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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Football Eyes Strong Ivy Start, Continued Momentum At Columbia
September 28, 2010 | Football
The Princeton football team couldn't have asked for a much more exciting way to head into its Ivy League season than Saturday night's 36-33 double-overtime win against Lafayette. With the memories of last year's shutout loss at the hands of Columbia and the knowledge that a quick Ivy start is almost imperative in the chase for a title, Princeton will head to Wien Stadium Saturday afternoon for its 2010 Ivy League opener.
| Game Information | |
| Date/Time | Oct. 2/12:30 p.m. |
| Field | Lawrence A. Wien Stadium |
| Location | New York, N.Y. |
| TV | none |
| Radio | 103.3 FM/GoPrincetonTigers.com/SIRIUS Channel 130 |
| All-Time Series | Princeton 64-14-1 |
| Last Year | Columbia 38, PRINCETON 0 |
| Last At Site | Princeton 27, COLUMBIA 24 |
| Last Five Years | Princeton 4-1 |
| Current Streak | Columbia 1 |
Game Notes • Week 3
A Few Fast Facts To Get You Ready…
Opening Act • Since the 2000 season, Princeton and Columbia have played each other in the Ivy League opener for both schools. During that stretch, Princeton has won eight times; the Tigers have not lost their Ivy League opener and produced a winning league record since 1997, and that included a forfeit win against Penn during a 4-3 Ivy season.
History Lesson • Princeton has a longer active winning streak at Wien Stadium than it does at any other Ivy League venue. The Tigers have won six straight games at Columbia; the only other stadium where Princeton has as many as two straight wins is Memorial Field at Dartmouth (three straight).
Close Calls • While Princeton has won six straight at Columbia, it hasn't come easy. Over the last five games at Wien Stadium, the Tigers' average winning margin is 4.6 points. Four of those five games have been decided by three points or less.
Firing Blanks • Princeton was shut out 38-0 by Columbia during the 2009 Ivy League opener. It was Columbia's first shutout in the series since 1997 and only its third since 1942. Heading into the 2009 game, Princeton had scored only two offensive touchdowns; Prince-ton has scored five already this season, including four last week.
Double Trouble • Princeton has never lost two straight games to Columbia.
What A Difference A Year Makes • Senior running back Jordan Culbreath headed into the 2009 Ivy League opener in a hospital, with doctors working towards their ultimate diagnosis of aplastic anemia. He wouldn't play again that season, though his football career was hardly the most important question to answer. This year, he heads into the Ivy opener on the heels of a game-winning touchdown in double-overtime of a 36-33 win over Lafayette.
Are You SIRIUS • As part of the partnership between the Ivy League and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Saturday's game between Princeton and Columbia will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 130.
Poll Position • Saturday's game will feature two teams looking to prove preseason pollsters wrong. Columbia was picked to finish fifth in the media poll, while Princeton was picked to finish sixth.
Sixth Sense • As a reminder, the last time Princeton was picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League preseason poll was 2006. The Tigers won the Ivy League that season.
I'm Honored • Princeton has received an Ivy League individual honor in each of the first two weeks this season. Junior quarterback Tommy Wornham was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week after last week's 36-33 double-overtime win over Lafayette. Patrick Jacob won the Special Teams honor after kicking five field goals in the season opener.
Roll With It • Both linebacker Jon Olofsson (16 tackles) and kicker Patrick Jacob (3/3 field goals) were named to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll following the Lafayette game.
Working Overtime • Princeton played its 15th overtime game in program history against Lafayette. The double-overtime win moved Princeton to 8-7 all-time.
Offensive Notes and Anecdotes…
Deep Six
Junior Tommy Wornham, the reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, has started 12 games in his career. These are the key numbers from the first half of that stretch to the second:
| Category | First 6 | Second 6 |
| Pass Yds/Game | 149.7 |
222.0 |
| Total Yds/Game | 190.3 | 254.3 |
| Touchdowns:Interceptions | 4:6 | 6:4 |
| Completion Pct. | 54.9% | 59.4% |
| Team Third Down Conv. Pct. | 34.8% | 39.6% |
| Win-Loss Record | 1-5 | 4-2 |
Conversion Chart
Tommy Wornham did more than just put up big numbers against Lafayette; he made important plays in key spots. Down 8, he converted a 3rd-and-10 pass for 12 yards, a 3rd-and-10 rush for 12 yards, a 3rd-and-16 rush for 18 yards and a 2nd-and-10 pass for 12 yards. After Lafayette took a 27-24 lead with 5:22 remaining, Wornham engineered another important drive that included a 3rd-and-1 rush for two yards and a 3rd-and-8 pass for 12 yards.
Trey Bien
Senior Trey Peacock leads both the Ivy League and the NCAA with 147 receiving yards per game. He had the eighth-best total in Princeton
history in the opener with 196 yards, and he nearly had back-to-back triple-digit efforts but ended the last game with 98 receiving yards.
Happy Memories
Trey Peacock's first career touchdown reception came at Wien Stadium; his 52-yard fourth-quarter touchdown reception provided the winning margin in a 27-24 win over Columbia in 2008.
Catching On
Senior wide receiver Andrew Kerr ranks second in the Ivy League and ninth nationally with eight receptions per game. He caught five passes against Lafayette, including one for a touchdown.
Grand Return
Jordan Culbreath's two-yard touchdown in overtime against Lafayette was his first since the 2008 season finale, when he rushed for 276 yards and two scores. Though he ranks fifth in the league in rushing, his 5.8 yard-per-carry average is more than half a yard better than any back in the Top 10.
Line It Up
Despite an offensive line that has four new starters and started a new center last week after a Week 1 injury to Mike Muha, Princeton has allowed only one sack in each of the first two games. Freshman Joe Goss became the first member of the Class of 2014 to start a game when he started at center last weekend, while classmate Taylor Pearson has played valuable minutes in both games.
Net Gain
Through two games, no Princeton running back has rushed for a loss of yardage. The only runs that have lost yards for Princeton this season have been by wideouts or quarterbacks (sacks are counted as rushing yards).
Defensive Notes and Anecdotes…
Putting The O In Defense
Senior Jon Olofsson, who moved to middle linebacker after the injury to Steven Cody, made a career high 16 tackles in the 36-33 double-overtime win over Lafayette. Olofsson ranks fourth in the league with 10.5 tackles per game; Columbia's Alex Gross leads the league with 13 tackles per game.
Some Bend, No Break
In the loss to Lehigh, Princeton gave up two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter in a 35-22 game. Against Lafayette, the Tiger defense limited its opponent's final four scoring drives — including both in overtime — to field goals.
The Stark Truth
Sophomore Andrew Starks moved from defensive back to linebacker in the offseason and is second on the team with 18 tackles this season. He made a career-best 13 tackles against Lafayette, including a team-best seven solo stops.
Quick As A Cat
Junior Mike Catapano has led the Princeton defensive line through the first two games of the season. He has nine tackles, including two for losses, and has recorded a sack, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Good To Be King
In his first start, sophomore Tim Kingsbury recorded 10 tackles against Lafayette. Kingsbury started at outside linebacker when Jon Olofsson moved to the starting inside spot.
And Finally…
Elite Eight
Patrick Jacob has kicked eight field goals for Princeton through two games this season. In 2009, Princeton kicked eight field goals through the entire season. His longest field goal of the season is 43 yards; the last time Princeton kicked a 43-yard field goal was the
Columbia game in 2005.
Get Comfortable
Following Saturday's game, Princeton will play its next three games at home. The last time Princeton played three straight at home was 2005, when it defeated San Diego and Columbia in the first two and lost to Colgate in the third.
Last Year: Columbia 38, Princeton 0
Offensive miscues plagued the Princeton football team throughout its 2009 Ivy League opener against Columbia, and they resulted in the Tigers starting the race in a deep hole. Princeton fell to 1-2, 0-1 in the league, with a 38-0 loss to the Lions.
The Princeton offense gained its fair share of yardage, including 209 on the ground, but getting the ball into the end zone was an issue. The Tigers converted only 5 of 17 third downs and 0 of four fourth downs. Sophomore quarterback Tommy Wornham led Princeton with 99 yards rushing, while Meko McCray added 43 and Akil Sharp rushed for 40. McCray and Sharp will play pivotal roles the rest of the season, as head coach Roger Hughes indicated after the game that running back Jordan Culbreath would miss the rest of the season.
Trey Peacock caught five of Princeton's 11 completions for 56 yards, while five other players caught one pass apiece.
The Princeton defense kept the team in the game for three quarters, and its All-Ivy linebacker duo of Steven Cody and Scott Britton played a major role in that effort. Britton recorded a career-high 17 tackles, including one for loss, while Cody recorded 16 stops, including one for loss, and one pass breakup. Brad Stetler recorded seven tackles and a sack, while Matt Wakulchik also recorded seven tackles.
The Princeton defense did all it could in the first half, despite being put into short-field situations twice. A pair of Tiger fumbles resulted in a 9-0 halftime lead for Columbia. It would go to 17-0 when Jared Morine stepped in front of a Wornham pass and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown.
The fourth quarter belonged to Columbia, starting with a double move on the first play for a 51-yard touchdown pass. M.A. Olawale found Mike Stephens alone down the right sideline for a back-breaking touchdown.
Austin Knowlin and Leon Ivery would add touchdowns for Columbia, which defeated Princeton for the first time since the 2003 season.