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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Ready To Play Spoiler In 133rd Meeting With Yale
November 09, 2010 | Football
PRINCETON GAME NOTES l YALE GAME NOTES l LIVE AUDIO
As if playing in the 133rd meeting of the Princeton-Yale rivalry wouldn't provide enough motivation, Tiger football players have an opportunity to play spoiler this weekend when they travel to the historic Yale Bowl for their final road game of the season.
Yale comes into the weekend with a 4-1 Ivy League record and still has hopes for claiming the league title. While the Bulldogs host Princeton on Senior Day, Harvard (4-1) will head south to take on reigning Ivy champ and lone unbeaten Penn (5-0). Wins by both Harvard and Yale would leave three teams tied for first in the Ivy League and would set up a championship showdown in Cambridge on the final weekend of the season.
Princeton would love nothing more than to ruin those hopes, just as Yale did in 2005 at Princeton Stadium. The Tigers are still looking for both their first Ivy League and road win of the season, and ending both droughts in the Yale Bowl would be a much-needed moment of elation for a team that has struggled in 2010.
| Game Information | |
| Date/Time | Nov. 13/12 p.m. |
| Field | Yale Bowl |
| Location | New Haven, Conn. |
| TV | none |
| Radio | 103.3 FM/GoPrincetonTigers.com |
| All-Time Series | Yale 72-50-10 |
| Last Year | PRINCETON 24, Yale 17 |
| Last At Site | YALE 14, Princeton 0 (2008) |
| Last Five Years | Yale 3-2 |
| Current Streak | Princeton 1 |
Game Notes • Week 9
A Few Fast Facts To Get You Ready…
We Meet Again (And Again) • The most played rivalry in the Ivy League will be renewed Saturday when Princeton meets Yale for the 133rd time. The second-most played rivalry in the league is Yale-Harvard (126), while Princeton's second-most played rivalry is against Harvard (103).
Just A Second • The Princeton-Yale rivalry is the second-longest active rivalry in the nation. Princeton has played both teams that are currently in the midst of the longest rivalry; Lehigh and Lafayette will meet Nov. 20 for the 146th time. Princeton split with both teams, defeating Lafayette in overtime and falling to Lehigh in the season opener.
Bowl-ed Over • Princeton's last trip to the Yale Bowl resulted in a 14-0 shutout loss during a rainy Saturday afternoon in New Haven. The Tigers managed only 153 yards of total offense and committed four turnovers in the loss.
Rallying Cry • Princeton's second-to-last trip to the Yale Bowl provided one of the most memorable victories in this series. Playing for a share of the Ivy League lead, the Tigers rallied from a trio of 14-point deficits and received 445 passing yards from eventual Bushnell Cup winner Jeff Terrell in a 34-31 road victory. Princeton and Yale would go on to share the 2006 Ivy League championship.
From Beginning To End (Zone) • In its last four trips to the Yale Bowl, Princeton has scored four touchdowns, and each one of them came in the 2006 victory. In the 2002, 2004 and 2008 games, Princeton kicked a total of four field goals for all of its points.
Better To Share • Prior to 2006, the last time Princeton and Yale shared the Ivy League title was in 1989, when current Tiger head coach Bob Surace'90 was an All-Ivy senior center. Both teams went 6-1, with the Bulldogs rallying for a 14-7 win over Princeton at Palmer Stadium. In the season finale, Princeton defeated Cornell 21-7 and Harvard defeated Yale 37-20 to give Princeton its first Ivy League title in 20 years.
Cowboy Up • Jason Garrett'89, a former teammate of Princeton head coach Bob Surace and the 1988 Bushnell Cup winner as the Ivy League Player of the Year, was named the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 8, 2010. He is the first Princeton graduate to be a head coach in the National Football League.
On The Road Again • Princeton is looking for its first road victory of the season in its last attempt. The last time Princeton went winless on the road is 1999.
The Crystal Ball • Senior Day and the 2010 season finale will be Nov. 20 on Powers Field against Ivy League rival Dartmouth. Princeton has a six-game win streak over the Big Green, including the 276-yard rushing effort by Jordan Culbreath in a 28-10 victory in 2008. Members of the Class of 2010 will be honored before the game. The game can be heard live on 103.3 FM and GoPrincetonTigers.com, and seen live on GoPrincetonTigers.TV.
Offensive Notes and Anecdotes…
Elite Eight
Senior co-captain Jordan Culbreath will likely miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee against Penn. If that is the case, Culbreath ends his career with 1,935 rushing yards at Princeton. That total is eighth most all-time at Princeton and 15 behind the career total of 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier.
Culbreath, whose inspirational comeback from aplastic anemia was the subject of a 10-minute feature during the VERSUS pregame show last week, was one of two unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selections in 2008 after rushing for 1,260 yards; that total ranks fourth best in Princeton history.
Doing Yardwork
Senior Trey Peacock continues to have one of the best receiving seasons in Princeton history. He ranks fifth in the nation with 107.4 receiving yards per game and seventh in the country with 7.6 receptions per game. He has 859 receiving yards this season, which is already fifth most in Princeton history, and he is on pace to become the fourth Princeton wideout to record more than 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Here is the full list, along with Peacock's projected numbers:
| Player | Year | Rec. | Yards |
| Derek Graham | 1983 | 84 | 1,321 |
| Kevin Guthrie | 1983 | 88 | 1,260 |
| Kevin Guthrie | 1982 | 75 | 1,003 |
| Trey Peacock (projected) | 2010 | 76 | 1,074 |
Four Alive
Both Trey Peacock and Andrew Kerr are tied for second in the Ivy League in receiving touchdowns with five apiece. Kerr caught his fifth last weekend for the lone score against Penn, while Peacock caught three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the two previous weekends. The Ivy League leader in receiving touchdowns is Andrew Kennedy, who has caught seven for Yale.
On The Matt
Senior Matt Zimmerman was one of three Princeton captains to start the season, but he is the last one standing after injuries to both Steven Cody and Jordan Culbreath. Zimmerman will start his 28th game this weekend; his only missed game since the 2008 season opener was the Cornell game that season. He has started the last 21 games for Prince-ton, the longest active streak on the team.
Head Of The Class
Matt Zimmerman has excelled both on and off the field in his career. The economics major from Mountainside, N.J., was recently named a first-team Academic All-District selection and will be eligible for Academic All-America honors.
Flag Football
Princeton has had four penalties or fewer in each of the last six games, including only two penalties against Cornell. In each of the last six games, Princeton has been the lesser-penalized team.
Road Trip
Princeton's two most successful offensive days, in terms of yardage, have both come on the road. The Tigers gained 528 yards (136 rushing/392 passing) in the season opener at Lehigh), and they gained 403 (189/214) two weeks ago at Cornell.
Defensive Notes and Anecdotes…
Putting The O In Defense
Senior middle linebacker Jon Olofsson ranks third in the Ivy League with 76 tackles this season. He is averaging 9.5 tackles per game, third most in the Ivy League. One of the two players he trails is Yale's Jordan Haynes, who is averaging 10 tackles per game. He has averaged 13.5 tackles per game over the last two weeks.
The Stark Truth
Sophomore Andrew Starks is just behind Jon Olofsson with 70 tackles, including 37 solo stops. Two of Princeton's top linebackers of the last decade have led the Tigers in tackles as sophomores: Justin Stull led the 2003 team with 114 stops, while Steven Cody led the 2008 team with 85.
Set A Pick
Junior defensive back Blake Clemons tied for the team lead with his second interception of the season last weekend. He returned his second-quarter interception to the 10-yard-line and set up Princeton's only touchdown of the game.
You Da Man(dela)
Sophomore Mandela Sheaffer, who was Princeton's Top Offensive Freshman award winner last weekend, has excelled in his first season on defense. He is fourth on the team in tackles (51) and leads all non-linebackers.
Quick As A Cat
Junior Mike Catapano returned from injury last weekend against Penn. He leads all defensive linemen with 32 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.
Passing Fancy
Yale is averaging 251 passing yards per game this season; Princeton has not allowed more than 250 yards passing in a game since a Week 3 loss at Columbia. The Tigers intercepted Patrick Witt three times during last season's 24-17 victory on Powers Field.
Just For Kicks
Princeton has the Ivy League leader in both special teams categories; Joe Cloud ranks first in punting average (43.0 y/punt), while Patrick Jacob ranks first in field goals made (12 of 15). Cloud had a season-best punt of 67 yards last weekend against Penn.
Last Year: PRINCETON 24, Yale 17
A brilliant team effort and the coming of age for a sophomore quarterback carried Princeton to an emotional and hard-fought 24-17 victory over Yale during Senior Day on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.
Senior Kenny Gunter ran for 119 yards and a touchdown; it was Princeton's first 100-yard rushing game of the season, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Combined with the play of Wornham, who was nearly flawless with a 16-for-23 passing day and a 55-yard rushing day, the Princeton offense posted its biggest scoring effort of the season.
Part of the credit goes to the Princeton defense, which forced four turnovers and scored on most of them. Four players recorded eight tackles apiece, including Dan Kopolovich, who recorded an interception, two pass breakups and a game-ending fourth-down tackle just short of the first-down marker in the final minute. Cart Kelly and Glenn Wakam both recorded interceptions, while Keola Kaluhiokalani recovered a fumble after an athletic strip by Mark Ethridge. Freshman Caraun Reid would earn his first spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll with six tackles and a pass breakup.
The Princeton defense struck first on Yale's opening drive. Bulldog quarterback Patrick Witt, who struggled with turnovers throughout the day, was picked off on a third-and-long by senior Cart Kelly, who returned the ball to the Yale 43. Princeton was effective immediately, with Wornham hitting Trey Peacock for one first down and then rushing for another one on a 14-yard keeper. With a third-and-goal at the 1, Gunter powered through the line for a 7-0 lead; it was the first rushing touchdown for a Princeton running back all season.
Another Witt turnover, this one on the fumble recovered by Kaluhikalani, led to a second straight scoring drive for the Tigers. Five straight runs set Princeton up with another third-and-goal at the 1, and this time Yale was ready for Gunter's run up the middle. What the Bulldogs weren't ready for came next; after Gunter was tackled for a 1-yard loss, Princeton sprinted back to the line and called a quick snap, which Wornham kept for a two-yard bootleg touchdown.