No. 22 Football Battles Cornell Saturday at Princeton Stadium

By Craig Sachson
GoPrincetonTigersFootball.com

One of the best stories in Ivy League football will take Powers Field Saturday afternoon (1 pm ET, ESPN+) with hopes of building upon its remarkable season and creating a little history of its own.

The 22nd-ranked Princeton football team and generations of Tiger fans celebrating Homecoming Weekend would love nothing more than to stop that from happening.

Yes, the undefeated Princeton Tigers may be tied atop the Ivy League standings right now, but the Cornell Big Red has also put together a special season. Cornell swept through its non-league schedule since 2007 and picked up its first Ivy League win of the season last weekend against Brown. If Cornell wins Saturday, it would clinch its first .500 season since 2011 and move to 5-2 for the first time since 1999.

"The Cornell football team is playing excellent football," head coach Bob Surace said. "Some of the many strengths we see on video are their physical play, finish and exceptional effort."

Surace knows good effort when he sees it, and he's been happy with his team's performance through the first six weeks. Princeton stayed perfect in 2022 with its best 60-minute effort of the season, a 37-10 nationally televised victory at Harvard last Friday night. The Tigers outgained the Crimson 469-303 and held the ball for nearly 14 more minutes in their fifth straight win in the series.

That victory keeps Princeton tied with another Ivy League unbeaten, Penn, atop the Ivy League standings, but there are still four weeks of league play still to come. Cornell stayed alive in the race with its win over Brown, and the Big Red will play Princeton and Penn in back-to-back weeks, so either of these teams could find themselves in good position in early November.

For the Homecoming fans, though, they would like nothing more than to see their Tigers stay exactly as they are now — perfect.

Week 7 Notes

History Lesson • Princeton leads Cornell 64-37-2 in a series that dates back to November 14, 1891, a 6-0 Princeton win. Ironically enough, these two teams played in the first game ever at Princeton Stadium (Sept. 19, 1998), and the Tigers also won that game 6-0.

Even Steven • Princeton has won three consecutive games over the Big Red, but the last two wins have been closer than the scores (2019: 21-7; 2021: 34-16) might indicate. In those two games combined, Cornell outgained Princeton 684-681.

Rank and File • Princeton's win over Harvard last weekend helped the Tigers move up one spot in the latest AFCA Coaches' Poll. Princeton has been ranked in the Top 25 over each of the last three weeks and is the only Ivy League team to be ranked this season.

Watch and Learn • Two Princeton players were added to FCS Award watch lists this week. Senior wideout Andrei Iosivas was named to the 2022 Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award Watch List, which honors the top offensive player in the FCS. Freshman running back Ryan Butler was named to the 2022 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which is presented to the national freshman of the year.

We're Honored • That wasn't the only honor for Ryan Butler this week. Both he and junior quarterback Blake Stenstrom earned Ivy League weekly honors following Princeton's 37-10 win at Harvard. Stenstrom accounted for 338 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) to earn the Offensive Player of the Week award, while Butler added 94 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including his ninth on the ground this season, to earn Ivy League Rookie of the Week.

The Butler Did It • Ryan Butler has now won the Ivy League Rookie of the Week honor four times in the first six weeks of the season, which ties him with four other players for fourth-most in Ivy history. Three players won the award six times, including another Princeton running back, Chuck Dibilio (2011). Dibilio and Butler are the only Princeton players to win the honor more than twice.

Catching On • Princeton wideouts Andrei Iosivas and Dylan Classi rank 1-2 in the Ivy League in receiving yards and have combined for 1,158 yards through the air this season. The next two closest receivers in the Ivy League have combined for 1,010.

Andrei The Giant • Andrei Iosivas currently leads the Ivy League in receiving yards (623) and touchdown catches (four), and he ranked second in the league with 45 catches. He had a career night against Harvard, catching nine passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.

99 Problems • Andrei Iosivas enters Saturday needing only one catch to become the 17th player in program history with 100 career receptions. He also has 13 career touchdown catches, which is tied for sixth-most in program history (Kevin Duffy '97).

Staying Classi • Dylan Classi became the 16th player to record at least 100 career catches at Princeton earlier in the season, and he enters the weekend with 109 catches for 1,761 yards in his career. He needs 239 more yards to become the fifth player in program history with at least 2,000 career receiving yards; of the previous four to reach that mark, only Jesper Horsted '19 has done so in the last 19 seasons.

Throw It Around • Reigning Ivy League Player of the Week Blake Stenstrom ranks either first or second in the Ivy League in passing yards (second, 1,630), passing efficiency (first, 154.0), completion percentage (69.4), and fewest interceptions (second, 2). The Ivy League leader in fewest interceptions thrown is Cornell's Jameson Wang, who has only one interception in 135 attempts.

Getting Defensive • Princeton leads the Ivy League in both scoring (11.3) and total (271.8) defense. Princeton's scoring defense ranks second in the FCS, behind only the Deion Sanders-coached Jackson State Tigers (10.1).

Down and Out • Princeton ranks fifth in the FCS in first downs allowed (99 total, 16.5 per game), and 19th in third-down conversion percentage allowed (32.6%). By limiting opposing possessions, Princeton has the nation's 10th-best time of possession this season (33:57).

Tackling The Issue • Linebacker Liam Johnson ranks fourth in the Ivy League in tackles this season (8.3 per game). He has averaged over 10 per game over the last three weeks, including a career-best 15 in the win over Brown.

No Second Chance • Princeton has shut out three of its last four opponents in the second half, including last week at Harvard. The only team to score in the second half against the Tigers this month has been Brown, and it did so while trailing by double digits.

Coming Up Next • Princeton will remain home on Saturday, Nov. 5, to host Dartmouth in a 1 pm start on Salute To Service Day at Princeton Stadium. Princeton and Dartmouth shared the 2021 Ivy League title, and the Big Green have won two in a row against the Tigers, including a 2019 win at Yankee Stadium. The last time these teams met at Princeton was the historic 2018 game, when both teams came in nationally ranked and undefeated, and the Tigers rallied for a 14-9 home win en route to its first perfect season since 1964.

Extra History Lesson • This Friday is one of the most famous games in both Princeton and college football history. On Oct. 28, 1922, Princeton defeated the University of Chicago 21-18 in the first game ever broadcast on radio. Princeton trailed 18-7 entering the fourth quarter, but touchdowns by Howdy Gray and Harry "Maud" Crum rallied the Tigers for a historic win en route to a national championship. That Princeton team was called the "Team of Destiny" by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice.

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