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Princeton University Athletics
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Penn-Princeton Turns 100 Friday In Front Of National ESPNU Audience
November 04, 2008 | Football
The last two Penn-Princeton football games at Princeton Stadium have been one-point classics. On Friday night, in the 100th meeting between the historic football programs, the two teams will clash in front of the ESPNU cameras and a national audience in what could turn into yet another classic between the I-95 rivals.
PENN (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) vs. PRINCETON (3-4, 2-2 Ivy)
| Date/Time | Nov. 7/7 p.m. |
| Field | Powers Field at Princeton Stadium |
| Location | Princeton, N.J. |
| TV | ESPNU; DirecTV Channel 614 |
| Radio | 103.3 FM; GoPrincetonTigers.com |
| All-Time Series | Princeton 63-35-1 |
| Last Year | PENN 7, Princeton 0 |
| Last At Site | PRINCETON 31, Penn 30 (double OT) |
| Last Five Years | Penn 3-2 |
| Current Streak | Penn 1 |
Game Notes ? Week 8
Friday Night Lights ? This is Princeton's third straight year with a Friday night contest on ESPNU. In 2006, Princeton kept Brown out of the end zone for the only time in the Phil Estes era for a 17-3 win. Last season, Jordan Culbreath had his breakout performance in a 34-31 win over Cornell.
Call To Duty ? Dave Cohen (play-by-play) and Gus Ornstein (color) will call Friday night's contest on ESPNU. The game is also available on DirecTV channel 614; however, the game will not be videostreamed on GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Triple Play ? The Penn-Princeton series moves to triple digits today; this is the 100th meeting in a series Princeton leads 63-35-1. Princeton has played Penn more times than any opponent besides Yale (130) and Harvard (101).
Even Steven ? Although Princeton does lead the overall series significantly, since Penn's first win over Princeton in 1892 (6-4), the series is 35-35-1.
Close Calls ? From 1998 through 2003, the average margin of victory in the Penn-Princeton series was 21.5 points. In the last four games, the margin of victory has been 6.5 points, and both games played at Princeton Stadium have been decided by one point.
Pitch And A Prayer ? Two years ago, Princeton defeated Penn for the first time at Princeton Stadium on the now-famous fourth-down pitchback from Rob Toresco to Jeff Terrell in the second overtime session. The play would earn SportsCenter's “Top Play” distinction on a day that featured games in Division I-A, the NBA and the NHL.
Flagged ? Four years ago, Penn defeated Princeton 16-15 after missing a potential go-ahead kick in the final three minutes but getting a second opportunity after getting flagged for a dead-ball false start. The attempt was moved back five yards and Derek Zoch made the 27-yarder.
Pointless ? Last year's 7-0 Penn win was the lowest-scoring game in this series since 1955, when Princeton defeated Penn 7-0. It also marked the only time Princeton has been shut out under ninth-year head coach Roger Hughes.
Head Of The Class ? Princeton needs to win its final three games to end the season with a winning record, which would allow The Class of 2009 to graduate with three winning seasons in four years. The last class to graduate with that distinction was The Class of 1998, which recorded winning seasons in 1994, 1995 and 1997. In both cases, the senior class would have gone 7-3 as freshmen, won the Ivy League title as sophomore and gone 6-4 as seniors.
The First Shall Be Last ? In all seven of Princeton's games this season, the team that has scored first has lost.
Working Overtime ? Princeton has won five straight overtime games overall, including the double-overtime contest over Penn in 2006.
Offensive Notes ? Week 8
The Jordan Rules ? Princeton junior Jordan Culbreath leads the Ivy League and ranks 15th nationally in rushing with 114.9 yards per game. The last Princeton player to lead the league in rushing was Keith Elias '94 (1,575 yards in 1993). At his current pace, Culbreath would finish the year with the fourth-best single-season rushing total in Princeton history, behind only Keith Elias (twice) and Judd Garrett.
Double Trouble ? Besides Yale's Mike McLeod, the 2007 Ivy League rushing champion, Jordan Culbreath has more than twice as many rushing yards as any player in the league. Penn's Mike DiMaggio ranks third with 56 rushing yards per game, 58.9 yards fewer than Culbreath.
Happy Memories ? Prior to Princeton's last time on ESPNU, a 2007 contest against Cornell, Jordan Culbreath had nine rushes in his career. That night, he ran the ball 11 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including one that would be named “Top Play” on SportsCenter.
A Perfect 10 ? Jordan Culbreath has scored seven of his eight 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.
Ground Attack ? Jordan Culbreath has recorded back-to-back career efforts in his last two games. Against Harvard two weeks ago, he rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Last weekend, in a 31-26 victory at Cornell, he topped that mark with 169 yards rushing; that was the most yards for a Princeton back since Jon Veach ran for 205 yards at Harvard in 2003 and the fourth-most for any back in Hughes' tenure.
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 48.5 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 last weekend. He ranks second in the Ivy League and 10th nationally with 100.4 receiving yards per game.
Third And One (Thousand) ? Will Thanheiser can do something this season only two other Princeton players have done; he is on 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 last weekend; the last Princeton player to have two touchdown catches in a game was Brendan Circle (Yale, 2006).
Line ?Em Up ? The starters on the Princeton offensive line have combined for 83 starts heading into the weekend, including 27 for Mark Paski and 22 for J.P. Makrai.
Defensive Notes ? Week 8
Tackling The Issue ? Sophomore Steve Cody ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 9.3 tackles per game and recorded 11 last weekend at Cornell. He has recorded at least 10 tackles in five of seven games this year.
Sack Race ? The Princeton defense entered last weekend averaging fewer than two sacks per game. Against Cornell, the top pass offense in the league, the Tigers managed four sacks, including 1.5 from Scott Britton.
Go Cart ? Junior defensive back Cart Kelly recorded one of Princeton's biggest defensive plays of the season last weekend when he intercepted a Nathan Ford pass in the end zone during a 31-26 win at Cornell.
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 18.5 points per game in the second half.
Classic Koch ? Senior nose tackle Matt Koch had one of his best career games last weekend; he recorded seven tackles, tipped two passes at the line and forced a fumble in the win at Cornell.
Great Britton ? Junior Scott Britton had 1.5 sacks and nine tackles in Princeton's win over Cornell. In Princeton's four Ivy League games this season, Britton leads the team with 10 tackles per game.
D-Plus ? Senior Collin McCarthy recorded a career-best 14 tackles in last season's 7-0 loss to Penn. McCarthy shares the team lead with three sacks this season and has four tackles for loss.
Old And Newell ? Senior Barry Newell made his first start at cornerback against Harvard and finished second on the team with six tackles. Newell was working his way into the rotation before suffering a knee injury early in his career, but has battled all the way back.
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.
Miscellaneous Notes ? Week 8
Return To Sender ? The top two kickoff return specialists in the Ivy League will face off tonight. Penn's Chris Winn leads the league with a 26.1-yard average, while Princeton's Meko McCray is second with a 24.7-yard average.
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 all four 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 ? The 131st meeting between Princeton and Yale, the second-longest active rivalry in college football, will be shown on the Versus Network (DirecTV 608) Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon. Princeton's last trip to the Yale Bowl was in 2006, when the Tigers rallied from a trio of 14-point deficits to top the Bulldogs 34-31 en route to the Ivy League title. If you can't make the game, you can also listen live on WPRB 103.3 FM or GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Home Sweet Home ? Princeton will honor the Class of 2009 prior to its final home game on Nov. 22 against Dartmouth. The Tigers won an exciting 17-14 overtime contest against the Big Green last season. Fans can purchase tickets for the 1:00 start by calling 609-258-4TIX or going to www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.