No. 16 Princeton Falls To Dartmouth, Drops Into First Place Tie

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Football

September 27, 3PM

at Lafayette

Easton, Pa.

Football

October 3, 7PM

vs Columbia

Princeton, N.J.

Football

October 11, 12PM

vs Mercer

Princeton, N.J.

Football

October 18, 12PM

at Brown

Providence, R.I.

Football

October 25, 12PM

vs Harvard

Princeton, N.J.

Perfect seasons are not easy to come by, which is why the Princeton football team has only two of them since the 1950s. Ivy League championships are hardly easy to come by themselves, though they don't always require perfection, which is why the Tigers have 12 of those – and a chance to add a 13^th in the next two weeks.

Princeton's hope for a second unbeaten record in three seasons ended with a 31-7 loss to Dartmouth Friday night in chilly Hanover. The silver lining for Princeton, though, is that it is still in first place in the league with just two weeks to play.

The loss was Princeton's first after starting the season with seven straight wins. As a result, Princeton and Dartmouth are now tied for first place in the league at 4-1, and Yale could make it a three-team tie at the top with a Saturday win over Brown. Princeton finishes its season with Yale at home next Saturday and then a trip to Penn, and wins in both would mean no worse than a share of the league title.

The game in Hanover had very much the feel of the 2019 game at Yankee Stadium between the two. Just as was the case on that day, Dartmouth never let Princeton get into any sort of rhythm and was able to regain the momentum quickly anytime it appeared the Tigers were going to get untracked.

The night started out roughly as Dartmouth drove 75 yards in eight plays to go up 7-0 on its first possession. It got worse when Princeton lost senior running back and captain Collin Eaddy, who suffered a leg injury and had to leave the field on a cart.

The Big Green lead grew to 17-0 by the second quarter before the Tigers were able to break through, putting together a 14-play, 75-yard march of its own that ended when freshman John Volker cashed it in from the 1. The Tigers had a chance to cut into the deficit further but a field goal attempt on the final play of the half hit the upright.

Dartmouth broke the game open with two third-quarter touchdowns, one on a 55-yard drive and the other on a 70-yard interception return.

Jacob Birmelin was again a bright spot for Princeton, with seven catches for 72 yards. Volker, a freshman, had 11 carries for 55 yards, with no tackles for loss to go with his TD, after having 11 carries for 32 yards for the season prior to the Dartmouth game. James Johnson led the Tigers with eight tackles.

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