No. 23 Football Heads To Harvard Friday

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There have been 113 Princeton-Harvard football games over the last 145 years, some of which had national championship implications early on, and many of which have had Ivy title implications over the last half century.

Few had the drama and tension of meeting number 113, though.

Princeton fought off Harvard 18-16 in five — FIVE — overtimes last fall to take a critical step on its Ivy League title journey. Despite four turnovers and other missed opportunities, the Tigers got a highlight-reel fifth-overtime scoring catch from Jacob Birmelin and a timely knockdown by Trevor Forbes to clinch a fourth-straight win over the Crimson.

Both teams have only lost one game since that showdown, and neither came this season. Know what that means? Yes, we're in for yet another memorable, and critically important, Princeton-Harvard showdown, this time in front of a national audience.

Four Ivy teams stand atop the league standings with matching 2-0 records, and those will be whittled down to two by the end of the weekend. While Yale plays at Penn Saturday afternoon, 23rd-ranked Princeton heads to Harvard Stadium Friday night for an ESPNU-televised (7 pm) showdown with the Crimson.

Harvard comes into Friday night possessing the Ivy League's top-ranked scoring offense, averaging 32 points per game over the first half of the season. The Crimson's only loss in 2022 came to an undefeated Holy Cross team currently ranked sixth in the FCS, and it has scored 35 points in both of its Ivy wins (Brown, Cornell)

Senior running back Aidan Borguet has paced the Crimson offense with 124 rushing yards per game (nobody else in the Ivy League has more than 90 per game), and his seven rushing touchdowns ranks second in the Ivies (we'll get to the leader later). The Crimson are happy to throw the ball as well, and usually Kym Wimberly, Jr., is on the receiving end of those catches; he leads the Ivies with 34 receptions, and ranks second with 91.6 receiving yards per game (again, we'll get to the leader later).

The Crimson defense ranks in the middle of the Ivies in most team categories, but it has a pair of senior linemen who can make game-changing plays at any time. Truman Jones leads the league with 8.5 tackles for loss this season, while classmate Nate Leskovec is tied for the Ivy lead with 4.5 sacks.

In other words, Harvard is as balanced and dangerous as you would expect. Princeton head coach Bob Surace is hardly surprised.

"Many of our previous 11 games against Harvard during my time here have been among the most exciting and emotional wins and losses we have had," he said. "The 2022 Harvard team is another terrific one, not only record-wise and statistically, but their athleticism and effort is exceptional. I'm looking forward to seeing if we can be more precise and detailed against an opponent of such excellent quality."

Princeton comes into the game with an unblemished record (5-0, 2-0 Ivy), and it is looking forward to renewing one of its most historic rivalries. Because of the missed 2020 season, this will be the first game for many of the Princeton players inside of Harvard Stadium, and they would love nothing more than to leave the Boston area just as they arrived — atop the Ivy standings.

Week 6 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton leads the all-time series 58-48-7 in a rivalry that dates back to April 28, 1877. The Tigers are 24-21-2 all-time at Harvard Stadium, where they first played on Nov. 2, 1912.

Gimme Five • Princeton has won each of its last four meetings with Harvard, dating back to 2017. The last time Princeton won five straight over Harvard was 1949-1953, a stretch that included the Tigers' last national championship (1950) and Dick Kazmaier's 1951 Heisman Trophy season.

We Are The Champs • Since 2013, either (and in one case both) Princeton or Harvard has won at least a share of the Ivy League title in six of eight seasons. Princeton won in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2021, while Harvard win in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Friday Night Lights • Princeton and Harvard have met once on a Friday night, a 52-17 Tiger win at Harvard Stadium in 2017. Tiger quarterback Chad Kanoff completed 31 of 35 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns in that win, while Charlie Volker rushed for three touchdowns.

Keep It Classi • Chad Kanoff was named the Ivy League (and national) Offensive Player of the Week following that 2017 win, while senior wideout Dylan Classi enters this game as the reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. Classi caught nine passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Brown, and he now leads the league in receiving yards per game (95.2).

Sweet Sixteen • During the Brown win, Classi became the 16th player in Princeton history to record his 100th career catch. A three-year starter, Classi enters the weekend with 106 catches for 1,702 yards and nine touchdowns.

Andrei The Giant • Classi might have some company soon in the 100-catch club at Princeton. Senior Andrei Iosivas, who ranks in the top four in the league in catches (31), receiving yards (447) and touchdowns (three), needs only 10 catches to become the 17th Princeton player to reach the century mark.

The Butler Did It • Freshman Ryan Butler leads every other Ivy League football player 3-2 in Rookie of the Week awards this season. Butler, who leads the Ivy League with eight rushing touchdowns this season, claimed his third Rookie honor after rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Brown. The Princeton freshman record for touchdown rushes is nine, set by John Lovett in 2015.

Throwing It Around • Junior quarterback Blake Stenstrom leads the Ivy League in touchdown passes (11), completion percentage (69.8) and quarterback efficiency (148.3), and he ranks second in passing yards (1352) and fewest interceptions (two) on the season. Stenstrom's current completion percentage would be the second-highest single-season mark in program history, trailing only Kanoff in 2017 (73.2%).

Getting Defensive • Princeton leads the Ivy League in both scoring defense (11.6 points/game) and total defense (265.6 yards/game), and it ranks second in rushing defense (46.0). Princeton's scoring defense is ranked third among all FCS teams, while its total defense is fifth.

Just A Second • The Princeton defense has allowed one second-half touchdown and one second-half field goal all season, and both came last weekend when Princeton held a double-digit lead over Brown.

Pitching A Shutout • Prior to the Brown game, the Tiger defense didn't allow a single point in two consecutive games. Neither was considered an official shutout because Princeton gave up a defensive touchdown against Columbia and a safety against Lafayette. Over the last 15 quarters, the Princeton defense has only allowed one touchdown.

Johnson and Johnson and Johnson • Older brothers Tom and James have both won Ivy League titles as starting linebackers for Princeton, and now youngest brother Liam is hoping to forge his own path. He currently ranks third in the Ivy League with 8.6 tackles per game and posted a career-best 15 stops in the win over Brown.

Down And Out • Princeton has done a remarkable job of getting off the field this season. The Tigers rank second in the Ivy League in fewest first downs allowed (16.2 per game) and third in third-down conversion allowed (33.3).

What's Next • Princeton will return home to Powers Field next Saturday, Oct. 29, for a 1 pm showdown against Cornell during Homecoming weekend at Princeton.

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Jacob Birmelin

Ryan Butler

Dylan Classi

Trevor Forbes

Andrei Iosivas

Blake Stenstrom

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