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Princeton University Athletics
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Football Friday: Surace Reviews USD Loss, Previews Home Opener v Davidson
September 26, 2014 | Football
Bill Walsh, one of the legendary names in NFL lore, is credited as the man who developed the West Coast offense. It revolutionized football, helped San Francisco win five Super Bowls, and was copied and built upon by a coaching tree that continues today.
That was vastly different than the West Coast offense — and defense, for that matter — that Princeton showed in its season opener last weekend in San Diego. Forget expanding on it; the Tigers hoped to just leave most of it on the West Coast.
The last time you saw Princeton here on Powers Field, the Tigers put 59 points on Yale to clinch the program's 10th Ivy League championship. It was a team that had rhythm and cohesion, built step by step through a remarkable, record-breaking season.
That season was 2013. This one is 2014. The rhythm doesn't automatically transfer, as the Tigers painfully learned.
Last weekend's 39-29 loss at San Diego was hardly a death knell for this team. After all, the Tigers lost the season opener last year as well, and then it won its next eight games. But that team showed immediate growth in a Week 2 victory over Georgetown, and this team is hoping for the same type of step forward Saturday on Community and Staff Day at Princeton Stadium. The event promises to be fun for the family from pre-game to post-game, which concludes with a fireworks show.
As for the game itself, Princeton is looking to create its own fireworks — and hopefully a win streak that 2014 can eventually call its own.
FOOTBALL FRIDAY WITH BOB SURACE
| Davidson Wildcats (1-3) at Princeton Tigers (0-1) |
| Game Time/Location | 6 pm • Powers Field at Princeton Stadium • Princeton, N.J. |
| Game Coverage |
Ivy League Digital Network l WPRB 103.3 FM l Live Stats l @PUTigers_Live |
| All-Time Series | Princeton 1-0 |
| Last Meeting |
Princeton 42, DAVIDSON 6 (9/26/87) |
| Last At Site | no meetings |
| Last Five Years |
no meetings |
| Current Streak |
Princeton 1 |
| Princeton Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Davidson Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Next Week |
Oct. 4, 12:30 pm, Princeton at Columbia • Ivy League Digital Network • Tickets |
If You're There …
Saturday's game on Powers Field will not only be the 2014 home opener, but it will be Community and Staff Day at Princeton.
The community celebration will begin at 4:30 p.m., when the Princeton Stadium gates will open. A youth sports clinic hosted by Princeton University student-athletes will be held on Weaver Track from 4:30-5:30 p.m., while several local non-profits and University Departments will have interactive booths set up throughout the stadium concourse from 4:30 through halftime of the football game. There will also be inflatables, face painting, music and much more.
The football game kicks off at 6 p.m., and a post-game aerial fireworks show will begin shortly after the game concludes and be visible from the stadium.
The University is offering up to six free tickets available to members of the community. Reserve your free tickets up until Friday at noon by completing this form. Completing the form will generate an emailed receipt. Please print a copy of that receipt and present it at the ticket window on game day, along with identification. An additional email will be sent during the week with additional details.
If You Can't Make It …
Saturday's home game will be shown live on the Ivy Digital Network, which you can subscribe to through GoPrincetonTigers.com. Next weekend's game at Columbia will also be part of the Ivy League Digital Network.
You can also listen to the live call of Dan Loney and Dave Giancola on the radio (103.3 FM) or online (WPRB.com).
Just A Second
This is only the second meeting in the Princeton-Davidson series, and Tiger head coach Bob Surace has been part of both. Surace was a sophomore center when Princeton earned a 42-6 win at Davidson on Sept. 26, 1987. Current Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett threw for three touchdowns, including two to his brother Judd, in the win. Dean Cain, the actor who later held the lead role in the long-running Superman series, broke the Princeton interceptions record in the game when he picked off his 13th career pass.
Home Sweet Home
Princeton has won four straight home games dating back to last season, including three when it scored at least 50 points. However, the Tigers have lost their home opener three straight years, including a 29-28 comeback win by Lehigh last season.
Princeton's last victory in its home opener came during Week 2 of the 2010 season, when the Tigers outlasted Lafayette 36-33 in double overtime. That was the first career win for Bob Surace at Princeton.
At A Loss
Senior co-captain Mike Zeuli earned All-Ivy League honors in his first season as a starting linebacker last year, and he was Princeton's best player last weekend in San Diego. Zeuli led the defense with nine tackles, including a career-best 4.5 for loss, and had two sacks.
Zeuli came into the season with 120 career tackles, 30 more than any other Princeton player.
Cool Hand Luke
Senior Luke Merrell is going to be a key part of the linebacker rotation this season, and he set a career high with seven tackles last weekend. Merrell was one of 10 Princeton players with at least one tackle for loss against the Toreros.
Conversion Chart
Neither team was very successful converting third downs last weekend. The Princeton offense was able to convert on only four of 17 attempts, while the Tiger defense held San Diego to five conversions on 17 attempts.
Go Big Or Go Home
Princeton gave up several big pass plays at San Diego that either resulted in points or directly led to them. The Toreros had touchdown catches of 29 and 48 yards, and they hit an 82-yard pass to set up their first touchdown drive. That catch was the longest against Princeton since Lehigh's Mark McGowan caught an 88-yard touchdown pass on Oct. 18, 1986.
Safety De-Valve
Senior wideout Seth DeValve picked up right where he left off last season. After catching only 11 passes in the first five games of 2013, he caught at least seven in each of the last five games. At San Diego, DeValve matched his career high with nine receptions and set a career best with 123 yards, while also scoring a touchdown.
30 For 30
Thirty has been the magic number for Princeton recently. In its last 12 games, the Tigers are 8-0 in games they have scored 30 or more points and 0-4 in games they have scored 29 or fewer. Those four losses have either been in season openers or season finales.
Grounded
Princeton had the second-ranked rushing offense in the Ivy League last season, averaging more than 217 yards per game. Last weekend in San Diego, the Tigers rushed for only 100 yards, including 54 on one carry by DiAndre Atwater. Princeton did have two rushing touchdowns, including the second career score for sophomore Joe Rhattigan.
Youth Is Served
Three freshmen got on the field in their collegiate debuts last weekend. Defensive lineman Kurt Holuba was the lone member of the Class of 2018 to start, and he led all linemen with four tackles. Joe Percival played as the outside rush linebacker and had a key tackle for loss on third down, while Mark Fossati played on special teams and made a tackle.
Multiplication Tables
Senior quarterback Quinn Epperly rushed for one score and threw for two more last weekend, and he has now accounted for multiple touchdowns in 11 straight games, dating back to last season. In fact, he has accounted for at least three touchdowns in 10 straight games.
In his last four home games last season, Epperly threw for a combined 14 touchdowns while he rushed for seven more, an average of 5.3 touchdowns per game.
Just Quinn, Baby
En route to his 2013 Bushnell Cup honor as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, Quinn Epperly put his name all over the Princeton record book. He led all of FCS football in points responsible for per game (26.6); he matched a Princeton single-season record with 25 passing touchdowns; and he was one short of matching the single-season record for rushing touchdowns (18). He set a Division I record with 29 straight completions in a 53-20 home win over Cornell, and he broke the Princeton single-game completions (37) and touchdown passes (six) record in a 51-48 triple-overtime win at Harvard. Epperly also ranked fifth in the nation in completion percentage (68.0%).
On The Mike
Senior offensive lineman Mike Ramos is one of two players in the Ivy League to be nominated for the 2014 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. The 182 nominees throughout all divisions of college football represent those who stand out both on and off the field.
Ramos started all 10 games last season at right tackle and helped Princeton break the Ivy League record for total and scoring offense.
History Lesson
In case you forgot about last season, here's a quick synopsis of a magical 2013 season:
• Princeton won its 10th Ivy League championship, going 6-1 in the league to share the crown with Harvard.
• Princeton broke the Ivy League records for both total offense and scoring offense; the Tigers averaged more than 43 points per game and scored at least 50 in four different games; prior to that season, Princeton had scored 50 points four times in a span of 469 games.
• Princeton won a second straight “Big Three” championship and earned a bonfire with wins over both Harvard and Yale. The win over the Crimson was another thriller, as the Tigers rallied twice in overtime and won 51-48 in triple overtime.
• Quinn Epperly, who set a Division I record with 29 straight completions in a single game, was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. He was one of 17 All-Ivy honorees, including nine who will return to the field this season.
• Caraun Reid, an All-America defensive lineman, was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. It was the second straight year that a Princeton defensive lineman was selected in the NFL Draft.
Poll Position
For the first time since 1992, Princeton was picked first in the annual Ivy League preseason poll. The reigning Ivy League champion Tigers received nine of 17 first-place votes and topped fellow co-champion Harvard (which received the other eight) by one point in the preseason poll. Dartmouth, Penn and Yale held the next three spots.
Princeton would love to break a recent trend in the voting, as no preseason favorite has won the outright Ivy League title in a decade. Princeton will start its 2014 Ivy schedule at Columbia next Saturday, and will play four of its final six league games at home.
The Crystal Ball
Princeton will officially begin its drive towards a second straight Ivy League championship next weekend when it heads to Columbia Oct. 4 for a 12:30 pm showdown against the Lions. Princeton has won three straight in this series, including a 53-7 win last season. Princeton holds a 67-15-1 all-time advantage in a series that dates back to Nov. 14, 1874.
The game will be shown live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Back In Town
Princeton will play its next two games in New York (Columbia, Colgate), and then will begin a stretch of four home games over the final six weeks when it takes on Brown Oct. 18 at 3:30 pm on Powers Field. Princeton rallied from a 16-0 deficit in Providence to win 38-16 last year, and it shut out Brown 19-0 in the last meeting in Princeton.
The game will be shown locally on both SNY and on The Comcast Network. Tickets are available by calling 609-258-4TIX.