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Princeton University Athletics
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Football Friday: Surace Discusses Williams, Lovett & Strong Columbia D Line
October 02, 2015 | Football
In the third edition of the Football Friday video interview, Princeton football coach Bob Surace discusses standout efforts by Dorian Williams and John Lovett against Lehigh, a dominant Columbia defensive line, and the adjustments for both Friday football and the potential for heavy rain.
You can see the full interview by clicking the play link above, and you can read the game preview below.
It's a little different start to the Ivy League season.
That's fitting, because this has been a little different start to the overall football season. And that has been a very good thing.
Since Bob Surace had taken over, Princeton was 0-5 in openers.
Since Bob Surace had taken over, Princeton was 0-4 against Lehigh.
Since the Truman Administration, Princeton hadn't scored more than 90 points in its first two games.
Check. Check. Check.
As fun as the first two games have been for the Tigers this season, they know that their ultimate success will be measured by the seven Ivy League games. That opener comes Friday night, the first of five Ivy League games that will be televised as part of a Friday night package on the NBC Sports Network.
Columbia has not won a game yet this season, but they are an intriguing opponent for a variety of reasons. They were highly competitive in their first two games, including one against reigning Patriot League champion Fordham. Their defensive line is considered one of the best in the league, and they have one of the league's top receivers in Scooter Hollis.
And then there is the coach. When Princeton defeated Penn 22-17 last season, the Tigers paid tribute to retiring Quaker head coach Al Bagnoli, who guided his program to nine Ivy League titles. His retirement lasted only a few months, as he took over the Columbia job during the spring and is looking to create a new foundation there.
It is a position Princeton head coach Bob Surace knows very well. Princeton was coming off four straight losing seasons when he took over. It is an arduous process, but he has already led the Tigers to one Ivy title (2013), and he'd like to take Step 1 to another one Friday night.
| Columbia Lions (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) at Princeton Tigers (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) |
| Time/Location | Oct. 2 • 7 pm • Powers Field at Princeton Stadium |
| Coverage |
NBC Sports Network/NBC Sports Live Extra l WPRB 103.3 FM l Live Stats l @PUTigers_Live |
| All-Time Series | Princeton leads 68-15-1 |
| Last Meeting |
Princeton 38, COLUMBIA 6 (10/4/14) |
| Last At Site | PRINCETON 53, Columbia 7 (10/2/15) |
| Last Five Years |
Princeton 4-1 |
| Current Streak |
Princeton 4 |
| Princeton Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Columbia Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Last Week | Princeton 52, Lehigh 26: Game Story l Interviews l Highlights |
| Next Week |
Oct. 10, 1 pm • Colgate at Princeton • Ivy Digital Network l Tickets |
Friday Night Lights
Princeton will open its 2015 Ivy League season Friday night at 7 pm in a nationally televised showdown with Columbia. The game will be the first of five Ivy League games that will be televised as part of a Friday night package on the NBC Sports Network. Former Princeton offensive lineman Ross Tucker '01 will join play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister in calling the game.
This will be Princeton's first Friday night game since Sept. 21, 2012, when Georgetown earned a 21-20 win on Powers Field. Over the last decade, Princeton has played five non-Saturday (four Fridays, one Thursday) games and have gone 2-3 in them. The last win came Oct. 26, 2007, a 34-31 victory over Cornell.
Rush To Judgment
Princeton has the nation's fifth-ranked rushing offense, which averages 276 yards per game and has scored seven touchdowns. The Tigers rushed for 308 yards against Lafayette in the opener, which was the most for Princeton since the last time it hosted Columbia (315 on Oct. 15, 2013), and it scored four rushing touchdowns last weekend against Lehigh.
In the last two games against Columbia, Princeton has averaged 291.5 rushing yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns.
High Five
Princeton's top five rushers are all averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry, and five different runners have scored at least one touchdown this year. Senior DiAndre Atwater ranks second in the Ivy League with 93.0 yards per game, while junior Joe Rhattigan is tied for the Ivy lead with three rushing touchdowns.
Conversion Chart
Princeton leads all FCS teams with a 69% conversion rate on third downs, a total that included a 14-for-18 performance at Lafayette. Part of the reason Princeton has been so good on third downs has been its execution on the first two downs, which has allowed the Tigers short conversion attempts. Of Princeton's 54 third-down conversions, 31 have come on runs, 21 on passes and two on penalties.
Poll Position
Friday's game will be between two teams looking to improve on their finish in the 2015 Ivy League media preseason poll. Princeton was picked to finish fourth, while Columbia was picked to finish seventh. Neither team received a single first-place vote.
A Good Point
Princeton has scored 92 points this season, the most for this program over the first two games since the 1950 team scored 100 in its first two games.
The 1950 team, by the way, would go on to win Princeton's 28th national championship. It was led by Dick Kazmaier, who would become the Tigers' lone Heisman Trophy winner the next season.
Ahead Of The Game
Princeton has led for 91:25 of a possible 120:00 of game action this season. It has trailed for only 1:11.
Strong Arm Of The Law
Junior Chad Kanoff is in his first season as the Princeton starter. His first collegiate drive ended in an interception; since that pass, Kanoff has completed 30 of 51 passes (59%) for 426 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is also 2-0, making him only one of two Tiger quarterbacks (Jeff Terrell, 2005) over the last 25 years to win their first two collegiate starts.
Lovett Or Leave It
Following the 2015 spring season, Bob Surace referred to John Lovett as a potential “triple-triple” threat. What seemed like hyperbole at the time may have been far from it.
Last weekend, in only his second collegiate game, Lovett led the team with 71 receiving yards, ranked second with 33 passing yards and ranked third with 59 rushing yards. That followed a Lehigh game when he had two touches that accounted for a total of two yards, one rushing and one passing. Both of those went for touchdowns.
Cup O' Joe
Junior Joe Rhattigan already has seven rushing touchdowns in his career, including three over the first two weeks of this season. He scored from eight and 12 yards out last weekend, and he dragged a pair of Lafayette defenders into the end zone on the latter rush.
Call For A Carpenter
Junior Scott Carpenter, an All-Ivy League tight end last season, made his first catch of the season an important one last weekend. He caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kanoff to open a 38-19 lead in the fourth quarter. Carpenter caught 20 passes last year, including a season-best four in the win over Columbia.
Turn The Paige
Junior linebacker RJ Paige returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown last weekend to open an 18-point lead over Lehigh. The Tigers did not score a single defensive touchdown during all of the 2014 season.
Mr. Do It All
Junior Dorian Williams had one of the best individual defensive games you will ever see last weekend. He recorded 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops. On a fourth-down attempt, he stripped the Lehigh quarterback of the ball and set up a Princeton recovery. The most spectacular play of all came late, when he ripped the ball away from a receiver and returned it 39 yards to set up a Tiger touchdown.
Williams, an All-Ivy League honoree last season, currently ranks fourth in the league with 18 tackles on the season.
Sack Exchange, Part 1
Princeton leads the Ivy League in sacks with seven this season. Junior Henry Schlossberg had two of Princeton's three last weekend, and he shares the Ivy League lead with teammate Kurt Holuba, who has had one in each of the last two games.
Sack Exchange, Part 2
The Princeton offensive line, which features two new starters this season in Jack Knight (left tackle) and Tom Yetter (center), hasn't allowed a single sack this season and has been at the forefront of the top rushing offense in the Ivy League.
Take It Away
Last season, Princeton didn't force four turnovers in a single game at all, and it only forced three turnovers one time. The Tigers forced four during the 52-26 victory over Lehigh. For the season, Princeton is +2 in turnover margin; last year, the Tigers were -4.
Cornering The Market
Senior Anthony Gaffney has earned All-Ivy League honors every season at cornerback, including two first-team All-Ivy honors. He has eight career interceptions, including four which have come against Columbia. Two of them came during last season's 38-6 win in New York City.
What Can Brown Do For You?
Senior Khamal Brown, who moved to a starting safety position in the offseason, recorded his first interception of the year against Lehigh. Brown overcame a life-threatening medical condition in 2012 to return to the field as a starter for the Princeton defense this season.
Return To Sender
Princeton has the Ivy League leader in both kickoff return yards (Dré Nelson, 34.0 per return) and punt return yards (Max Lescano, 11.2). Nelson leads the Ivy League with 307 all-purpose yards this season, while Lescano had a punt return for a touchdown called back due to penalty.
King Of The Hill
Senior cornerback John Hill, who plays opposite three-time All-Ivy cornerback Anthony Gaffney, is in his third year as a starter. He has 11 tackles this season and returned a fumble 48 yards last weekend.
Hill is also a member of the Ivy League championship track & field team. Despite being outside the top four seeds in last year's outdoor championship meet, Hill won the Ivy title in the 100 (10.64).
Just For Kicks
Senior placekicker Nolan Bieck is Princeton's lone returning first-team All-Ivy League selection from last season. Bieck was 13 for 14 on FGs in 2014 (his lone miss hit the upright), including 4 for 4 on kicks from 40 or beyond, and he had two 46-yard field goals over the last month of the season. He is 3 for 3 this season, including one from 45 yards, and his shortest made field goal has been 38 yards.
Coach Speak
Bob Surace, one of two men to win an Ivy title as both a player (1989) and head coach (2013), won only two of his first 22 games at Princeton. He has won 18 of 28 since, including eight in a row during the 2013 championship season. He was a 2013 finalist for the Eddie Robinson Jr. National Head Coach of the Year award.
Head Of The Class
Senior co-captain Matt Arends was named one of 135 semifinalists for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
Arends, a senior in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, has played cornerback, safety and linebacker during his Princeton career. He has earned both All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy League honors, and he has also served internships with the US Global Leadership Coalition in Washington, DC, as well as the US Department of State in the US Embassy in Paris. Arends also spent five weeks in an intensive French Immershion Program in Quebec.
Patriot Games
Princeton has gone 2-0 against Patriot League teams to start the season, including its first win over Lehigh in nine years. Next week, the Tigers will have a chance to complete their first 3-0 mark against the Patriot League when it hosts Colgate at 1 pm.
The Crystal Ball
Princeton will conclude a three-game homestand next Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1 pm against the Colgate Raiders. Last season, Colgate won a wild 31-30 showdown in Hamilton, N.Y., to extend its winning streak over Princeton to four games.
The Tigers will have a rare opportunity to go 3-0 against Patriot League opponents (Lafayette, Lehigh, Colgate) next weekend. Over the last 20 years, Princeton has only gone 3-0 against Patriot League teams once (2006). Tickets are available by calling 609-258-4TIX.