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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Prepares For 132nd Showdown With Yale On Senior Day
November 10, 2009 | Football
Princeton will pay tribute to a pair of special groups of players Saturday when it hosts Yale for the 132nd meeting between these two historic programs (YES Network, WPRB 103.3 FM, GoPrincetonTigers.com). Members of the Class of 2010, playing their final home game, will be honored, as will the members of the 1964 Princeton team, the last undefeated Tiger squad, during its 45th anniversary.
Yale (4-4, 2-3 Ivy) vs. Princeton (2-6, 1-4 Ivy)
Date/Time Nov. 14/1 p.m.
Field Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
Location Princeton, N.J.
TV The YES Network (DirecTV 622)
Radio 103.3 FM/GoPrincetonTigers.com
All-Time Series Yale leads 72-49-10
Last Year YALE 14, Princeton 0
Last At Site Yale 27, PRINCETON 6
Last Five Years Yale 4-1
Current Streak Yale 2
Game Notes • Week 9
Lights, Camera, Action • Today's game is being televised on the YES Network (DirecTV 622), the fifth different station to show a Princeton football game this season.
Again And Again • Princeton and Yale will meet for the 132nd time today; the Tigers' next longest rivalry against an Ivy League team is a 102-game series against Harvard. The first game played between the two teams was on Nov. 15, 1873, a game Princeton won 3g-0. Yale leads the all-time series 72-49-10.
History Lesson • Since their first meeting in 1873, these teams have combined for more than 1,600 victories, 42 national championships and all three Heisman Trophies won by Ivy League players.
Class Acts • The Princeton Class of 2010 will play its final home game Saturday and will be honored prior to the game. Through the first 38 games of their time, Princeton is 19-19 and can finish with a winning record if it ends this season with wins over Yale and Dartmouth. Princeton is also 10-9 at home over the last four seasons.
Positive Memories • When members of the Class of 2010 were freshman, both Princeton and Yale shared the Ivy League championship. Princeton won the head-to-head meeting 34-31 by rallying from a trio of different 14-point deficits.
Even Steven • The Princeton Class of 2010 will look to split its career series with Yale today. Following the 2006 win in New Haven, Princeton has lost games of 27-6 (2007) and 14-0 (2008) to its oldest rival. Princeton has not scored a touchdown against Yale since the 2006 game and has lost three straight at home to Yale.
Home Schooled • The Princeton offense is averaging 4.7 yards per play at home and 3.6 yards per play on the road. The Tigers also have three second-half touchdowns at home and none on the road.
Home Sweet Home • Princeton is averaging 338.5 offensive yards per game in its four home games and 194.5 yards per game during four games on the road.
Rallying Cry • In its last home game, Princeton defeated Cornell 17-13 with a 78-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was the Tigers' first fourth-quarter comeback win in a span of 14 games; in both cases, the winning touchdown came on a long touchdown reception by Trey Peacock (52 vs. Columbia, 2008; 78 vs. Cornell, last week).
Trey Bien • In Princeton's last two home games, Trey Peacock has caught three touchdown passes; two of the three have come in the fourth quarter to either tie the score or give Princeton a lead.
Tackling The Issue • Junior Steven Cody currently leads the Ivy League and ranks fourth nationally with 12.3 stops per game. He has recorded at least 15 tackles in each of his last two home games and added an interception two weeks ago in the 17-13 victory over Cornell. Cody led the Tigers in tackles last season and ranked fifth in the Ivy League.
Stepping Up • Junior linebacker Keola Kaluhiokalani moved into the lineup following injuries to Scott Britton and Jon Olofsson and had the best game of his career with nine tackles at Penn. Both Steven Cody and Dan Kopolovich also had nine tackles against the Quakers.
Block Party • Senior Joel Karacozoff blocked a field goal at Penn last weekend. It was Princeton's first blocked kick since Kevin Kelleher blocked one in a one-point overtime win at Colgate in 2006.
Big Ben • After early-season struggles, senior kicker Ben Bologna has made his last three field goals, including a 40-yard kick in Princeton's last home game, a 17-13 win against Cornell. That is tied for Princeton's longest field goal since Oct. 1, 2005.
Happy Anniversary • At halftime, the 1964 Princeton football team will be honored on Powers Field. The team, which was led by captain and future College Football Hall of Famer Cosmo Iacavazzi and first-team All-America honoree Stas Maliszewski, was the last undefeated team at Princeton. It won nine games, a feat unmatched at Princeton until the 2006 team went 9-1 and won the Ivy League championship.
Head Of The Class • Two Princeton players earned first-team honors on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team. Junior fullback Matt Zimmerman and senior defensive back Dan Kopolovich both earned the honor; Kopolovich was also a semifinalist for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), an academic honor given by the National Football Foundation.
Oh Captain, Our Captain • Senior captain Jordan Culbreath, the 2008 Ivy League rushing champion, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia following Princeton's Week 2 game at Lehigh and has missed the rest of the season. He was able to attend his first football game two weeks ago and was given the game ball after Princeton's 17-13 victory over Cornell. Assuming no changes to his health, he will be able to join his classmates in being honored prior to Saturday's game.
Spinning A Web • The official Princeton athletics web site, www.GoPrincetonTigers.com, has a new look and a new partner, www.GoPrincetonTigers.tv. Princeton football fans will be able to find pre- and post-game stories, as well as features, videos, live and replayed games, game highlights, audio interviews, statistics, future schedules and much more. You can also listen live to Ed Benkin and Dan Loney broadcast each game on either GoPrincetonTigers.com or on WPRB 103.3 FM.
The Crystal Ball • Princeton will conclude the 2009 season next weekend with a road game at Dartmouth (12:30 p.m., GoPrincetonTigers.com). For the sixth straight year, the winner of the game will once again win the “1917 Sawhorse Dollar.” Princeton earned the first Sawhorse Dollar by topping Dartmouth 17-10 in 2004 and has retained the honor every year since.
Last Year: YALE 14, Princeton 0
The Princeton football team didn't complete a pass for more than eight yards, committed four turnovers and couldn't force any against a Yale squad that remained in the Ivy League championship race with a 14-0 victory over the Tigers on a dreary day at The Yale Bowl.
Yale carried the nation's No. 1 scoring defense into the game and limited the Princeton offense to only 153 total offensive yards, including 57 through the air. Senior quarterback Brian Anderson completed 9 of 21 passes for 52 yards and was intercepted three times, while backup Tommy Wornham completed one pass for five yards while leading one drive late in the second quarter.
The defense, which didn't allow a touchdown drive of more than 24 yards, was led by junior Wilson Cates (nine tackles) and senior Steve Cody (seven solo tackles). Princeton also managed four sacks against Yale quarterback Brook Hart, including the fourth of the season for Brad Stetler. Princeton kept Yale off the scoreboard on eight of its 10 drives, but it couldn't force a turnover to flip the battle of field position.
Princeton junior Jordan Culbreath, the Ivy League leader in rushing, gained 69 yards in 16 carries. This day, however, belonged to two-time league rushing champion Mike McLeod, who paced the Yale offense with 31 carries for 138 yards.
Trouble started early for Princeton, which suffered its first turnover of the day on its second play from scrimmage. Running an option play that has worked so well for Princeton all season, Anderson's pitch never connected with Culbreath. Whether it was a slick field, a slick ball or just missed communication, the ball was recovered by Larry Abare on the Princeton 24.
After McLeod ran for 12 yards, Hart hit Jordan Folney on a well-blocked wideout screen for a touchdown 3:35 into the game. Those two connected later on a 12-yard score.