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Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, October 22
Princeton, N.J.
1:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
Harvard
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
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WR
/ Football
LB
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QB
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QB
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Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Football Friday: Surace On Linebacker Play, QB Toughness, Harvard Showdown
October 21, 2016 | Football
In the sixth installment of Football Friday, Princeton head coach Bob Surace breaks down the 10-game starting run of Luke Catarius and his partnership with Rohan Hylton, as well as the toughness shown by his quarterback duo last weekend against Brown. He also shares some thoughts on the challenges Harvard presents, both in its explosive skill players and its dominance in both defensive red zone and third down efficiency.
You can watch the full edition by clicking the play link above or by checking out the Princeton Football YouTube page. The full game preview is below.
There isn't much that needs to be said for this one.
Harvard is in first place. So is Princeton. (Penn is too. The Quakers play Friday night. But we'll deal with that later.)
Princeton is unbeaten in Ivy play. So is Harvard.
One of those teams will leave Saturday in first place. The other will not.
Let's go.
Â
Lights, Camera, Action
Saturday's Ivy League showdown between Princeton and Harvard will be streamed live on both the Ivy League Digital Network and ESPN3, with Cody Chrusciel and Dave Giancola providing the call, and Patrick McCarthy handling the sideline. You can also listen to the game live on both WPRB 103.3 FM and Princeton's TuneIn app.
Of course, the best place to watch the game is inside Princeton Stadium; you can get tickets through GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4TIX.
Orange You Ready For Saturday?
Saturday's game will be another #OrangeOut at Princeton Stadium, and the first 2,000 fans at Princeton Stadium will receive an orange Princeton Athletics rally towel. Wear your orange to support the home team, which will break out its orange jerseys for the second time this season.
Feel The Powers
Princeton has truly felt the comforts of home field over the last two years. Since the start of the 2014 season, the Tigers are 6-1 at home, including a perfect 2-0 this year. Princeton built on that total last weekend with a 31-7 victory over Brown.
Rank And File
Princeton and Harvard rank as two of the top three Ivy League teams in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense. They also are the top two rushing defenses in the Ivy League, and two of the top units in the FCS. Princeton enters the weekend as the fourth-ranked rush defense (81.6 yards per game), while Harvard is 11th (100.0).
Unbeatens Collide
Since the turn of the century, Princeton and Harvard have played six games when both teams have been 2-0. Princeton has won three (2006, 2012, 2013) by an average margin of 3.7 points per game. Harvard has won three (2002, 2004, 2014) by an average margin of 24.7 points per game.
Championship Run
Princeton's final three home games this season will be against each of the Ivy tri-champions from 2015 (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth). Princeton lost on the road to all three teams last season, though the Harvard game was the only one that wasn't decided in the final minute or overtime.
Princeton's last Ivy title came in 2013; it shared the crown with Harvard following the Tigers' 51-48 triple-overtime win over the Crimson in Boston.
D+
In its two Ivy games this season, the Princeton defense has limited its opponents to 54.5 rushing and 181.5 passing yards per game, as well as a 27.3 third-down conversion percentage. All three are tops in league games.
Seventh Heaven
In its last seven quarters of Ivy League play, the Princeton defense has allowed only two touchdowns. Both came with Tiger reserves on the field late, and both came with Princeton ahead by at least 30 points. Over the last three games, the starting defense has allowed a total of two scoring drives.
Driving Them Crazy
The Princeton defense has allowed a total of four scores on its last 43 drives, and it has forced its opponent to three plays or less on 27 of those drives. With a lead of 30 points or fewer, the Tiger defense has allowed one offensive touchdown on the last 30 drives, and it has limited the opposition to three plays or fewer on 20 of those drives.
Right Turn
Princeton has forced 12 turnovers this season, second most in the Ivy League, and it set up two scoring drives last weekend against Brown with interceptions. The Tigers lead the Ivy League with a +7 turnover margin.
Over the seven seasons under head coach Bob Surace, Princeton has gone 18-6 in games when it was at least a +1 in turnover margin, and it has gone 5-22 in games when it was at least a -1.
Lovett Or Leave It
John Lovett, who earned 2015 All-Ivy League honors despite playing less than 60% of the league games due to injury, currently leads all Ivy players with 10 touchdowns scored this
season, and he ranks third in the NCAA with 10 rushing touchdowns. Lovett has also thrown for a touchdown in each of the last three weeks, including two to James Frusciante last weekend. In case you were wondering, the Princeton single-season record for rushing touchdowns is 19, set by Keith Elias in 1993.
Harvard running back Semar Smith ranks second in the Ivy League with six rushing touchdowns this season.
I'm Honored
John Lovett has been named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week over each of the last two weeks. Over the last three games — all Princeton victories — Lovett has rushed for seven touchdowns and thrown for four, and he has accounted for at least three touchdowns in each game. In his last eight starts, dating back to the middle of the 2015 season, Lovett has had more games with at least three touchdowns accounted for (5) than with just one touchdown (1).
Spreading The Love
The Princeton pass game has been spread out among 16 different receivers, 14 of whom caught at least one pass against Georgetown two weeks ago, the most in a game under Bob Surace. Senior Isaiah Barnes holds the team lead in receptions (20) and receiving yards (281). James Frusciante became the first Tiger receiver with multiple TD catches in a game this year when he caught two from John Lovett last week.
Time, Time, Time Is On Our Side
Heading into the Week 3 game against Columbia, Princeton had not held the ball for more than 37:00 one time in 62 games under Bob Surace. Since then, the Tigers did it twice in a row and have held the time of possession advantage in three straight games.
Prior to that, the Tigers held the advantage three times in the previous 23 games.
Conversion Chart
The top two teams in the Ivy League in third-down conversions will meet today on Powers Field. Harvard leads the Ivies and ranks fourth in the FCS with a 52.4% success rate. Princeton ranks second in the Ivies and 17th in the FCS with a 46.1% rate.
Both teams also rank in the top half of the league in defensive third-down percentage. Over the last three games, teams have a 22.2% rate on third downs (10 for 45).
Strong Armed
Senior quarterback Chad Kanoff has been at his best in Ivy League play. In wins over both Columbia and Brown, Kanoff has completed 37 of 48 passes (77.1%) for 415 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He is the only starting quarterback to throw for more than one touchdown pass without an interception in Ivy League play this season.
Great Scott
Scott Carpenter was recently named a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, one of the top scholar-athlete honors in college football. Candidates for the award must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
With Honors
Andrew Griffin, a wide receiver from Avon, Ind., and John Orr, a linebacker from Nashville, Tenn., are two of the five recipients — from a pool of more than 1.1 million high school football players — of the prestigious 2016 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards. Each of the five recipients is selected as the best of the best from his region of the country at the high school level. The five honorees, who are now playing college football after graduating high school in 2016, are being recognized solely for their accomplishments in high school.
Princeton is the only school to have multiple honorees of a 2016 National Scholar-Athlete Award, and it is the only Ivy League school to have an honoree. Among the other schools honored are Stanford and Michigan.
Coach Speak
Head coach Bob Surace is one of two men to win an Ivy League championship as both a player (1989) and a head coach (2013). He was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Jr. Head Coach of the Year Award following the 2013 season.
Working Sundays
Mike Catapano '13, Caraun Reid '14, and Seth DeValve'16 are each on NFL rosters this season, marking the first time three drafted Princeton players have all been on NFL rosters for the same weekend since the 1980s. Reid returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown at Indianapolis, and he caused a safety on Thursday Night Football last week in a win over the Super Bowl champion Broncos. Catapano has started for the New York Jets. DeValve, who became Princeton's highest-drafted player of the modern era (fourth round) last April, has seen time on offense for Cleveland.
We Are The Champions
Princeton will honor the 2006 Ivy League title team at halftime of Saturday's contest. Ten years ago, the Tigers produced a 9-1 record — the program's best since 1964 — and rallied for countless thrilling victories, including a 34-31 win over Harvard on Powers Field, to earn Princeton's first Ivy League title in 11 seasons. Check out a feature on the team on Page 36 of this week's game program.
The Crystal Ball
Princeton returns to the road next Saturday to face Cornell at 12:30 pm. The game will be televised on One World Sports (check local listings), and it will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Princeton has won the last three meetings with Cornell, although the Big Red has taken two of the last three matchups on Schoellkopf Field. Cornell is currently 1-1 in the Ivy League, and it plays at Brown today.
Home Sweet Home
Princeton will return home Nov. 5 at noon to take on reigning Ivy tri-champion Penn during Military & Community Day on Powers Field. Penn blocked a last-second field goal and scored an overtime touchdown to claim a 26-23 win over Princeton last year.
Kickoff is at noon, and tickets are still available through GoPrincetonTigers.com or 609-258-4TIX. If you can't make it to the game, you can watch it live via the Ivy League Digital Network or the American Sports Network (check local listings).
You can watch the full edition by clicking the play link above or by checking out the Princeton Football YouTube page. The full game preview is below.
There isn't much that needs to be said for this one.
Harvard is in first place. So is Princeton. (Penn is too. The Quakers play Friday night. But we'll deal with that later.)
Princeton is unbeaten in Ivy play. So is Harvard.
One of those teams will leave Saturday in first place. The other will not.
Let's go.
Â
| Week 6: Harvard Crimson (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) at Princeton Tigers (4-1, 2-0 Ivy) |
| Date • Time • Location | Oct. 22 • 1:00 pm • Powers Field at Princeton Stadium |
| Watch Live | Ivy League Digital Network l ESPN3 |
| Tickets | Princeton Ticket Office l 609-258-4849 (4TIX) |
| Radio | 103.3 FM l Listen Live on the TuneIn App |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_Live l @PUTigerFootball |
| All-Time Series | Princeton leads 54-47-7 |
| Last Meeting • Current Streak | HARVARD 42, Princeton 7 (2015) l Harvard 2 straight wins |
| Princeton Information | Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Harvard Information | Game Notes l Roster l Schedule l Statistics |
| Ivy League | Standings l Statistics l Weekly Release |
| Last Week | PRINCETON 31, Brown 7 l HOLY CROSS 27, Harvard 17 |
| Next Week | Princeton at Cornell, 12:30 pm (ILDN, One World Sports) |
Lights, Camera, Action
Saturday's Ivy League showdown between Princeton and Harvard will be streamed live on both the Ivy League Digital Network and ESPN3, with Cody Chrusciel and Dave Giancola providing the call, and Patrick McCarthy handling the sideline. You can also listen to the game live on both WPRB 103.3 FM and Princeton's TuneIn app.
Of course, the best place to watch the game is inside Princeton Stadium; you can get tickets through GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4TIX.
Orange You Ready For Saturday?
Saturday's game will be another #OrangeOut at Princeton Stadium, and the first 2,000 fans at Princeton Stadium will receive an orange Princeton Athletics rally towel. Wear your orange to support the home team, which will break out its orange jerseys for the second time this season.
Feel The Powers
Princeton has truly felt the comforts of home field over the last two years. Since the start of the 2014 season, the Tigers are 6-1 at home, including a perfect 2-0 this year. Princeton built on that total last weekend with a 31-7 victory over Brown.
Rank And File
Princeton and Harvard rank as two of the top three Ivy League teams in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense. They also are the top two rushing defenses in the Ivy League, and two of the top units in the FCS. Princeton enters the weekend as the fourth-ranked rush defense (81.6 yards per game), while Harvard is 11th (100.0).
Unbeatens Collide
Since the turn of the century, Princeton and Harvard have played six games when both teams have been 2-0. Princeton has won three (2006, 2012, 2013) by an average margin of 3.7 points per game. Harvard has won three (2002, 2004, 2014) by an average margin of 24.7 points per game.
Championship Run
Princeton's final three home games this season will be against each of the Ivy tri-champions from 2015 (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth). Princeton lost on the road to all three teams last season, though the Harvard game was the only one that wasn't decided in the final minute or overtime.
Princeton's last Ivy title came in 2013; it shared the crown with Harvard following the Tigers' 51-48 triple-overtime win over the Crimson in Boston.
D+
In its two Ivy games this season, the Princeton defense has limited its opponents to 54.5 rushing and 181.5 passing yards per game, as well as a 27.3 third-down conversion percentage. All three are tops in league games.
Seventh Heaven
In its last seven quarters of Ivy League play, the Princeton defense has allowed only two touchdowns. Both came with Tiger reserves on the field late, and both came with Princeton ahead by at least 30 points. Over the last three games, the starting defense has allowed a total of two scoring drives.
Driving Them Crazy
The Princeton defense has allowed a total of four scores on its last 43 drives, and it has forced its opponent to three plays or less on 27 of those drives. With a lead of 30 points or fewer, the Tiger defense has allowed one offensive touchdown on the last 30 drives, and it has limited the opposition to three plays or fewer on 20 of those drives.
Right Turn
Princeton has forced 12 turnovers this season, second most in the Ivy League, and it set up two scoring drives last weekend against Brown with interceptions. The Tigers lead the Ivy League with a +7 turnover margin.
Over the seven seasons under head coach Bob Surace, Princeton has gone 18-6 in games when it was at least a +1 in turnover margin, and it has gone 5-22 in games when it was at least a -1.
Lovett Or Leave It
John Lovett, who earned 2015 All-Ivy League honors despite playing less than 60% of the league games due to injury, currently leads all Ivy players with 10 touchdowns scored this
season, and he ranks third in the NCAA with 10 rushing touchdowns. Lovett has also thrown for a touchdown in each of the last three weeks, including two to James Frusciante last weekend. In case you were wondering, the Princeton single-season record for rushing touchdowns is 19, set by Keith Elias in 1993.
Harvard running back Semar Smith ranks second in the Ivy League with six rushing touchdowns this season.
I'm Honored
John Lovett has been named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week over each of the last two weeks. Over the last three games — all Princeton victories — Lovett has rushed for seven touchdowns and thrown for four, and he has accounted for at least three touchdowns in each game. In his last eight starts, dating back to the middle of the 2015 season, Lovett has had more games with at least three touchdowns accounted for (5) than with just one touchdown (1).
Spreading The Love
The Princeton pass game has been spread out among 16 different receivers, 14 of whom caught at least one pass against Georgetown two weeks ago, the most in a game under Bob Surace. Senior Isaiah Barnes holds the team lead in receptions (20) and receiving yards (281). James Frusciante became the first Tiger receiver with multiple TD catches in a game this year when he caught two from John Lovett last week.
Time, Time, Time Is On Our Side
Heading into the Week 3 game against Columbia, Princeton had not held the ball for more than 37:00 one time in 62 games under Bob Surace. Since then, the Tigers did it twice in a row and have held the time of possession advantage in three straight games.
Prior to that, the Tigers held the advantage three times in the previous 23 games.
Conversion Chart
The top two teams in the Ivy League in third-down conversions will meet today on Powers Field. Harvard leads the Ivies and ranks fourth in the FCS with a 52.4% success rate. Princeton ranks second in the Ivies and 17th in the FCS with a 46.1% rate.
Both teams also rank in the top half of the league in defensive third-down percentage. Over the last three games, teams have a 22.2% rate on third downs (10 for 45).
Strong Armed
Senior quarterback Chad Kanoff has been at his best in Ivy League play. In wins over both Columbia and Brown, Kanoff has completed 37 of 48 passes (77.1%) for 415 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He is the only starting quarterback to throw for more than one touchdown pass without an interception in Ivy League play this season.
Great Scott
Scott Carpenter was recently named a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, one of the top scholar-athlete honors in college football. Candidates for the award must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
With Honors
Andrew Griffin, a wide receiver from Avon, Ind., and John Orr, a linebacker from Nashville, Tenn., are two of the five recipients — from a pool of more than 1.1 million high school football players — of the prestigious 2016 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards. Each of the five recipients is selected as the best of the best from his region of the country at the high school level. The five honorees, who are now playing college football after graduating high school in 2016, are being recognized solely for their accomplishments in high school.
Princeton is the only school to have multiple honorees of a 2016 National Scholar-Athlete Award, and it is the only Ivy League school to have an honoree. Among the other schools honored are Stanford and Michigan.
Coach Speak
Head coach Bob Surace is one of two men to win an Ivy League championship as both a player (1989) and a head coach (2013). He was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Jr. Head Coach of the Year Award following the 2013 season.
Working Sundays
Mike Catapano '13, Caraun Reid '14, and Seth DeValve'16 are each on NFL rosters this season, marking the first time three drafted Princeton players have all been on NFL rosters for the same weekend since the 1980s. Reid returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown at Indianapolis, and he caused a safety on Thursday Night Football last week in a win over the Super Bowl champion Broncos. Catapano has started for the New York Jets. DeValve, who became Princeton's highest-drafted player of the modern era (fourth round) last April, has seen time on offense for Cleveland.
We Are The Champions
Princeton will honor the 2006 Ivy League title team at halftime of Saturday's contest. Ten years ago, the Tigers produced a 9-1 record — the program's best since 1964 — and rallied for countless thrilling victories, including a 34-31 win over Harvard on Powers Field, to earn Princeton's first Ivy League title in 11 seasons. Check out a feature on the team on Page 36 of this week's game program.
The Crystal Ball
Princeton returns to the road next Saturday to face Cornell at 12:30 pm. The game will be televised on One World Sports (check local listings), and it will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Princeton has won the last three meetings with Cornell, although the Big Red has taken two of the last three matchups on Schoellkopf Field. Cornell is currently 1-1 in the Ivy League, and it plays at Brown today.
Home Sweet Home
Princeton will return home Nov. 5 at noon to take on reigning Ivy tri-champion Penn during Military & Community Day on Powers Field. Penn blocked a last-second field goal and scored an overtime touchdown to claim a 26-23 win over Princeton last year.
Kickoff is at noon, and tickets are still available through GoPrincetonTigers.com or 609-258-4TIX. If you can't make it to the game, you can watch it live via the Ivy League Digital Network or the American Sports Network (check local listings).
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