Princeton Football Ready For Brown Under The Lights Friday On ESPNU

By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com

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This week may feel a bit unfamiliar to Tiger fans. It's understandable.

The first-place and nationally ranked Princeton Tigers begin their six-game Ivy League sprint under the lights when they host Brown this Friday night at 7 p.m. in front of an ESPNU-televised national audience.

Playing under the lights isn't a new concept to Princeton. The Tigers have played seven Friday night games over the last decade, and they've won six of them. Only two of those seven games were at home, and only one was an Ivy League game. That victory, a 10-5 win over Columbia in 2015, was played in arguably the worst weather conditions for a Princeton football game this century, so it wasn't exactly a pleasant viewing experience.

It's been over seven years since an Ivy League team has walked on Powers Field on a Friday night looking to disappoint the home Princeton crowd. During that span, the Tigers have claimed three of six possible Ivy League championships, and they want nothing more than to take a big step towards another this weekend.

A much-improved Brown squad will try to stand in the way this week. When Princeton beat Columbia during that 2015 monsoon, it was offensive coordinator James Perry who was trying to figure out any way to move the ball down the field. After helping the Tigers win the 2013 and 2016 Ivy championships, Perry has returned to his alma mater and has helped turn the program around.

Brown currently stands at 2-2 and is coming off a 27-20 win at Central Connecticut State. It put a real scare in Harvard during the 2022 Ivy opener, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points before falling short in a 35-28 loss. Despite losing Ivy League Player of the Year EJ Perry, the Brown passing attack continues to post big numbers, led by quarterback Jake Wilcox.

More than anything, Perry is familiar with the rebuilding process. His time with Surace at Princeton included some lean early years, but the effort and improvement were evident early back then, and they are evident with Brown right now.

"We are excited to get back into Ivy play Friday night," Princeton head coach Bob Surace said. "Brown is a great challenge. They will test our discipline and responsibilities in all three areas. The effort they play with is impressive, and they are a physical team with excellent athleticism at the skill positions."

The lights will be on Friday night, the weather looks clear, and the mission for both sides will be the same. Start this six-game Ivy stretch with a win that a national audience can enjoy.

Week 5 Game Notes
Rank and File • Princeton returned to the national Top 25 this week when it was ranked #23 in the FCS Coaches poll. The Tigers are receiving votes in the FCS media poll, and in both cases, Princeton is the highest-ranked Ivy League team.

Two For One • Princeton is looking for its fourth straight 2-0 start in Ivy League play Friday night when it takes on Brown. Since 2013, Princeton has opened Ivy play 2-0 six times; in four of those years (2013, 2016, 2018, 2021), the Tigers went on to win the Ivy League title.

Friday Night Lights • Since Bob Surace has taken over as head coach, Princeton has played eight Friday night games and has gone 6-2 overall. Three of those have been played at home; Princeton lost in 2012, but defeated Columbia (2015) and Lafayette (2019) in the last two games.

Passing Fancy • This matchup features the Ivy League's top two passing attacks. Princeton leads the Ivy League with 273.5 passing yards per game, while Brown ranks second with 268.3. The next closest team (Penn) is throwing for 240 yards per game.

In The Air Tonight • Both Princeton's Blake Stenstrom and Brown's Jake Wilcox are in their first season as starters, and both have gotten off to impressive starts. Stenstrom leads the Ivies in yards (1,094) and is second in both completion percentage (69.7) and fewest interceptions (two), while Wilcox leads in touchdowns thrown (eight), and is second in yards (1,063).

Andrei The Giant • Senior wideout Andrei Iosivas has played a big role in Princeton's passing success this season. He leads the Ivy League in receiving yards (408) and touchdowns (three), and he ranks second with 28 receptions. Iosivas, who caught six passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns last season against Brown, needs only 13 catches to become the 16th player in program history with 100 career catches. Of course, by then he'd likely be the 17th player, because …

Staying Classi • Senior wideout Dylan Classi, who is averaging six catches per game over the last three weeks, has 97 career catches for 1,533 yards and seven touchdowns. He needs three more to become the 16th Princeton player with 100 career receptions.

Point It Out • Two of the Ivy League's top individual scorers will be meeting Friday night. Princeton freshman running back Ryan Butler, a two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, ranks third in the Ivies with six touchdowns, while Brown running back Allen Smit is fourth in the league with five touchdowns.

Defense Doesn't Rest • Princeton has the Ivy League's top-ranked scoring (9.8 points/game) and total (234.4 yards/game) defense, and it has the second-ranked rushing (44.5) and passing (189.8) defense. No other team in FCS football is allowing both fewer than 50 rushing yards and 200 passing yards allowed per game.

Point It Out • Though neither of the last two games was technically a shutout (due to points allowed on offense or special teams), the Princeton defense hasn't allowed a single point in the span of 163:07, dating back to a second-quarter field goal by Lehigh in Week 2. The last three scores that happened against Princeton came on an interception return, a fumble return, and a blocked extra point return. Last year, the Princeton defense opened the season without allowing a point in 160:45.

Down And Out • Much of Princeton's defensive success comes from simply not allowing long drives. The Tigers have given up the fewest first downs in the nation (52), and they rank second in the Ivy League in third down conversion percentage (31.4%).

Seeing Red • Princeton has been stingy in allowing teams to get inside the red zone, and it has been even stingier once it has gotten there. Princeton has given up only five red zone attempts this season, and it has allowed a score on only two of them (40%). No other team has allowed less than a 58% conversion rate. The Tigers have also only allowed one touchdown in the red zone; the next closest team, Penn, has allowed four.

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