off to an auspicious start to the second half, as Princeton returned the opening kick to the 43 but a clipping penalty brought the ball back inside the 10-yard line. Justin Stovall dropped the ball carrier for a loss on first down, and the Tigers eventually punted from their own one-yard line. The offense was unable to convert the outstanding field position into points, however, and turned the ball over on downs at the 35.

An interception by Torian Johnson gave the Leopards their next scoring opportunity at the Princeton 33, and this time they cashed in. Lafayette faced third-and-10 from that spot and picked up its first third down conversion of the night with a 26-yard pass to Duaeno Dorsey that moved the ball to the seven, and Jonathan Hurt scored on third-and-goal from the two. Ziska made the PAT to give the Leopards a 14-13 lead with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

Again Princeton answered quickly, moving 85 yards in eight plays, and Terrell hooked up with Will Thanheiser for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Stovall knocked down the two-point conversion pass to keep the score at 19-14 with 13:59 remaining.

Princeton took a 26-14 lead on a broken play, as Terrell scrambled and found R.C. Lagomarsino over the middle. Lagomarsino did the rest of the work to complete a 49-yard scoring play, and suddenly the Tigers held a 12-point advantage with 10:58 on the clock.

Artis foiled Lafayette's ensuing possession, intercepting a long pass intended for Adair at the 11-yard line. After a Princeton first down, Trey Martell made a huge defensive play, forcing a fumble by Rob Toresco and recovering the ball at the Tiger 18-yard line. Lafayette's scoring threat was once again thwarted by Artis, who picked off a throw into the end zone that turned the ball over with 6:04 to go.

Game Notes
* Hurt had 65 rushing yards, which moved him into 10th place on Lafayette's all-time rushing list. He passed Don Nickles, who gained 1,748 yards in 1957-58.
* Hurt's rushing touchdown was the 23rd of his career, tying him for fifth in school history with Leonard Moore.
* Maurer surpassed the 300-completion mark in his career. He entered with 290 completions and had 12 against Princeton. Maurer ranks sixth in school history in that category.
* Johnson's interception that led to the Leopards' go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter was his seventh career pick.