.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
November Reign: First Place On Line As Football Travels To Preseason Favorite Penn
November 01, 2005 | Football
Nov. 1, 2005
Only one Ivy League team, Harvard, has left Franklin Field this century with a victory. That is the tall order for Princeton this weekend when it travels to Penn for a noon start on Saturday (WHWH 1350 AM, GoPrincetonTigers.com), but the Tiger football team has earned the opportunity to play that game for the highest of stakes - control of its own championship dreams over the final two weeks of the 2005 season.
Four teams enter November with one Ivy League loss, and those four teams will be whittled down to two by the end of Saturday. If the right combination of teams win, a fifth team could regain control of its own destiny in the league race.
Exciting enough for you?
It is for Princeton, which hasn't played a November game for first place since 2002. That season was the freshman one for the members of the Class of 2006, who are three wins away from ending their careers with their first and Princeton's ninth Ivy League championship.
Of course, that stretch begins at Franklin Field, a location Princeton hasn't emerged victorious since that last championship season of 1995. Princeton has won at 14 different stadiums since that '95 win over Penn. Those stadiums are both Palmer and Princeton Stadium, both Giants Stadium and Lions' Stadium at The College of New Jersey (where Princeton won games in 1997), and the home stadiums of Brown, Columbia, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, San Diego and Yale (congratulations to Matt Ciciarelli for being the first to email GoPrincetonTigers.com with the right answer).
Princeton's challenge against Penn is three-fold. The Tiger defense must contain a Penn team that averages 44 points per home game this season. The offense has to possess the ball and score when the opportunity presents itself against the top-ranked defense in the league. And the special teams has to help Princeton win the battle of field position throughout the game.
It won't be easy, nor should it be. Standing in first place with two weeks remaining in the Ivy League season demands excellence, and that's what it will take for Princeton to get it done this weekend.
Princeton (5-2, 3-1) at Penn (5-2, 3-1) Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Notes
The Race Is On • With three games remaining in the Ivy League schedule, four teams have control of their own destiny in the race for the 2005 title. Those four teams play each other this weekend, which sets up a number of intriguing scenarios.
If Princeton and Brown win, both teams would share the Ivy League title if both won out. Nobody
else could win out and be assured the title.
If Princeton and Yale win, both teams would meet next weekend at Princeton Stadium for the Ivy League title. The winner would be assured at least a share of the title, while the loser would need
a win in Week 10 and a loss by the other team to claim a share.
If Penn and Brown win, both teams would share the Ivy League title if both won out. Nobody
else could win out and be assured the title.
If Penn and Yale win, three teams would have control of their own destiny in the Ivy League race --
Penn, Yale and Harvard. The Crimson would have two losses and would play both Penn and Yale.
Learning To Share • While five teams, including Harvard, still have a chance to win the title by itself, there is a distinct possibility for two or more teams to share the league title. There hasn't been a two-team tie for the league title since 1999 (Yale and Brown), and there hasn't been a three-way tie since 1982 (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth). There has never been a four-way share of the title, which is mathematically possible this season.
Nine Lives • Princeton entered the 2005 season with respective nine-game losing streaks to both Harvard and Penn. The Tigers ended one two weeks ago with a 27-24 win at Harvard.
A Perfect 10 • The last time Princeton defeated both Penn and Harvard in the same season was 10 years ago, when Princeton went 5-1-1 in the league and claimed its eighth Ivy League championship. Princeton hasn't won a league title since.
Mirror Images • Princeton and Penn are both ranked second in the Ivy League in scoring defense. Both teams have allowed exactly 129 points this season, 18.4 per game.
Conversion Chart • Both teams' defenses are tops in the league on third down. Penn is ranked first in the Ivy League, allowing its opponents a 28.3% success rate on third downs, while Princeton is second with a 30.2% success rate.
First And Foremost • Princeton is 5-0 when it scores first and 0-2 when it doesn't this season. Furthermore, Princeton has never trailed at the end of a quarter in a game it lost, nor has it led at the end of a quarter in a game it won. The only quarter that ended with Princeton and its opponent tied was the fourth quarter last weekend against Cornell.
Sixth Sense • Princeton is 3-1 in the Ivy League for the first time since 2002 and the second time in the last six years. A win would give Princeton its first 4-1 record in league play since 1993; since then, the Tigers have been 1-4 four times, 2-3 four times, 3-2 twice and 5-0 once (1995).
Close Calls I • Four of Princeton's five wins this season have come by three points or less, including last week's 20-17 overtime victory against Cornell.
Close Calls II • Since the Class of 2006 began their Tiger careers, 23 of 37 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Princeton is 11-12 in those games, but it has won five of its last seven (the 17-10 win over Dartmouth in '04 and this year's Lafayette, San Diego, Harvard and Cornell games).
Close But No Cigar • Princeton nearly ended its drought against Penn last season, but Derek Javarone's game-winning attempt from 41 yards sailed inches right.
Just For Kicks • Senior placekicker Derek Javarone made his first game-ending field goal last weekend to defeat Cornell 20-17 in overtime. The kick was the 42nd in Javarone's career, breaking former Penn kicker Jason Feinberg's league record of 41, set in 2000.
I'm Honored • Derek Javarone's game-winning kick, which followed his 35-yard field goal to force overtime, earned him the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week award. It marked the second straight week Princeton has earned that honor; Jay McCareins earned it with his game-winning 93-yard kickoff return in the 27-24 win at Harvard.
Jaywalking • Senior defensive back Jay McCareins, a two-time National Player of the Week this season, ranks second nationally and first in the Ivy League with .71 interceptions per game. He and Penn's Michael Johns share the Ivy League lead with 12 passes defensed.
Jaywalking II • Jay McCareins has 14 career interceptions, and Princeton is 9-2 all-time in games McCareins records a pick. He has recorded at least one career interception against every team in the Ivy League except Penn.
Jaywalking III • Jay McCareins ranks 86th nationally in all-purpose yards with 101.0 per game. He is the only player in the top 100 who does not have a single offensive yard all season.
Tackling The Issue • Senior linebacker Abi Fadeyi recorded a career- and game-high 14 tackles in Princeton's win over Cornell last weekend. He also added a pair of sacks and ranks fifth in the Ivy League with 7.5 tackles for loss.
Starting Lineup • Senior linebacker Justin Stull will be making his 28th straight start this weekend. Since that streak started, he has made 278 tackles, including 13 last weekend. The next closest active player in the Ivy League during that time is Dartmouth's Josh Dooley, who enters this weekend with 207 career stops. Stull has averaged 11.5 tackles per game in two starts against Penn.
Justin Time • Justin Stull enters the weekend with 284 total tackles in his career. He needs 31 in his final three games to tie Aaron Harris '93 for second-place on Princeton's all-time list.
Driven To Success • Trailing 17-14 late last weekend, Princeton engineered an 18-play drive to kick the tying field goal. It was Princeton's longest drive of the season in terms of total plays, and it was the Tigers' sixth scoring drive this season of at least 10 plays.
Junior Mint • Junior quarterback Jeff Terrell entered that drive last weekend having thrown for 146 yards on 9-for-20 passing and having rushed for five yards. On the tying drive, he completed 4-of-7 passes for 54 yards and rushed three times for 23 yards. Of his four completions, three converted on third downs and the fourth converted on a fourth down.
On Dek • Senior tight end Jon Dekker leads Princeton with 25 receptions and three touchdowns this season, which includes the 11-yard scoring pass he caught last weekend. Coming into the season, Dekker's career highs in receptions and touchdowns was 19 and one, both coming in 2003.
Rob-bery • Sophomore fullback Rob Toresco leads Princeton in rushing with 52.0 yards per game, and he scored his second career touchdown on a 1-yard run against Cornell last weekend. He leads all Princeton runners and receivers with 105 touches this season
Seeing Red • Princeton leads the Ivy League with a 92% success rate offensively in the red zone. In 26 opportunities inside its opponent's 20-yard-line, Princeton has scored 24 times (12 TDs, 12 field goals). The Tigers also lead the Ivy League in red zone defense; they have held their opponents without a score 35% of the time.
Sack Exchange • Princeton's senior-laden offensive line will be tested by the Ivy League leader in sacks this season. Penn has 20 sacks in seven games, tying it for first with Harvard. Princeton is second in the league in sacks against, allowing only seven this season.
Poll Position • Penn was picked to finish first in the Ivy League, while Princeton was picked to finish sixth. Penn got eight of the 16 first-place votes from the media, and Harvard got the other eight.
Strength Of Schedule • Princeton's three nonleague opponents this season have a combined 19-6 record. Overall, Princeton's 2005 opponents have a combined record of 34-19.
The Crystal Ball • Princeton will play its final home game of the season next Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m. against Yale. Princeton has lost three straight to Yale, including a double-overtime loss to the Bulldogs in the last matchup at Princeton Stadium. Yale leads the all-time series 69-48-10; the 127 meetings is second-most in any series in Division I (Lehigh and Lafayette will play for the 141st time this season).
Golden Anniversary • The Princeton-Yale game will mark the 50th anniversary of Princeton's 13-0 upset of the Bulldogs, which clinched the final unofficial Ivy League title (official play began in 1956). There will be a halftime ceremony honoring that team next weekend.
Last Year: Penn 16, Princeton 15
Box Score
A superb effort by the Princeton football team ended in stunning disappointment, as Derek Zoch's 27-yard field goal pushed No. 20 Penn to a 16-15 win over Princeton in front of 15,891 at Princeton Stadium. Zoch's kick, which followed a 22-yard miss seconds earlier that was blown dead on a Penn false start, served as the margin of victory when Princeton kicker Derek Javarone missed a 41-yard kick inches to the right with 18 seconds remaining in the contest.
Penn (7-1, 5-0) kept its 20-game Ivy League winning streak alive, although the Quakers would fall to Harvard the next weekend in a showdown for the Ivy League title. Princeton was officially eliminated from the league race with the loss.
Zoch, a freshman attempting his first kick, missed the 22-yarder to the right, but the false start penalty on Penn gave him the chance at a 27-yard kick. He split the uprights on that one, giving Penn a 16-15 lead with 2:54 remaining. Senior quarterback Matt Verbit then led Princeton on a 12-play, 56-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion pass to Greg Fields and an 11-yard run of his own. Princeton got to the 19-yard line, but a pair of rushes by Branden Benson resulted in a loss of five yards and set Javarone up for the 41-yard kick, which had the distance but sailed right of the goalpost.
Princeton outgained Penn 335-289 and rushed for 196 yards against the No. 2 defense in the Ivy League. Jon Veach led the way with 97 yards, while Benson had 57 and Fields had 22 yards and a touchdown. Fields ended the game with 175 all-purpose yards, including 90 yards on punt returns. Verbit was 17-for-30 for 139 yards, while Penn quarterback Pat McDermott was 14-for-27 for 198 yards and a touchdown.
Junior linebacker Justin Stull recorded a game-high 11 tackles while teammate and Ivy League leader Zak Keasey recorded 10 tackles. Alan Borelli added seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Tale of the Tape
Penn Princeton 35.1 Points Per Game 24.4 18.4 Points Allowed Per Game 18.4 132 First Downs 117 60/62/10 Rushing/Passing/Penalty 52/59/6 153.3 Rushing Yardage Per Game 160.6 12 Touchdowns Rushing 11 209.7 Passing Yardage Per Game 183.9 214/113/8 Att./Comp./Int. 188/100/6 14 Touchdowns Passing 5 40/48.0 Penalties/Yards 56/70.0 42/37.5 Punts/Avg. Per Punt 33/39.8 30:38 Time of Possession 29:29 20/159 Sacks By/Yardage 15/78 13/2 Fumbles/Fumbles Lost 16/5 10/14 Field Goals/Attempts 13/14 36 of 107 (34%) Third-Down Conversions 41 of 98 (42%)