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Epperly To Wilson, Again! Relive The Winning TDs In The Last 2 Harvard Wins
October 22, 2014 | Football
Saturday will mark the third straight time in which the Princeton-Harvard football game has featured two undefeated teams in Ivy League play. Maybe it will have an equally dramatic ending (though that's a really high standard), but we know this for sure. It won't be Roman Wilson on the receiving end of a third straight winning touchdown.
In case you don't remember the first two, though, you can watch the winning touchdowns by clicking the play link above.
Let's set both up:
2012: Harvard leads Princeton 34-32 with about 20 seconds remaining.
It's 3rd-and-2 at the Crimson 36, and Princeton has already gone 54 yards in 10 plays. The Tigers only need a field goal to complete the full rally from a 34-10 deficit only 12 minutes earlier, but they have other ideas.
Quinn Epperly had come in during the drive to replace an injured Connor Michelsen, whose brilliance during the fourth-quarter comeback earned him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Tigers were on the right hashmark, which allowed the lefthanded Epperly plenty of room to roll to his left side.
Seth DeValve was in the slot and ran a shorter sideline route, but he was covered, which left single coverage on Roman Wilson on the far outside. Epperly bought time for Wilson to get to the end zone, and then lofted a perfect pass in the small window between Wilson and the sideline.
That completed a 29-point fourth quarter and Princeton's first win over Harvard since 2006. Surely it would be decades before Princeton topped Harvard in more dramatic fashion, right?
Decades … or 52 weeks.
2013: Harvard leads Princeton 48-45 in triple overtime.
It's 2nd-and-goal at the Harvard 6, and Princeton needs to at least kick a field goal to keep the game going. Again, the Tigers had bigger plans.
Epperly had already tied the Princeton single-game record for both completions and touchdown passes before he took that final snap, but he also had bigger plans.
Once again, DeValve was an option on the play. He went in motion from the right to left side and had his sights set on the corner of the end zone, but a linebacker picked him up at the line and knocked him off course.
Epperly recognized it immediately and went to his second option, Ol' Reliable. Wilson was in single coverage on the right side, where he ran an inside slant to the 2 and then cut to the back corner of the end zone. As soon as Wilson had a step on his defender, Epperly lofted it to the corner, where Wilson made the catch and got a foot down. Three officials looked at each other to confirm that he caught the ball, and then signalled the end of one of the most incredible games in Princeton football history.
What could Saturday have in store?
Don't miss it. Tickets are still available, and you can also watch on ESPN3, or listen on WPRB 103.3 FM or WPRB.com.