Football Friday: Surace Reflect On Tough Harvard Win, Looks At Cornell Showdown

Saturday, October 27

Princeton, N.J.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

Cornell

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Photo by: Patrick Tewey

Football Friday: Surace Reflect On Tough Harvard Win, Looks At Cornell Showdown

October 26, 2018 | Football

The latest edition of Football Friday with Bob Surace is here. In the latest installment, Surace shares his thoughts on how his team handled the tense second half of a 29-21 road win at Harvard, and the play from senior standouts Mark Fossati, Tom Johnson and Jesper Horsted. He then looks ahead to Saturday's game against a Cornell team that has won three of four and brings balance on both sides of the ball.

You can watch the interview by clicking the play link above. The full Week 7 preview is below.

All was well heading into this exact game last season, a Week 7 home showdown with Cornell. Princeton had come off back-to-back-to-back 50-point outbursts, including a stunning Friday night rout of Harvard on national TV.

The Tigers were 5-1, and most thought they had a strong chance to grab at least a share of the Ivy League title.

Cornell didn't care, and Princeton didn't win another game that fall.

Fast forward 12 months, and there is certainly plenty to be excited about this fall. Princeton is off to its first 6-0 start since 2006, and the Tigers just pulled out a tense 29-21 victory at Harvard. They have trailed for less than 10 total minutes this season, and they have scored at least 48 points in every home game so far in 2018.

Cornell doesn't care about that either.

The Big Red enter Saturday's game with one loss in Ivy League play, and Cornell still has games against the two unbeaten teams above it in the standings (Princeton and Dartmouth). Both teams have visions of a championship in their minds, though one will be significantly clearer later that afternoon.

Saturday will be Youth Day at Princeton Stadium. There will be free admission for all kids 12 and under, and there will be a Halloween contest at halftime. The first 1,000 fans will receive free Tiger ears. Tickets are still available, and you can order them on GoPrincetonTigers.com or by calling 609-258-4TIX.

Week 7: Cornell (3-3, 2-1 Ivy) at #17 Princeton (6-0, 3-0)

Date • Time • Location	Oct. 27, 2018 • 1 pm • Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
Watch Live	ESPN+
Tickets	Princeton Ticket Office
Radio	103.3 FM l Listen Live on the TuneIn App
Game Coverage	Live Stats l @PUTigerFootball l @PUTigers
All-Time Series	Princeton leads 61-37-2
Last Meeting • Current Streak	Cornell 29, PRINCETON 28 (2017) l Cornell 1
Princeton Information	Note Packet l Roster l Schedule l Statistics
Cornell Information	Roster l Schedule l Statistics
Ivy League	Standings l Statistics l Weekly Release
Last Week	Princeton 29, HARVARD 21 l Cornell 34, BROWN 16
Next Week	#20 Dartmouth at #17 Princeton • Nov. 3, 2018 • 1 pm • ESPN+

Lights, Camera, Action
Princeton returns home to Powers Field this Saturday to take on Cornell in a 1 pm Ivy League matchup. Cody Chrusciel (play by play), Dave Giancola (analyst) and Jon Mozes (sideline) will call the game live on ESPN+, while Patrick McCarthy (play by play) and Tom Criqui (analyst) will handle the broadcast on both TuneIn and WPRB 103.3 FM.

Original Eleven
The latest edition of the Original Eleven featured an interview with sophomore cornerback Delan Stallowrth, as well as a full breakdown of the thrilling 29-21 win at Harvard. You can hear it below.

Movin' On Up
Princeton is currently ranked 17th in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll, and it moved to #19 in the STATS FCS Top 25 media poll. The #17 spot in the AFCA poll is the highest Princeton has been ranked since Oct. 23, 2006, when it moved to #15 in the national poll following a 31-28 win over Harvard. That also marked the last time Princeton had a 6-0 record.

We've Been Here Before
Last year, Princeton entered the Week 7 Cornell game with a 5-1 record, and it was on a run of three straight games with at least 50 points. Cornell rallied in that one for a 29-28 victory, and Princeton didn't win another game the rest of the season.

Sixth Sense
Prior to this season, Princeton has started 6-0 three other times since 1965. The first two came in both 1993 and 1995, and both times Princeton won during Week 7. The most recent time came in 2006, when the Tigers traveled to Ithaca and suffered a 14-7 loss.

Championship Chase
Princeton and Cornell are two of the three teams in control of their own position within the Ivy League championship chase entering Week 7. Both Princeton and Dartmouth are undefeated, and will meet next week, so a loss by either team this weekend wouldn't remove their ability to win out and grab at least a share of the title. Cornell has only one league loss, and it still has games left with both Princeton and Dartmouth, so if the Big Red wins out, it will also earn at least a share of the title.

Rank And File
Princeton leads the FCS in both total offense (556.8 yards/game) and scoring offense (48.2 points/game). The Tigers also rank in the Top 10 in both scoring defense (4th, 10.7 points/game) and total defense (9th, 273.3 yards/game).

Half And Half
Princeton has trailed for a grand total of 8:53 this season, and none of it has come in the second half of any games. Harvard had three drives last weekend when it could have taken the lead, and Princeton came up with three stops, including two on their own side of the field.

Crazy Finish
The first 21 drives of the Princeton-Harvard game resulted in a grand total of 23 points. The next four drives, all of which ended in touchdowns, resulted in 27 points. Two of the scores came from Charlie Volker, who now has 29 rushing touchdowns, sixth-most in program history.

Go Fourth
There are still four teams in the FCS that enter this weekend undefeated, including top-ranked North Dakota State. The other three are Colgate and a pair of Ivy League teams, Princeton and Dartmouth. Princeton will host Dartmouth next Saturday at 1 pm.

Quarterly Report
Princeton has lost only one quarter so far in 2018 (2nd vs. Harvard), and it's only tied one of the other 24 quarters played (1st quarter vs. Lehigh; Princeton would win that game 66-7). This is the average lead Princeton has had at the end of quarters this season: 1st - 8.8; 2nd - 22.2; 3rd - 31.2; 4th - 37.5.

Moving Up
Jesper Horsted caught 10 passes for 126 yards and a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown last weekend in the 29-21 victory over Harvard. Princeton's career leader in touchdown catches, Horsted has a shot at breaking all three major career receiving records at Princeton. He is currently third all-time with 169 catches, 24 back of Keith Guthrie's mark of 193; Horsted also has 2318 career receiving yards, 480 behind the record of Derek Graham (2,798).

Catching On
Stephen Carlson needs one more touchdown catch to move into third place by himself on Princeton's career list (17), and he needs three more to tie Derek Graham for second place on the list with 19. He also needs 14 catches and 90 receiving yards to move into the Princeton Top 10 in both respective categories.

Head Of The Class
Jesper Horsted was named one of the national semifinalists for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes an individual as the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. Candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing 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.

Lovett Or Leave It
Senior quarterback John Lovett, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Brown game due to injury, remains the FCS leader in points responsible for per game (24.4). Lovett ranks in the Ivy League Top 4 in the following categories:
Total Offense: 1st, 317.6 yards/game
Passing Yards: 2nd, 227.8 yards/game
Passing Efficiency: 2nd, 170.0 efficiency
Rushing: 4th, 89.8 yards/game
Scoring: 4th, 8.4 points/game

Seventh Heaven
One of the most memorable performances of John Lovett's career came against Cornell during the 2016 Ivy championship season. He accounted for a Princeton record seven touchdowns (four passing, two rushing, one receiving), and he completed a 95-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Barnes, during Princeton's 56-7 win in Ithaca, N.Y.

Taking Care Of The Ball
Princeton is the lone Ivy League team — and one of only two in the entire FCS (Cal Poly) — to have not thrown an interception all season. The Tigers have thrown 191 passes this season, including 128 by Lovett. Princeton ranks second in the Ivy League in turnover margin (+9). Cornell has been just as careful with the ball in the run game. The Big Red is one of two teams in the FCS that has yet to lose a fumble this season.

Born To Run
Senior running back Charlie Volker needs 132 yards today to become the seventh player in Princeton history to reach the 2,000-yard milestone in his career. If he reaches that mark, it means he will have passed a pair of College Football Hall of Famers on the Princeton career rushing list: Cosmo Iacavazzi and 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier.

I'll Take That
Senior TJ Floyd ranks second in the Ivy League with four interceptions this season, including one in the end zone last weekend during Princeton's tight win at Harvard. Floyd also ended a Crimson second-half drive with a forced fumble, which was recovered by Jake Strain. In his three Ivy League games, Floyd has created four turnovers and added a pair of pass breakups.

Tackling The Issue
Senior captains Mark Fossati and Tom Johnson were viewed as Princeton's leaders in the middle of the defense, and both had big efforts over the last two weeks. Fossati was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after a 12-tackle performance against Brown, while Johnson had 10 tackles and a sack last Saturday in the win at Harvard.

You're Grounded
Princeton's rushing defense ranks 11th nationally, allowing only 96.7 yards per game. That unit will be tested this weekend by Cornell junior Harold Coles, who ranks fifth in the Ivies in rushing yards (79.0) and has more rushing touchdowns this season than any non-Princeton Ivy player.

The Wright Stuff
Sophomore Samuel Wright had a pair of sacks in the Tigers' 48-10 win over Brown two weeks ago, and he shares the team lead with 4.0 tackles for loss entering the Cornell game. Ten different players have at least two tackles for loss this season, while Wright and Mike Wagner have 4.0 apiece.

Coach Speak
Head coach Bob Surace, a three-time finalist for FCS Coach of the Year honors and one of two men to win an Ivy League title as both a coach and player, went over the .500 mark as a Princeton head coach for the first time in his career with the win over Brown. That is made all the more remarkable by the fact that Surace went 2-20 in his first 22 games at his alma mater.

Working Sundays
Seth DeValve '16 became Princeton's highest-drafted player in the modern era when the Cleveland Browns selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He entered his third season with 70 catches and three touchdowns for the Browns, where he plays tight end. Chad Kanoff '18, the reigning Ivy Offensive Player of the Year, signed a contract with the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason and made the team's practice squad. Two weeks ago, Caraun Reid '14 signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

ESP(rinceton)N
The new partnership between the Ivy League and ESPN means that all Princeton home games, as well as Ivy League road games, will be streamed live on ESPN+; that partnership extends throughout all Princeton sports, meaning the majority of Princeton home games will be streamed at ESPN+. A monthly ($4.99) or yearly ($49.99) subscription is less expensive than the Ivy League Network subscription would be, and it gives you access to the full platform of live events and other features of ESPN+.

Listen Up
There are two weekly podcasts during the football season for Princeton fans. The "Original Eleven" returns for its second season, and it will be available at the beginning of each game week (typically Monday, Tuesday at the latest) to recap the previous game and chat with a member of the team. The new "Bob Surace Show" will be available Thursday nights as a replay of the radio show held each earlier that night at Alchemist & Barrister in Princeton.
You can have both podcasts downloaded automatically — as well as the full library of Princeton Athletics podcasts — by subscribing to "Princeton Tigers."

The Crystal Ball
Princeton will remain home next weekend to face Dartmouth Saturday at 1 pm on Powers Field. The two teams enter today as the lone unbeaten teams in the Ivy League — and two of the four in the nation — and they rank 1-2 in both scoring offense (Princeton, Dartmouth) and scoring defense (Dartmouth, Princeton).
You can purchase tickets to the game at GoPrincetonTigers.com. If you can't make it, the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.