Jeans And Sneakers

Joe Susan is a big dude. A funny, soft-spoken one maybe. That doesn't change the fact that he's about 6-4, 6-5 as TigerBlog remembers him.

Today, Susan is the head football coach at Bucknell. Back when TigerBlog first working at Princeton, Susan was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers.

When TB used to be on the radio, Susan would tell him the first few scripted plays, so TigerBlog could sound smart in the beginning of each broadcast, with seemingly insightful comments like "don't be surprised if Princeton tries to go for it all on the first play" or "look for something to so-and-so right off the bat to get him involved early."

TigerBlog would often guard Joe Susan in lunchtime basketball, giving away size while maintaining his advantage in quickness. Susan would always, always fall for the fake to the baseline up-and-under move.

The problem with guarding Susan is that his huge knee brace would always scratch TB's legs when they bumped in the low post.

Susan wore the brace after tearing his ACL at lunchtime once. He had the ball and went into a move, only to crumple to the ground in obvious distress.

While someone ran to get an athletic trainer, men's basketball coach Pete Carril sauntered over to Susan, who was writhing on the floor.

"This," Carril said, "might not be the best time to tell you that you traveled."

Susan brings his Bucknell Bison to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium Saturday, as Princeton attempts to win in Week 2 for the eighth straight year.

This will be the first time that Princeton and Bucknell have played since 1996, when Susan was still the OC.

TigerBlog remembers that 1996 game at Bucknell more than he remembers most games, largely because of the unbelievable rain and mud that overran Christy Mathewson Stadium in Lewisburg. In fact, TigerBlog cannot remember a Princeton football game that he was at that was played in worse conditions.

It actually poured all Friday night as well, and it was still raining heavily Saturday morning.

TB - who remembers having great French toast for breakfast - always got dressed up for games in the pre-Nike days, which would have meant a shirt and tie. That day, though, TB realized that he would destroy anything nice he wore, so he put on the same jeans he had worn the day before, along with sneakers.

As for the game, the final was Bucknell 10, Princeton 6.

The Tigers held the Bison to minus-28 rushing yards, a program record. The only touchdown drive of the day for Bucknell was one yard - that's right ONE YARD.

It came after Princeton had held the Bison on four cracks inside the two, including a fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, only to turn it back over on the first play after the goal line stand.

For some reason, Princeton and Bucknell haven't played since, while Princeton has played Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate almost every year.

In fact, Princeton and Bucknell don't play in many sports, and TB has only been to the school three times, once for the muddy football game and twice for men's basketball (Princeton will play three games at Bucknell this year as part of a men's basketball event).

It seems like the schools are close enough (a little more than three hours), and yet there's no history between the two.

Come Saturday night, there'll at least be a present, one that involves the nice subplot of having Joe Susan back at Princeton.

This time, though, he's unlikely to share his first few plays with TigerBlog.