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Princeton University Athletics
Reversal Of The Crimson Tide?
October 21, 2003 | Football
Oct. 21, 2003
One step at a time. The Princeton football team couldn't get into the Ivy League race until it won its first game, which it took care of last week. Now it can legitimately look to get back into the thick of the race, but it would take a step that Princeton hasn't taken since 1995 - a win over rival Harvard (noon, CN8, Moneytalk 1350, GoPrincetonTigers.com).
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Game Notes
Crimson Tide - Princeton will look for its first win at Harvard since its championship season of 1995. The Tigers have lost seven straight, including each of the three under head coach Roger Hughes.
Close Calls - Princeton's last three losses at Harvard Stadium have been by an average of three points per game. The last time the Tigers played at Harvard, Taylor Northrop '02 barely missed a 47-yard field goal that would have given the Crimson its only loss of the season.
Making History - The Princeton-Harvard game is one of two on the Ivy League slate this weekend between two teams with at least 750 wins, and it is the ninth time ever that two teams with that many wins have ever met. Princeton (751) and Harvard (755) will be the first such matchup in the Ivy League, while Yale (820) will travel to Penn (758) for the other game. CN8 will broadcast both games.
Ground Attack - Princeton junior Branden Benson rushed 22 times for a career-best 128 yards in Princeton's 34-14 win over Brown. He scored two touchdowns, both coming in the decisive fourth quarter. Climbing Ivy - Branden Benson has scored six of his last seven touchdowns against Ivy League opponents, including two in each of Princeton's two league games.
Go Fourth - Princeton scored 28 points in the final 15:20 to defeat Brown 34-14. Princeton hadn't scored 28 points in the previous 150:25 of football.
Wu-Tang Clan - Junior wide receiver Clinton Wu caught a 99-yard touchdown reception last week at Brown to lead Princeton to its first win of the season, a 34-14 victory at Brown. On 3rd-and-12 at Princeton's 1-yard line, quarterback Matt Verbit hit Wu on a quick slant, and Wu did the rest, going down the right sidelines for the score.
Wu-Who? - It was Clinton Wu's third career reception.
History Lesson - The longest previous pass in Ivy League history was 98 yards. Dartmouth's David Gabianelli found Craig Morton for that distance against Columbia in 1986, and Cornell's Bob Dean hit Norman Dawson for it against Navy in 1947. The longest reception in Princeton history had been 95 yards (Doug Butler to Derek Graham vs. Penn in 1983).
Shouldering The Load - Junior Matt Verbit has been Princeton's starting quarterback since the middle of last season, when Dave Splithoff injured his shoulder against Harvard. Verbit has won three of six starts against Ivy League teams. His three wins have come against teams with losing records, and his three losses have come against teams with winning records.
Deep Thoughts - Matt Verbit has thrown five touchdown passes this year. He averages 56.6 yards per touchdown pass. The Tigers' seven touchdown runs average 4.3 yards apiece.
Happy Returns - Senior David Splithoff, best known as Princeton's big-play quarterback the last three years, made his return to the field three weeks ago; he came in as a nickel defender, and a third-quarter blitz of his led to Princeton's first takeaway of the season. Splithoff has moved into the defensive depth chart as the No. 2 strong safety behind Sam Snyder.
Return To Sender - Senior defensive back Blake Perry returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown in Princeton's 34-14 win over Brown last week. It was Princeton's first fumble return for a touchdown since Craig Foote returned one 40 yards against Brown during the 1998 season.
I Love The '70s - Junior wideout B.J. Szymanski's last three touchdown receptions have been from 73, 75 and 71 yards. His 73-yard touchdown pass proved to be the game winner last season against Colgate.
Justin Time - Sophomore middle linebacker Justin Stull was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after recording a career-best 15 tackles last week, including nine solo stops. He also defensed one pass and forced a fumble. It was Princeton's first Defensive Player of the Week honor since Joe Weiss earned it last season for his performance against Cornell.
Tackling The Issue - Justin Stull leads the Ivy League with an average of 11 tackles per game.
'Backing Up -Sophomore linebacker Alan Borelli had his finest game as a Princeton Tiger two weekends ago against Colgate. He made 13 tackles, including six solo stops, and added two tackles for losses and his second career sack.
Cup O' Joe - Senior defensive end Joe Weiss, a first-team All-Ivy selection last season, is second on the team with 44 tackles (20 solo). He also has one sack and six tackles for loss.
I'm Honored - Freshman cornerback Tim Strickland was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week after recording nine tackles, four passes defensed and his first career interception against Brown. He returned the interception 78 yards to seal the win.
Head of the Class - Tim Strickland is the second member of the freshman class. Colin McDonough, the second-leading punter in the Ivy League, was named Rookie of the Week after the Lehigh game. Sophomores, juniors and seniors have combined for one Ivy League honor this season (Justin Stull's defensive award this week).
Opening Act - Princeton has scored zero points in the first quarters against Patriot League opponents and 26 points in the first quarters against Ivy League opponents Columbia and Brown.
Curtain Closer - Princeton's first Ivy League game ended in as painful a way as possible, with a 49-yard Hail Mary from Columbia's Jeff Otis to Wade Fletcher on the game's final play in a 33-27 loss to the Lions.
Just For Kicks - Freshman punter Colin McDonough is averaging 40.6 yards per punt this season. Last season, Princeton averaged 34.9 yards per punt.
Artis-try - Freshman defensive back J.J. Artis, who is now starting at cornerback for the Tigers, recorded his first career takeaway two weeks ago when he recovered a muffed punt return by J.B. Gerald inside the Colgate red zone. It set up the Tigers' only score.
Strawberry Fields - Sophomore Greg Fields leads Princeton with 95.0 all-purpose yards. He returned the opening kickoff last weekend 49 yards to the Brown 49-yard line, and he returned another punt 35 yards to the Brown 25-yard line.
The Crystal Ball - Princeton returns home next week to take on Cornell at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on Patriot Media or heard live on Moneytalk 1350, WPRB 103.3 or GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Rallying Cry - Last season, Princeton rallied from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Cornell 32-25 in overtime on a snow-covered Schoellkopf Field. The Tigers took the overtime lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Blair Morrison.
Tale of the Tape
Harvard Princeton 36.8 Points Per Game 18.0 16.8 Points Allowed Per Game 26.6 117 First Downs 90 56/55/6 Rushing/Passing/Penalty 40/44/6 231.6 Rushing Yardage Per Game 130.4 14 Touchdowns Rushing 7 266.0 Passing Yardage Per Game 221.6 124/77/4 Att./Comp./Int. 168/81/3 11 Touchdowns Passing 5 34/249 Penalties/Yards 34/286 19/35.9 Punts/Avg. Per Punt 26/40.6 29:44 Time of Possession 24:52 25/153 Sacks By/Yardage 9/50 6/5 Fumbles/Fumbles Lost 15/9 2/8 Field Goals/Attempts 1/3 40 of 77 Third-Down Conversions 21 of 66
Last Year
Harvard 24, Princeton 17
PRINCETON, N.J. - Harvard tailback Nick Palazzo scored three touchdowns and the Crimson defense recorded four takeaways to earn a 24-17 win over Princeton. The win dropped Princeton from the ranks of the Ivy League unbeatens.
The Tigers trailed early after Palazzo's first score, but a 13-yard scoring run by Cameron Atkinson evened the score at 7-7. An interception by Juano Queen put Harvard in scoring position, and Palazzo again punctuated a Crimson drive with a short touchdown run. Jim Morocco made it a 10-point lead with a field goal just before halftime.
If Princeton was looking to reclaim some momentum early in the second half, those plans fell by the wayside when Harvard took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards for a touchdown. All-America wideout Carl Morris converted a long third down with a 37-yard reception, and Palazzo again drove through the line for a touchdown run.
Princeton never lost its fight and climbed back into the game. Derek Javarone started the scoring with a 30-yard field goal, but the drive took its toll on Princeton, as David Splithoff was knocked out of the game with an injury. Backup quarterback Matt Verbit scored a touchdown on his second drive, throwing a 16-yard strike to Chisom Opara late in the game.
The Tiger defense held firm and forced a punt with 1:06 left in the game. Forced to pass, Verbit ended up throwing his second pass into the hands of Harvard linebacker Brian Garcia to end the contest.
Zak Keasey led the Princeton defense with 10 tackles, while both Drew Babinecz and Kevin Kongslie had nine apiece.
Last Week
Princeton 34, Brown 14
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In need of anything to spark its offense, Princeton turned to a little-known receiver and asked for a crucial first down. The receiver did that, and so much more. Clinton Wu's 99-yard touchdown reception on 3rd-and-12 sparked the Princeton football team to a 34-14 win at Brown, its first win of the football season.
There were a number of heroes to be found in this one. While Wu had the most memorable play (the 99-yard reception was the longest in the history of the Ivy League), it was junior tailback Branden Benson who carried the offense. Benson rushed 22 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter, in which Princeton outscored Brown 21-7.
Two players were such standouts defensively that they each earned weekly honors by the league. Sophomore Justin Stull was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after recording 15 tackles, including nine solo stops, and one forced fumble. Freshman cornerback Tim Strickland was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week after making nine tackles, including four solo stops, four passes defensed and one interception, which he returned 79 yards.
After Brown jumped out to a 7-0 lead, Princeton got back into the game with more defensive heroics. Abi Fadeyi blitzed off the blind side and hit quarterback Kyle Slager, separating him from the ball. Blake Perry picked it up and returned the fumble 58 yards for the score, Princeton's first fumble return for a touchdown since 1998.
Harvard 34, Lafayette 27
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Clifton Dawson rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the third quarter, to keep the Crimson undefeated.