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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Penn
Players Mentioned
Football Grinds Out 22-17 Home Win Over Penn, Keeps Pace With Ivy Elite
November 08, 2014 | Football
During this stretch when Princeton has won 18 of 26 games over more than two seasons, there have been times when one side of the ball has executed flawlessly. The result has been beautiful football.
On Saturday, there were no style points for Princeton. But there were 22 points on the scoreboard, which were enough for a grind-it-out victory over Penn.
And that, more than anything else, was beautiful for this team.
Princeton remained one game back of Harvard with two weeks to go by fighting past a gritty Penn squad 22-17 in front of nearly 10,000 people and a national television audience Saturday on Powers Field. The Tigers limited Penn to six rushing yards and ran out the final 5:23 on the game clock to clinch their second straight win of the season, as well as their second straight over the Quakers.
Princeton never trailed Saturday, though a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch by Justin Watson got Penn within two points (19-17) just minutes into the second half. The Tiger defense turned it up from there, forcing three turnovers, getting an interception from Matt Arends and, in one of the most important plays of the game, getting an Andrew Frisby tackle inches short of the marker on fourth down at the Princeton 22.
That tackle gave Princeton the ball with just over five minutes remaining. Following a nine-yard completion to Scott Carpenter, the Tigers ran the ball on 10 straight plays, including a 15-yard run for DiAndre Atwater and a bruising eight-yard gain by Will Powers on 3rd-and-4; Powers was hit well before the marker, but the senior would not be denied the conversion. One more conversion by Atwater on 3rd-and-2 clinched the win for Princeton.
Atwater, who missed Princeton's three games with an injury, rushed 17 times for 98 yards, while Powers added 62 yards on 12 carries. Senior quarterback Connor Michelsen completed 22 of 31 passes for 253 yards, while classmate Quinn Epperly — who has missed two of Princeton's last three games with injury — threw a touchdown and rushed for another.
Princeton's 22 points scored was its fewest in a win since the 19-0 home shutout of Brown during Week 5 of the 2012 season, and it was made possible by an opportunistic defense. Penn attempted 61 passes in the game, which isn't even a season high for a Tiger opponent, but Princeton limited the Quakers to one touchdown over the final three quarters and stopped Penn on two red-zone opportunities.
Sophomore safety Dorian Williams had the game of his young career, recording 13 tackles, three pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery, which he returned 85 yards before being tackled short of the end zone. His recovery led to a 20-yard field goal by Nolan Bieck, one of three for the junior on the day. Bieck also connected on a 46-yarder in the first quarter; that was Princeton's longest field goal in more than a decade.
Arends added a career-high 12 tackles, while sophomore defensive lineman Ty Desiré had two of Princeton's five sacks. Desiré, Mike Zeuli and R.J. Paige each had multiple tackles for loss, while freshman Kurt Holuba had his first career sack to go along with a quarterback hurry. Both Paige and John Hill had seven tackles, while Zeuli and Rohan Hylton — two of the Ivy's leading tacklers — had six apiece.
Princeton's two touchdowns both came from one yard out and the same formation, but from completely different plays. Epperly, as he has done multiple times in his All-Ivy career, took a first-quarter snap and surged through the middle of the line for a 1-yard touchdown rush to open a 12-0 lead (Princeton missed the 2-point conversion). One quarter later, he faked the same play and hit a wide open Connor Kelley, who has three touchdown receptions over the last two weeks.
Princeton will now prepare for one final road game, and it could have major ramifications in the Ivy League race. The Tigers will head to New Haven to take on Yale, which outscored Brown 45-42 Saturday to remain tied with both Princeton and Dartmouth at 4-1 in Ivy League play. The game will also mark the final home game in the 100th season of the Yale Bowl, which has seen more than its fair share of Princeton-Yale thrillers.