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Princeton University Athletics
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Football Takes On Yale For 131st Time In Ivy League Game Of The Week; Versus Network To Televise Contest Nationally
November 11, 2008 | Football
The longest-running rivalry in the Ivy League and the second-longest nationally will be resumed for the 131st time this Saturday when Princeton travels to Yale for the Ivy League Football Game of the Week. The showdown will feature the top two rushers in the Ivy League: 2006 and 2007 rushing champion Mike McLeod of Yale and 2008 rushing leader Jordan Culbreath of Princeton.
PRINCETON (3-5, 2-3 Ivy) vs. YALE (5-3, 3-2 Ivy)
| Date/Time | Nov. 15/12 p.m. |
| Field | Yale Bowl |
| Location | New Haven, Conn. |
| TV | VERSUS Network (DirecTV 608) |
| Radio | 103.3 FM, GoPrincetonTigers.com |
| All-Time Series | Yale 71-49-10 |
| Last Year | Yale 27, PRINCETON 6 |
| Last At Site | Princeton 34, YALE 31 |
| Last Five Years | Yale 4-1 |
| Current Streak | Yale 1 |
Game Notes ? Week 9
We Meet Again ? This will be the 131st meeting between Princeton and Yale, making it the second-longest rivalry in college football. It trails only the Lehigh-Lafayette series, which will be played for the 144th time on Nov 22. Of the last six Princeton-Yale games played at The Yale Bowl, five have been decided by five points or less.
Call To Duty ? Rich Ackerman (play-by-play), Dale Hallestrae (color) and Bob Harwood (sideline) will call Saturday's Ivy League Game of the Week on the Versus Network. The game, which is also available on DirecTV channel 608, will mark Princeton's first game on this network.
Perfect 10 ? Both Princeton and Yale were listed in the Top 10 of the Street & Smith Greatest College Football Programs publication, released in 2005. The two programs have combined to win 54 national champions (Princeton 28, Yale 26); see page 12 of the notes to see the various polls that voted Princeton national champion throughout the years.
Rush To Judgment ? The top two rushers in the Ivy League will meet this weekend. Two-time defending rushing champion Mike McLeod is second in the league with 80.2 rushing yards per game; he trails Princeton junior Jordan Culbreath, who leads the league with a 107.2-yard average. Culbreath is on pace to become Princeton's seventh Ivy League rushing champion ever and first since 2002.
Amazing Race ? While Jordan Culbreath and Mike McLeod have more total rushing yards than anybody in the league, the actual Ivy League rushing title is determined through league games only. Culbreath is averaging 101.6 yards in five Ivy League games to lead the league, while McLeod ranks third with 73.6 yards per game. Penn's Mike DiMaggio is second with 76.8 yards per game.
All Advantages But One ? Last season, Princeton had the edge in first downs (25/13), rushing yards (184/128), passing yards (177/144), third-down conversions (53.3%/46.2%) and time of possession (30:52/29:08); however, four turnovers, including two at the Yale 2-yard-line, doomed Princeton in a 27-6 loss on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.
Going Bowl-Ing ? This will be Princeton's first game at The Yale Bowl since 2006, when the Tigers rallied from a trio of 14-point deficits and stunned the Bulldogs 34-31. Quarterback Jeff Terrell threw for 445 yards and three touchdowns in the win, which would help Princeton to its first Ivy League title since 1995.
Half And Half ? In the 2006 game, Yale's Mike McLeod rushed for 151 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. In the second half, he ran for 30 yards and no touchdowns. In three career games against Princeton, McLeod is averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game and has scored six touchdowns.
The First Shall Be Last ? In seven of Princeton's games this season, the team that has scored first has lost. The lone exception was last Friday night, when Princeton fell to Penn 14-9.
Offensive Notes ? Week 9
The Jordan Rules ? Princeton junior Jordan Culbreath leads the Ivy League and ranks 16th nationally in rushing with 107.6 yards per game. At his current pace, Culbreath would finish the year with the fifth-best single-season rushing total in Princeton history, behind only Keith Elias (twice), Judd Garrett and Henry Bjorklund.
Point, Counterpoint ? Jordan Culbreath has scored eight of his nine touchdowns on the ground this season; the last Princeton player to rush for 10 touchdowns in a season was Cameron Atkinson, who did it in 2002.
Strength vs. Strength ? While Jordan Culbreath is the leading scorer in the Ivy League, Yale has the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation. The Bulldogs are allowing only 11.9 points per game this season and have allowed only one player this season (Holy Cross' Ryan McGuire) to score more than one touchdown in a single game.
Bouncing Back ? Jordan Culbreath had a season-low 57 rushing yards against Penn Friday night. He has not been held under triple-digit rushing totals in consecutive games during the season. On the flip side, Culbreath recorded a career-high 52 receiving yards against Penn; his 120.9 all-purpose yards leads Princeton and is on pace to be the most for any Tiger player since Greg Fields recorded 1572 in 2004 (169 rushing, 511 receiving, 892 return).
Playing The Percentages ? In Princeton's three wins this season, senior quarterback Brian Anderson has completed 73.4 percent of his passes. In four losses, he has completed only 50.8 percent.
Will The Thrill ? Senior wide receiver Will Thanheiser recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season when he caught seven passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns at Cornell two weeks ago. In league games, he is averaging 104.4 receiving yards per game, second only to Harvard's Matt Luft (105.4); both players still have a game left against Yale, the No. 1 pass defense in the Ivy League (league games only).
Third And One (Thousand) ? Will Thanheiser can do something this season only two other Princeton players have done; he is close to the pace for 1,000 receiving yards this year, a feat only Kevin Guthrie (1982, 1983) and Derek Graham (1983) have ever accomplished.
Twice As Nice ? Will Thanheiser caught two touchdown passes at Cornell; the last Princeton player to have two touchdown catches in a game was Brendan Circle, who helped the Tigers to the 2006 comeback at Yale with a pair of second-half touchdowns.
Line ?Em Up ? The starters on the Princeton offensive line have combined for 88 starts heading into the weekend, including 28 for Mark Paski and 23 for J.P. Makrai. Both Paski and Makrai were freshman starters when Princeton beat Yale 34-31 in the 2006 game in New Haven.
Defensive Notes ? Week 9
Tackling The Issue ? Sophomore Steve Cody ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 9.2 tackles per game. He has recorded at least 10 tackles in five of eight games this year, the best total for a Princeton sophomore since Justin Stull in 2003.
Great Britton ? In Ivy League games only, junior linebacker Scott Britton ranks second in the league with 10 tackles per game. He led Princeton with 10 stops last Friday against Penn.
Go Cart ? Junior defensive back Cart Kelly recorded one of Princeton's biggest defensive plays of the season two weeks ago when he intercepted a Nathan Ford pass in the end zone during a 31-26 win at Cornell. Kelly, a two-year starter for Princeton, has 34 tackles and two pass break-ups this season.
Half And Half ? In Princeton's three wins this season, the defense has allowed nine points per game in the second half. In four losses, it has allowed 16.2 points per game in the second half.
Quarterly Report ? In the first, second and fourth quarters, Princeton is +10 in points this season. In the third quarter, the Tigers are -45.
Safety Squeeze ? Junior safety Wilson Cates leads the team in solo tackles (31) and ranks third overall with 54 stops; all three of Princeton's top tacklers (Steven Cody, Scott Britton and Cates) will return next season.
Dan The Man ? Junior Dan Kopolovich has worn different hats throughout the season. He began the season as Princeton's starting cornerback and backup quarterback, but began rotating at quarterback after Brian Anderson was injured in Week 5 against Brown. Last weekend, with a couple of injuries in the secondary, Kopolovich moved back to defense and played mostly safety against Penn.
Old And Newell ? Senior Barry Newell made his first start at cornerback against Harvard and finished second on the team with six tackles. He followed that up with his first career interception against Penn's Kieffer Garton last weekend.
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 in his first start against Colgate and currently ranks fifth on the team with 40 tackles this season.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 9
Return To Sender ? The Ivy League leader in kickoff returns is Cornell's Bryan Walters, who is averaging 22 yards per return. Princeton sophomore Meko McCray is averaging 25.4 yards per return, but doesn't qualify because he is averaging just below two returns per game. McCray was Princeton's top defensive freshman last season and moved to the offense this year; he is averaging 6.1 yards on seven carries and has a 12-yard touchdown.
Just For Kicks ? Sophomore Ben Bologna has handled kickoffs all season, but he moved into the starting placekicker role when Connor Louden got injured at Colgate and has successfully made five of six field goal attempts this season. Bologna's longest kick is a 35-yard extra point four weeks ago against Colgate, which followed 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.
The Crystal Ball ? Princeton will return to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium for Senior Day next weekend. The Tigers will take on Dartmouth for the 88th time in the series, and for the fifth time, the two teams will play for the 1917 Sawhorse Dollar. Princeton has won four straight in this series, including a 2007 overtime contest, giving the Tigers their longest winning streak in the series since 1949-52, which included Princeton's last national championship team and the 1951 Heisman Trophy season for Dick Kazmaier. With a win, Princeton would even the all-time series at 42-42-4; it would mark the first time the series has been tied since 1989. Prior to the game, Princeton will honor the Class of 2009, which won the program's ninth Ivy League title as sophomores. For tickets to the game, fans can call 609-258-4TIX or can order them online at GoPrincetonTigers.com.