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Princeton University Athletics
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Football Friday: Surace On Harvard, Kanoff, Halloween Home Game v. Cornell
October 30, 2015 | Football
You can watch the full video by clicking on the link above. The preview can be found below. The game will be shown on the American Sports Network and streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Home cooking may be just what Princeton needs.
The Tigers left Powers Field three weeks ago unbeaten, but losses at both Brown and Harvard have left them hungry to get back on the winning side. There will be no shortage of that hunger anywhere on the field, as Cornell is still looking for its first victory of the season.
The Cornell-Princeton rivalry has been one of the most fascinating in the Ivy League over the last 15 years, and it's been loaded with both memorable performances and crazy endings (more upcoming in the notes). The most important aspect of those games, for Princeton's sake, was that four of the five went the way of the home team. Only the 2011 nor'easter game, which caused nearly unplayable conditions over the first half, was won by Cornell.
Both teams don't care how a win comes today. Crazy ending or convincing performance, both sides are looking to get some positive energy heading into the final month of the Ivy League season.
| Cornell Big Red (0-6, 0-3 Ivy) at Princeton Tigers (4-2, 1-2 Ivy) |
| Time/Location | Oct. 31, 2015 • 3:30 pm • Powers Field at Princeton Stadium |
| Coverage |
American Sports Network/Ivy League Digital Network l WPRB 103.3 FM l Live Stats |
| @PUTigers l @PUTigerFootball l @PUTigers_Live | |
| All-Time Series | Princeton leads 59-36-2 |
| Last Meeting |
Princeton 38, CORNELL 27 (11/1/14) |
| Last At Site | PRINCETON 53, Cornell 20 (11/2/13) |
| Last Five Years |
Cornell 3-2 |
| Current Streak |
Princeton 1 |
| Princeton Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Cornell Links |
Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Stats |
| Last Week | Harvard 42, Princeton 7: Game Story l Highlights/Interviews |
| Next Week |
Nov. 7, 12 pm • Princeton at Penn • American Sports Network/Ivy Digital |
Follow Along
Princeton's showdown with Cornell will be televised on the American Sports Network (check local listings) and streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required). Mike Gleason and Richard Baldinger will call the action on the American Sports Network. Each of
Princeton's remaining games are scheduled to be streamed through the Ivy League Digital Network, and three of the four will also be shown on the American Sports Network.
You can also listen live on WPRB 103.3 FM, as well as WPRB.com.
Seeing Red
The Cornell-Princeton rivalry has been one of the most fascinating in the Ivy League over the last 15 years, and it's been loaded with both memorable performances and crazy endings. In fact, the last five meetings between the two teams on Powers Field have included:
• a game-winning field goal in OT (2005)
• a 145-yard rushing performance from Jordan Culbreath, highlighted by a score that was featured as SportsCenter's “Top Play” (2007)
• a game-winning 78-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter (2009)
• an epic nor'easter that left the field heavily snow-covered (2011)
• an NCAA record-setting performance by Tiger quarterback Quinn Epperly, who completed his first 29 passes (2013)
Point, Counterpoint
From 1983 through 2011, Princeton never scored more than 35 points in a game against Cornell, and it only got to 30 points in five of 29 games. In the three games since, Princeton hasn't scored fewer than 35 points, and it has averaged 42 points per game against the Big Red.
Rush To Judgment
One of the Ivy League's top-ranked rushing offenses and one of the league's top individual backs will be on the field today. Princeton has the Ivy League's second-ranked rush offense; it averages 175.5 yards and has accounted for 15 touchdowns.
While Cornell's complete unit may not be ranked as highly, senior Luke Hagy has been one of the league's most productive backs over the last four years. He currently ranks third in the Ivy League with 75.8 yards per game.
Lovett Or Leave It
Princeton sophomore John Lovett has become one of the most versatile offensive threats in the Ivy League, as well as one of the most proficient scorers in the nation. Lovett leads Princeton in receptions (22) and receiving yards (300); he ranks second on the team in completions (11) and passing yards (94), and he ranks third on the team in rushes (36) and rushing yards (192).
Lovett has also scored eight touchdowns this season, including seven (6 rush, 1 pass) in the last three games. His eight touchdowns are the second-most in the Ivy League. He also threw for a TD last weekend.
Four Score
Eight of Princeton's last nine touchdowns scored have included at least one of Princeton's top four quarterbacks in them:
• five touchdown runs by John Lovett
• one touchdown pass by Chad Kanoff
• one touchdown pass from Kedric Bostic to John Lovett
• one touchdown pass from John Lovett to Nick Peabody
Double Trouble
Only 11 Princeton players have rushed for double-digit touchdowns in a season at least once in their careers. Over the last decade, only Quinn Epperly (18, 2013) and Jordan Culbreath (10, 2008) have achieved that feat. John Lovett has seven rushing touchdowns through the first six games of the season.
Catching On
During the preseason scrimmage his freshman year, senior Isaiah Barnes suffered a season-ending (and potentially career-threatening) ankle injury. Barnes has worked his way back and had a career performance with eight catches for 92 yards in Princeton's last home game, a 44-20 win over Colgate. Barnes currently ranks second at Princeton with 19 receptions and 238 receiving yards this season.
That Winning Feeling
Despite losses in the last two games, junior Chad Kanoff became the first Princeton quarterback to win the first four starts of his career in nearly a quarter century. The last one to do it shared his first name; Chad Roghair won his first five starts of the 1991 season.
Welcome Matt
Princeton senior Matt Arends has been a starter in the Ivy League since Week 5 of the 2012 season, and he earned All-Ivy League recognition during the 2013 championship season. He may have had his best two-game run over his career in the last two weeks.
At Brown he recorded 12 tackles, including eight solo stops, and two tackles for loss, as well as two pass breakups, a sack, an interception and a blocked field goal at Brown. It was Arends' second blocked kick of the season.
Last weekend at Harvard, Arends had 11 tackles, forced two fumbles, and he recorded both a quarterback hurry and a tackle for loss. He would have had his third blocked kick of the season, but it was called back on a penalty.
What Can Brown Do For You?
Senior defensive back Khamal Brown, who leads the team with two interceptions this season, recorded a career-best 11 tackles and forced a fumble at Harvard last weekend.
Tackling The Issue
Princeton safety Dorian Williams, who ranks fourth in the Ivy League in tackles (47), has been one of the team's top defensive players since the opening game of his freshman season. A two-year starter at free safety and an All-Ivy League honoree last year, Williams currently ranks 26th nationally and second in the Ivy League with 5.5 solo tackles per game.
Turn The Paige
Junior inside linebacker RJ Paige, who returned an interception for a touchdown in a victory over Lehigh earlier this season, led all current Tigers with seven tackles in the win over Cornell last season. Paige has 28 stops this season, fifth-most on the team.
Double Trouble
Senior Anthony Gaffney, who recorded an interception in the victory over Cornell last season, leads all Tigers with nine interceptions in his career. That is the most for any Princeton player since Jay McCareins '06, who finished his career with 19 interceptions. Gaffney has one pick this season, which came two weeks ago against Brown. Of his nine interceptions, only two have come at home.
Three Threes For Third
Nolan Bieck ranks fourth all-time at Princeton with 33 career field goals. He needs three to tie Alex Sierk (1995-98) for third and five to tie Taylor Northrop (1998-01) for second. The all-time leader is Derek Javarone, who kicked 45 field goals between 2002-05.
Javarone's biggest field goal came one decade ago (Oct. 29), when he connected on a 35-yard field goal in overtime to clinch a 20-17 home win over Cornell. That followed a 32-yard field goal with 2:18 remaining that sent the game to overtime.
Just For Kicks
From Week 2 of the 2000 season through Week 7 of the 2014 season, no Princeton kicker made a field goal of at least 45 yards. Since Week 8 of last season, reigning first-team All-Ivy League kicker Nolan Bieck has made kicks of 46, 46, 45 and 45 yards. The latter 45-yarder came during the gusty, rainy Columbia game last weekend.
Bieck has now made 23 of his last 24 field goal attempts, with the only miss hitting the upright.
Telling Mason's Story
Junior Mason Darrow, who publicly came out in a piece on OutSports.com prior to the 2015 season opener at Lafayette, was featured on a piece by College Gameday. Show host Rece Davis was on campus the previous Tuesday and interviewed Darrow, head coach Bob Surace and two of Darrow's teammates, Jack Knight and Caleb Slate.
If you haven't seen the piece yet — it was excellent — you can find it here.
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 Immersion Program in Quebec.
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.
Oh Brother
Two of the greats from both Princeton and Cornell will be honored later this year. Placekickers Charlie (Princeton, Class of 1965) and Pete (Cornell, Class of 1964) will be honored Dec. 8 with the 2015 NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City.
You can learn more about both brothers, who escaped the Hungarian Revolution and introduced soccer-style placekicking to American football, on page 37 of Saturday's gameday program.
The Crystal Ball
Princeton will return to the road next Saturday, when it heads to Penn for a noon showdown on the American Sports Network (check local listings) and the Ivy League Digital Network. Penn is currently 3-3 on the season, 2-1 in the Ivy League, and played at Brown this afternoon.
Princeton has won two straight over the Quakers, including a 38-26 win at Penn during the Tigers' 2013 Ivy League championship season.
One More Time
The Princeton Football Class of 2015 will take Powers Field one last time in two weeks, when the Tigers host Yale Nov. 14 at 1 pm (Ivy League Digital Network). The teams have split the last six games in this series, with the home team going 4-2. Princeton scored 59 points in the last meeting on Powers Field, but Yale came back with a 44-30 home win at the Yale Bowl last season.
You can order tickets on GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4849.