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Princeton University Athletics
Showdown Saturday
October 19, 2004 | Football
Oct. 19, 2004
PRINCETON - It was, in the eyes of most people, the Ivy League football game of the year in 2003. It is, without question, the biggest game of the Ivy League season to date. Both facts would make any game significant, but it makes this weekend's game even more special. After all, it's Harvard and Princeton, and that automatically makes it significant.
Rutherford B. Hayes was President of the United States the first time these schools met on the gridiron (1877). 96 times, the Tigers and the Crimson have played against each other, and the former has emerged victorious 50 of them.
All 50, however, came in 1995 or before. Since then, the Crimson has won eight straight, many in crushing fashion to Princeton.
So what does all that have to do with Saturday's game? Honestly, nothing, but it's interesting to remember.
The past will not help the Princeton defense contain the tremendous skill players on the Harvard offense, including the Ivy League's rushing leader, running back Clifton Dawson, and total yardage leader, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. It won't help the Crimson scheme against the Princeton linebacking duo of Justin Stull and Zak Keasey, who have combined for 118 tackles already this season. It won't help the Princeton offense continue its highly efficient stretch of football, nor will it help the Harvard defense match last week's stellar effort against No. 19 Northeastern. Sure, the past is fun to recall for games like this.
But it's the present that will make this one special. It's a present featuring two talented squads with the same goal on their minds -- a perfect league record by Saturday's end.
10/23 Game Notes: No. 19 Harvard (5-0, 2-0) vs. Princeton (4-1, 2-0) in PDF Format
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Game Notes
Eight Is Enough -- Harvard has won eight straight games against Princeton, the longest stretch of wins for either side in the rivalry. Princeton won seven games in a row between 1947-1953.
History Lesson -- The last time Princeton started out 3-0 in the Ivy League was 1995, following a 14-3 win over the Crimson in Cambridge. That was the last time Princeton defeated Harvard, and it was the last year that Princeton won the Ivy League title.
More History -- Six of the last seven Harvard wins in this series have been by 7 points or less, and four have been by three points or less.
One More History -- Three of the last five wins for Harvard in the series were determined in either the final seven seconds of regulation (1999, 2001) or overtime (2003).
Common Cold -- Princeton and Harvard share two common opponents this season, Lafayette and Brown. Both were undefeated against the two, as Princeton averaged a 15.5-point advantage over the two and Harvard averaged an 8-point advantage over the two.
Homeland Defense -- Princeton is allowing 14 points per game at home this season, while Harvard is averaging 36.5 points scored per game on the road.
By The Dozen -- Princeton is 12-5 in its last 17 games with Zak Keasey, Jay McCareins and Brandon Mueller.
Just A Second -- Princeton quarterback Matt Verbit is No. 2 on the all-time total yards and all-time passing lists at Princeton (see chart). He surpassed longtime NFL quarterback Jason Garrett on both lists last weekend.
Aerial Show -- Matt Verbit threw for a career-best 354 yards last season against Harvard. It is the sixth-best single-game performance ever by a Princeton quarterback.
Mr. Reliable -- This will be Matt Verbit's 20th straight start at quarterback. The last Tiger quarterback with as many consecutive starts is Joel Sharp, who started 20 straight games from 1989-1990. The First Chapter -- Matt Verbit became Princeton's No. 1 quarterback after starter Dave Splithoff was injured in the 2002 Harvard game at Princeton Stadium. Since that play, Verbit has thrown 590 of Princeton's last 593 passes (Splithoff threw two in the 2002 season finale, punter Colin McDonough threw one against San Diego on a failed punt).
Playing The Percentages -- Matt Verbit has a completion percentage of 75.6% in home games this season. He has thrown three touchdowns and zero interceptions in those two games, both victories by at least a 14-point margin.
40-40 Club -- Three of Princeton's touchdowns last season against Harvard came on plays of at least 40 yards: a 49-yard run by Jon Veach in the first half, a 42-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Szymanski and a 43-yard score to Blair Morrison.
A Day At The Veach -- Senior running back Jon Veach has scored 14 touchdowns in his last 10 games, a stretch that began with a three-touchdown effort last season at Harvard. Veach gained 285 all-purpose yards in that game, the sixth-best mark all-time at Princeton.
Carrying The Load -- Jon Veach rushed the ball 34 times against Harvard last season. Since then, no Princeton player has carried the ball more than 20 times in any game.
Even More Load -- Harvard's Clifton Dawson rushed 40 times against Princeton last season. He gained 183 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Dawson is the last player to score three touchdowns against Princeton in one game.
Dynamic Duo -- Senior tailbacks Jon Veach and Branden Benson have helped Princeton average 176.4 rushing yards per game, second in the Ivy League. Each has scored at least one touchdown in Princeton's last three games.
Cloud Nine -- A season-high nine receivers caught passes in Princeton's 24-10 win over Brown last weekend. Sophomore Brian Shields caught his first career touchdown pass in the win, a 50-yard strike that put Princeton ahead 24-10 in the fourth quarter. Hit The Dek -- Junior tight end Jon Dekker caught five passes last season against Harvard, and each gave Princeton a first down. Two came on fourth downs and led to Princeton TDs.
Strawberry Fields -- Junior Greg Fields is second in the Ivy League and 11th in the NCAA with 157.2 all-purpose yards per game. In his two games at Princeton Stadium, Fields is averaging 193 all-purpose yards per game.
Flag Football -- Princeton entered last week's game as the most penalized team in the Ivy League, but the Tigers didn't commit an official penalty against Brown.
Tackling The Issue -- Princeton has the top two tacklers in the Ivy League in junior linebacker Justin Stull and senior linebacker Zak Keasey. Each has 59 tackles, giving them a combined total of 118. The next closest pair of teammates are Yale's Ben Breunig and Barton Simmons, who have combined for 94 tackles.
Zak Attack -- In two Ivy League games this season, senior linebacker Zak Keasey has 27 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a pass breakup.
Justin Time -- Junior linebacker Justin Stull led the Ivy League last season with 114 tackles last season, the most for a Princeton player since Dave Patterson recorded 129 during the Ivy championship season of 1995. Stull and Keasey are both on pace for 118 this season.
One Way Or Another -- Junior defensive back Jay McCareins has turned into a three-way player for Princeton this season. As a starting cornerback, he leads the team with four pass breakups and returned his first interception of the season for a touchdown at San Diego. On special teams, he averages 22.7 yards per kickoff returns and has blocked two kicks, including an extra point in overtime of a 1-point win at Columbia. Offensively, he is second on the team with 10 receptions.
On Secondary Thought -- Princeton's pass defense is ranked No. 2 in the Ivy League. It allows 152.8 yards per game and has made seven interceptions.
Halftime -- The Princeton defense limited Brown running back Nick Hartigan to less than half of his average rushing yards last weekend. The All-Ivy back came to Princeton Stadium averaging 138.5 yards per game but gained only 66 on the afternoon.
Sack Exchange -- Princeton recorded 17 sacks last season. Through five games this season, the Tigers have 15 sacks.
Just For Kicks -- Sophomore All-Ivy punter Colin McDonough averaged 34.4 yards per punt in his first three games and 39.0 yards per punt in his last two.
Down And Dirty -- Princeton has rushed for 11 more first downs than it has passed for (45 to 34). Last season, the Tigers threw for 32 more first downs (108 to 76).
Must See TV -- Princeton will have three nationally televised games the rest of the season. The Tigers' home game against Penn will be aired on CSTV, which can be seen on DirecTV channel 610. The road games at Cornell and Yale will be televised by the YES Network. For those who do not live in the Northeast and don't get YES on their basic cable service, it can be found on DirecTV channel 622.
The Crystal Ball -- Princeton will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., next weekend to battle the Cornell Big Red in its first YES Network contest. Princeton has won two in a row against Cornell, including an overtime 32-25 road win two seasons ago in the midst of a driving snowstorm. The Big Red enters today's action with a 1-1 record in the Ivy League. The game can be heard live on WHWH 1350 AM and on GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Home Sweet Home -- The Tigers return to Princeton Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 6, to challenge the two-time defending league champion Penn Quakers. The game begins at 1 p.m.
Last Season: Harvard 43, Princeton 40 (ot)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - As the members of the Princeton football team quietly walked into their locker room following the 43-40 overtime loss to Harvard on a thrilling Saturday afternoon, a man was there to greet them and tell them they deserved to win the game. The man was Harvard coach Tim Murphy, whose Crimson stayed perfect by escaping a game Princeton squad with a four-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Byrnes in overtime on the final play of the game.
For Princeton, it was its second Ivy League loss of the season, with both coming on the game's final play. The touchdown pass to Byrnes erased a three-point deficit in overtime on a 36-yard field goal by Derek Javarone.
Jon Veach shattered his career high in rushing with 205 yards, and ended the game with 285 all-purpose yards, sixth best ever for Princeton in a single game. He also scored a trio of touchdowns. Quarterback Matt Verbit had his best day as a starter, completing 18 of 34 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Wideout Blair Morrison caught five passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, while tight end Jon Dekker also caught five passes for 73 yards.
Three different players recorded 10 tackles apiece, including Justin Stull, the Ivy League's leading tackler. J.J. Artis made his first career interception, which gave Princeton a chance to win the game in regulation, but a 42-yard field goal attempt by Javarone sailed left.
Javarone would get a second chance in overtime, and he kicked a 36-yard score to open a 40-37 lead. Harvard got the ball and turned its fate into the hands of freshman running back Clifton Dawson, who rushed the ball 40 times for 183 yards and three scores. He ran it four times, and on third-and-goal, quarterback Garrett Schires found Byrnes on a crossing pattern and hit him in stride for the game winner.
Princeton used the big play on three of its touchdowns, starting with a 49-yard run by Veach in the first half. B.J. Szymanski scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass in the first half, and Morrison caught a 43-yard score to even the score at 37 with 3:24 remaining.
Princeton 2004 Season Highs
PRINCETON Rushes Veach v. Brown (20) Yards Rushing Benson v. Colgate (133) TD Rushes Veach v. Columbia (2) Long Rush Benson v. Colgate (84) Pass Attempts Verbit v. Columbia (33) Pass Completions Verbit v. Columbia (19) Yards Passing Verbit v. Columbia (227) TD Passes Verbit v. Lafayette (2) Long Pass Verbit to Walz v. San Diego (52) Receptions Wu v. Lafayette (7) Yards Receiving Wu v. Lafayette (108) TD Receptions several players (1) Long Field Goal Javarone v. Colgate (28) Long Punt McDonough v. Brown (55) Tackles Stull, Keasey (14) Sacks Stull, Keasey, Browne (2) Interceptions Strickland v. Colgate (3)
Princeton's Record When
Scoring first in a game 4-1 Scoring 30+ points 1-0 Scoring less than 20 points 0-0 Leading after one quarter 3-1 Tied after one quarter 0-0 Trailing after one quarter 1-0 Leading at halftime 4-0 Tied at halftime 0-0 Trailing at halftime 0-1 Leading after third quarter 3-1 Tied after third quarter 1-0 Trailing after third quarter 0-0 In overtime 1-0 Having a 100-yard rusher 0-1 Allowing a 100-yard rusher 1-1 Having a 250-yard passer 0-0 Allowing a 250-yard passer 0-0 Kicking two or more field goals 1-1 The defense scores 1-0 Returning a kickoff for a TD 0-0 Returning a punt for a TD 0-0 Following a win 3-1 Following a loss 0-0 Having more penalties 2-1 Fewer turnovers than opponent 2-1