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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton-Harvard Football Rivalry Resumes With Ivy Positioning Up For Grabs
October 21, 2008 | Football
The Philadelphia Phillies host Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night, and the championship-starved fans at Citizens Bank Park will all know that a parade hasn't gone through Broad Street since 1983. To them, it seems like an eternity ago. Thus, 1982 is even longer than an eternity ago, but that was the last time an Ivy League team won the championship with more than one Ivy loss. Hours before the World Series game, historic football rivals Princeton and Harvard will meet (1 p.m., 103.3 FM, GoPrincetonTigers.com), and both will be looking to avoid that critical second loss.
Harvard (4-1, 1-1 Ivy) vs. Princeton (2-3, 1-1 Ivy)
| Date/Time | Oct. 25/1 p.m. |
| Field | Powers Field at Princeton Stadium |
| Location | Princeton, N.J. |
| TV/Videostream | GoPrincetonTigers.com |
| Radio | 103.3 FM/GoPrincetonTigers.com |
| All-Time Series | Princeton 52-41-7 |
| Last Year | HARVARD 27, Princeton 10 |
| Last at Site | PRINCETON 31, Harvard 28 |
| Last Five Years | Harvard 3-2 |
| Current Streak | Harvard 1 |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
Game Notes ? Week 6
We Are All The Champions ? Princeton and Harvard each won an Ivy League championship over the last two years and defeated the other during that season. In 2006, Princeton topped Harvard 31-28 en route to a 9-1 record and its first Ivy League title since 1995. Last season, Harvard defeated Princeton 27-10 and didn't lose an Ivy game to clinch the title.
One, Then Done ? Both Princeton and Harvard enter this weekend with one Ivy League loss. The last time a two-loss team has shared the Ivy League title was 1982, when Dartmouth, Harvard and Penn each won with 5-2 records.
Berry Exciting ? Princeton senior tri-captain Adam Berry is the twin brother of Harvard senior defensive back Andrew Berry. Adam, the younger brother by one minute, leads the career series 2-1.
Leading The Way ? Princeton junior Jordan Culbreath leads the Ivy League and ranks 22nd nationally in rushing with 96.2 yards per game. The last Princeton player to lead the league in rushing was Keith Elias '94 (1,575 yards in 1993).
Head Of The Class ? The last Princeton senior class to graduate with at least three wins over Harvard was the 1996 one, which swept the Crimson all four years. The Class of 2009 is 2-1 so far against Harvard.
Three's Company ? Dating back to last season, Princeton has won its last four games by three points each. Both of Princeton's last two wins over Harvard have been by two points apiece (27-24 in 2005 and 31-28 in 2006).
Grand Finale ? Six of Princeton's last nine games, including three of the final four last season, were still in doubt with less than two minutes remaining. In four of them, a field goal was either made or missed to determine the outcome in the final five seconds.
The First Shall Be Last ? In all five of Princeton's games this season, the team that has scored first has lost.
Half and Half ? 16 of Princeton's scoring drives this season have come in the first half of its five games.
Rallying Cry ? Since 2006, Princeton has rallied in 10 of its 15 victories, including each of Princeton's last two. In nine of those wins, Princeton's scored its winning points in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Working Overtime ? Princeton has won five straight overtime contests, including the 2007 season finale at Dartmouth, which was the first start in Brian Anderson's career. One of those wins was a 27-26 victory over Colgate during the 2006 championship season.
Offensive Notes ? Week 6
Point, Counterpoint ? The Ivy League leaders in points and touchdowns will meet today. The overall scoring leader in the league is Harvard kicker Patrick Long, who averages 7.4 points per game. Jordan Culbreath shares the league in points from touchdowns with 6.0 per game; he scored at least one in each of the first four games of the season.
Three For One ? Princeton was forced to use three quarterbacks last weekend against Brown: Brian Anderson, Dan Kopolovich and Tommy Wornham. Both Kopolovich and Wornham made their collegiate debuts at quarterback in that game. The last time Princeton used three quarterbacks was in the 2007 loss at Harvard, when the team used Bill Foran, Greg Mroz and, in his collegiate debut, Anderson.
Shouldering The Load ? Brian Anderson, who hurt his non-throwing shoulder last weekend, will be a game-time decision this week.
Ask And You Shall Receive ? Two of the Ivy League's top three receivers (in terms of yardage) will compete today. Harvard junior Matt Luft leads the Ivy League with 114.2 yards per game, while Princeton senior Will Thanheiser ranks third with 96.2 yards per game. Thanheiser leads all Ivy League receivers with at least 15 catches with a yards-per-catch average of 17.8 yards.
Ground Attack ? While both teams may have standout receivers, the two offenses are based on the run game. Princeton leads the Ivy League in rushing offense with 146 yards per game, while Harvard ranks second with 121.6 yards per game.
Line ?Em Up ? The starters on the Princeton offensive line have combined for 73 starts heading into the weekend, including 25 for Mark Paski and 20 for J.P. Makrai.
Meko, Myself and I ? Sophomore Meko McCray, who earned Princeton's top defensive freshman honor last season, scored his first career touchdown on a 12-yard end around last weekend against Brown.
Defensive Notes ? Week 6
Great Britton ? Junior Scott Britton was named to the Ivy League honor roll after recording 11 tackles and a sack against Brown last weekend. Britton ranks eighth in the Ivy League with 8.2 tackles per game. He has recorded 11 tackles in each of the two Ivy League games this season; Britton missed the final month of his freshman season after suffering a knee injury in the 2006 home game against Harvard.
Tackling The Issue ? Sophomore Steve Cody ranks third in the Ivy League and 29th nationally with 9.6 tackles per game. He has recorded at least 10 tackles in four of five games this season.
Row, Row, Roque ? Junior Carlos Roque recorded his first career interception last weekend against Brown. Princeton had not recorded an interception since the second week of the season, when Jeff Jackson grabbed his first career interception against Lehigh.
Positional Battle ? Part of Princeton's struggles against Brown last weekend came in the field position battle. In the second half, when Brown outscored Princeton 17-0, the Bears' average field position was the Princeton 46, while Princeton's was its own 20.
Go Cart ? Starting cornerback Cart Kelly recorded a career-high nine tackles against Columbia and recovered a fumble to end the Lions' final drive of the game.
Dan The Man ? Junior Dan Kopolovich has been a starting cornerback since his freshman season. This year, he holds another role; the former all-state signal-caller is the No. 2 quarterback at Princeton. Kopolovich made his quarterback debut last weekend against Brown.
Re-Pete ? Senior Pete Ploszek, a converted running back, has moved into the starting lineup at free safety. He recorded a career-high eight tackles Saturday against Colgate.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 6
I'm Honored ? Senior kicker Connor Louden earned his first Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week honor after kicking the game-winning 32-yard field goal in the 10-7 victory over Lehigh. He has now clinched two of Princeton's last three wins, dating back to 2007, with game-ending kicks. Louden also added a career-long 40-yard field goal against Colgate; it was one of two 40-yard field goals Princeton has made since 2003.
Louden Clear ? Connor Louden, who sent the 2006 win over Colgate into overtime with a late 34-yard field goal, made his first 56 career extra points before having one blocked last weekend. The all-time Princeton record is 59, set by Robert Goodwin from 1985-1987.
Spirit Of '76 ? Senior Ryan Coyle, the 2007 first-team All-Ivy punter, booted a career-long 76-yard punt last weekend. He averaged 52.0 yards per punt, by far his best average in any game this season. The total moved him from the middle of the pack to the top of the Ivy League rankings in punting average.
Just For Kicks ? Sophomore Ben Bologna has handled kickoffs all season, but he handled the placekicking duties for the injured Connor Louden last weekend and made his first career field goal (18 yards) last weekend against Brown. Bologna also made a 35-yard extra point two weeks ago against Colgate following a personal foul.
Happy Anniversary ? Princeton is celebrating its 10th year at Princeton Stadium, one of the newest and finest facilities in the Division I FCS. Powers Field, a FieldTurf surface, was added in 2005 after a generous gift from alumnus William Powers '79.
TV Watch ? Princeton will have two nationally televised games in November. The 100th meeting between Penn and Princeton will be seen live on ESPNU (DirecTV 609) Friday night, Nov. 7, while the 131st meeting between Princeton and Yale will be shown on the Versus Network
(DirecTV 608) Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon.
The Crystal Ball ? Princeton will head to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell at 1 p.m. on Nov. 1. The Tigers have lost two straight on Schoellkopf Field and have played four straight thrillers against Cornell. If you can't make the game, you can listen live on WPRB 103.3 FM or
GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Home Sweet Home ? Princeton will return home Friday, Nov. 7, for its ESPNU showdown against Penn. Princeton's last home game against Penn was the two-overtime thriller in 2006 that Princeton won 31-30; the game is remembered for the fourth-down pitchback touchdown from Rob Toresco to Jeff Terrell in the second overtime session that was named SportsCenter's “Top Play.” You can order tickets by calling 609-258-4TIX or by logging on to GoPrincetonTigers.com.