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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Welcomes Tough Cornell Squad, National Audience To Princeton Saturday
October 25, 2005 | Football
Oct. 25, 2005
PRINCETON - Fans of Princeton football may still be savoring Saturday's win at Harvard, but the team has already turned the page and is looking forward to Saturday's showdown with Cornell at noon on the YES Network. If recent history is any indication, the cameras could catch a classic.
Four of the last five Princeton games have been nailbiters, including three in a row from 2001-03. The series has seen special teams play major roles in three Cornell wins and a 15-point rally drive a Princeton victory.
The only thing this series hasn't seen recently is the winner claim the Ivy championship. Both teams hope that change this season.
Princeton is the team with control of its own destiny. One of three Ivy League teams with one loss, Princeton still has a game left with league-undefeated Penn. If the Tigers win their final four games, they'll do no worse than a share of the Ivy League title.
Cornell isn't out of the race by any means. If the Big Red wins out, which would include a season-ending win at Penn, it will end the season with a 5-2 record. With several matchups featuring some of the league's top teams still to be played, there is a chance for a 5-2 team to stand in a tie for the title.
But that will all be sorted out in November, when the cilmax of the league race takes place. This weekend is for positioning in that race, and it will give both of its wide-ranging fan base to watch both teams from the comfort of their living rooms. The YES Network (John Stirling, Howard Cross and Chris Shearn) will televise Saturday's noon start live. If you don't get the YES Network, you can see the telecast live on DirecTV Channel 610.
Patriot Media TV will show the game live in the local Princeton area, and the game will be broadcast over the radio on WHWH 1350 AM (Ed Benkin and Dan Loney) and on the Princeton student station, WPRB 103.3 FM. It will also be available online at www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
And those are the options in case you can't make the game. Good tickets are available online or by calling the Princeton ticket office at 609-258-3538.
Cornell-Princeton Game Notes in PDF Format
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Game Notes
Just Say YES • Saturday's game between Princeton and Cornell will be shown live at noon on the YES Network and DirecTV Channel 610. The game will be broadcast by John Sterling (play by play) and Howard Cross (analyst), and Chris Shearn will serve as the sideline reporter.
Close Encounters • Four of the last five Princeton games have been decided by either three points or less or in overtime, including last year's one-point Cornell victory. The lone rout during that stretch was a 28-6 victory for Princeton at home in 2003.
Bombs Away • Three of the six touchdowns in last year's 21-20 Cornell victory over Princeton came from more than 50 yards.
Two Much To Handle • Princeton is 2-1 in the league. No team since 1982 has won a share of the Ivy League title with two losses (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth shared the league title that season). A win today would guarantee that Princeton would enter next week's game at Penn with at least a share of first place on the line.
Nine Is Enough • Princeton's nine-year losing streak against Harvard ended with last weekend's 27-24 victory in Cambridge. The Tigers' last win over Harvard prior to Saturday came in 1995, which was also Princeton's last Ivy League championship season.
Return To Sender • Jay McCareins' 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Harvard, which held up as the game-winning play, was Princeton's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Michael Lerch returned a kick 75 yards against Lehigh in 1992.
I'm Honored • Jay McCareins was named the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week following his game-winning return. It was McCareins' second career Special Teams Player of the Week award; his first came in 2004 when he blocked two kicks, including one in overtime, to help Princeton to a 27-26 overtime win at Columbia.
Just For Kicks • Senior kicker Derek Javarone set the Princeton career record when he kicked his 39th field goal in the 27-24 win at Harvard. Javarone, who now has 40, needs one more field goal to tie Penn's Jason Feinberg for the Ivy League career record.
Junior Mint • Junior quarterback Jeff Terrell played his finest game in the win at Harvard, completing 15 of 26 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. The athletic signal caller also rushed six times for 23 yards and recorded a two-point conversion on a quarterback draw.
Century 21 • Jeff Terrell's two-point conversion was Princeton's first in 21 games, dating back to a 34-14 win at Brown that featured a conversion pass from tailback Branden Benson to B.J. Szymanski.
Circle Pattern • Sophomore wideout Brendan Circle scored his first career touchdown pass on a 34-yard corner route in the second quarter of the 27-24 win at Harvard. Circle's touchdown, and Terrell's ensuing conversion, gave Princeton a 17-10 lead.
Around The Horn • Senior Derek Davis opened the scoring at Harvard by scoring on a 72-yard end around on Princeton's first offensive play from scrimmage. It was Davis' first career touchdown.
On Dek • Jon Dekker's two best career games have come at Harvard Stadium, including last week's career-high seven-catch effort against the Crimson. Dekker had five catches in 2003 at Harvard.
Now On Dek • Jon Dekker's first career touchdown came in Princeton's 28-6 win over Cornell at Princeton Stadium two seasons ago. Dekker leads Princeton this season with 20 receptions.
Rob-bery • Sophomore fullback Rob Toresco leads Princeton in rushing with 62.0 yards per game, and he scored his first career touchdown on a one-yard option at Brown. He gained Princeton's two final first downs to ice the Harvard win last weekend, including a nine-yard run on 3rd-and-7. He has had 91 touches this season (76 rushes, 15 receptions). Princeton fullbacks had 31 touches combined in the three previous years.
Starting Lineup • Senior linebacker Justin Stull will be making his 27th straight start this weekend. Since that streak started, he has made 265 tackles. The next closest active player in the Ivy League in that time is Dartmouth's Josh Dooley, who enters this weekend with 194 career stops.
Justin Time • Justin Stull enters the weekend with 271 total tackles in his career. He needs 44 in his final four games to tie Aaron Harris '93 for second-place on Princeton's all-time list.
Fresh Faces • Freshmen Peter Buchignani and Tom Methvin combined to record 11 tackles and two sacks in Princeton's win over Harvard. Buchignani made hisfirst career start, and Methvin played in his first career game.
Conversion Chart • Princeton has converted on 50% (21 of 42) of its third-down attempts in Ivy League games this season. Its opponents in those three games have converted on 33% (13 of 40).
Out Of The Gates • Princeton is 4-0 in games it scores first and 0-2 in games its opponents score first. The Tigers were 5-2 in games they scored first last season and 0-3 when they didn't.
Seeing Red • Princeton leads the Ivy League with a 95% success rate offensively in the red zone. In 21 opportunities inside its opponent's 20-yard-line, Princeton has scored 20 times (10 TDs, 10 field goals). The Tigers also lead the Ivy League in red zone defense; they have held their opponents without a score 35.3% of the time.
The Marshall Plan • In his first career start at Harvard, junior defensive end Jake Marshall led Princeton with eight tackles, including five solo stops. Marshall, who missed his freshman season with an ankle injury, is expected to join freshman Peter Buchignani in making their first career home starts this weekend.
Sack Exchange • Princeton recorded a season-high four sacks in its win over Harvard last weekend. That is one less than the number of sacks the offense has given up all season (5), a credit to its senior offensive line.
Home Sweet Home • Through three home games this season, Princeton has outscored its opposition in each quarter, including a 24-10 edge in the fourth quarter. The Tiger defense also has allowed only one scoring drive of more than 60 yards at home this season.
Fields Of Dreams • Entering this season, Greg Fields had recorded more all-purpose yards against Cornell (275) than he had against any opponent. He averages 13.8 yards per touch against the Big Red, and he scored on a 6-yard end around in Ithaca last year.
Feeling Special • Princeton leads the Ivy League in both punting and punt returns. Junior punter Colin McDonough leads the league with a 40.3-yard average per punt, while return men Jay McCareins and Greg Fields have led Princeton to a Ivy-best average of 12.8 yards per return.
What's The Frequency, Kenneth • Princeton football returns to WHWH 1350 AM this year, with Ed Benkin (play-by-play) and Dan Loney (color) providing commentary. All audio broadcasts will also be available online at www.GoPrincetonTigers.com. WPRB 103.3 FM also plans to broadcast all Princeton football games this season.
Are You Sirius? • SIRIUS Satellite Radio, the nation's premier provider of live professional and collegiate sports events and sports talk on satellite radio, and the Ivy League have announced a multi-year agreement to broadcast a "Game of the Week" for football and men's basketball, plus a select number of men's hockey and other games from across the Ivy League sports landscape, on SIRIUS throughout the season.
Lights, Camera, Action • Princeton's next televised game will be Nov. 12 at home against Yale. The game will be seen live on CN8, a Comcast affiliate in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Princeton's season finale at Dartmouth on Nov. 19 could also be televised as the Ivy League and the network left the final date open to choose a contest with Ivy-title implications. The YES Network is available to viewers in New York, Connecticut, and large parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The YES Network is also available nationally to DIRECTV subscribers who have the "SPORTS Pack," one of the provider's premium services. The YES Network airs on DIRECTV's channel 622. All home games can be seen locally on Patriot Media TV.
The Crystal Ball • Two weeks after ending one nine-year drought, the Princeton football team will travel to Franklin Field in hopes of seeing another such streak end. Princeton will play against Penn at noon at historic Franklin Field on Saturday, Nov. 5. The game can be heard live on WHWH 1350 AM or www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Last Year: Cornell 21, Princeton 20
Box Score
Four seasons earlier, the potential tying point-after attempt hit a Princeton offensive lineman in the back, giving Cornell the decisive one-point edge it needed in a 25-24 victory. This time, the same kick deflected off the hand of a Cornell defensive lineman, and the same result occurred. The Princeton football team's hopes of a 2004 Ivy League title took a critical hit in a 21-20 loss to the Big Red at Schoellkopf Field.
A six-yard touchdown run by Greg Fields cut what was once a 14-point deficit to a mere 21-20 Cornell lead. Junior kicker Derek Javarone, who had made 20 of 21 extra-point attempts before that particular kick, saw his kick bounce off the hand of Matt Pollock with 6:48 remaining for the key play in a game full of huge plays. Cornell scored on passes of 24, 54 and 79 yards, while Princeton scored on an 80-yard pass from senior quarterback Matt Verbit to freshman receiver Bill Foran, who made his first career reception on the play.
Verbit passed for a season-high 260 yards and one touchdown. He threw two interceptions, both of which bounced off the hands of his receivers. Fields, who entered the game ranked 17th in the NCAA in all-purpose yards, gained 224 all-purpose yards, his second-best total of the season. The Tigers mustered just 69 yards rushing against the powerful Cornell run defense, including a team-best 50 from Branden Benson.
Zak Keasey led Princeton with 10 tackles, including two for loss, while Abi Fadeyi chipped in with nine tackles and a forced fumble. James Williams and Alan Borelli both added sacks. The defense allowed 382 total yards, including 320 in the air. Chad Nice caught four passes for 142 yards and a score, while Brian Romney caught five passes for 114 yards and two scores.
Tale Of The Tape
Cornell Princeton 28.2 Points Per Game 25.2 22.7 Points Allowed Per Game 18.7 119 First Downs 102 82/32/5 Rushing/Passing/Penalty 47/49/6 249.8 Rushing Yardage Per Game 167.7 18 Touchdowns Rushing 10 111.8 Passing Yardage Per Game 182.8 131/70/7 Att./Comp./Int. 161/87/6 2 Touchdowns Passing 4 49/61.3 Penalties/Yards 47/72.5 30/36.1 Punts/Avg. Per Punt 28/40.2 31:10 Time of Possession 29:48 9/61 Sacks By/Yardage 12 for 53 10/6 Fumbles/Fumbles Lost 11/4 9/10 Field Goals/Attempts 11/11 39 for 97 (40%) Third-Down Conversions 35 for 82 (43%)