Football Wraps Up Road Portion of Schedule at Yale

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By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com

Princeton and Yale meet Saturday at noon (ESPN+) in the 146th edition of the Ivy League's oldest rivalry and the second-oldest rivalry in all of college football. The Tigers will look to end a two-game losing streak against the Bulldogs while also picking up its second Ivy win of the season.

While this matchup has had championship implications every year for the last decade, Saturday's showdown will be more about the rivalry. The Bulldogs are still mathematically alive in the championship race, though they will need significant help to get them across the finish line.

Princeton, having battled through an injury-riddled season of its own, has no interest in being part of that help. The record has never mattered when the Tigers see the blue and white of Yale on the other sideline; this rivalry is deep-rooted and personal, and that is more than enough motivation.

The Yale Bowl has seen its share of classics between these two teams over the first quarter century. In 2006, the Tigers trailed by 14 points on three separate occasions, but fourth-quarter touchdown receptions by Brendan Circle and Brian Brigham — the latter for 57 yards — gave Princeton a 34-31 win and a path to its first Ivy League title since 1995.

In 2018, Collin Eaddy rushed for more than 90 yards and two touchdowns in the first minute of the game, and Princeton held off a wild late rally by Yale to post a 59-43 win and keep its perfect season alive. The Tigers rushed for 489 yards that day, and one week later they completed their first undefeated season since 1964.

Two years ago, Yale flipped the script with a dominant running performance of its own. The Bulldogs rushed for 297 yards and scored 17 third-quarter points to hand Princeton its first loss of the season 24-20.

You never know when the next classic will be. Princeton would love nothing more than to add to the 110-year history of great Yale Bowl games while also creating positive energy for both its present and future, but it will have to knock off a strong Bulldog team to do so.

"Yale is playing terrific football, with last week being their most impressive showing to date," head coach Bob Surace said. "They have outstanding balance on offense, led by their quarterback and his combination of accuracy and athleticism. They are getting great production from their receivers and running backs as well. Defensively, I believe it's the most athletic and aggressive defense we've played in the league, and I think they are very similar to Mercer. They are a physical front seven and also fast on the back end."

There is nothing quite like a rivalry game, and no rivalry in the league has the history of this one.

Week 9 Game Notes

History Lesson • The second-oldest rivalry in Division I, Yale and Princeton first met on November 18, 1873 and have played 145 times overall. Yale leads the all-time series 80-55-10, but the rivalry has been extremely close recently; neither team has won three consecutive games in the series since Yale won four times between 2002-2005.

Point, Counterpoint • Princeton has struggled scoring on the road this season. The Tigers are averaging 14.3 points in its four games away from Princeton Stadium this season, while they have averaged 27.8 points per home game.

Cool Hand Luke • Senior wide receiver Luke Colella had a career effort against Yale last season. He caught seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime loss, including a three-yard touchdown catch with 18 seconds remaining that forced overtime.

Catching On • All eight Ivy League teams have one receiver with at least five touchdown catches on the season. Yale's David Pantelis ranks third in the Ivy League with eight touchdown catches, while Luke Colella is tied for seventh with five touchdowns. Colella has caught a touchdown in three of the last four games, including each of the last two.

First and Goal • 2024 starting quarterback Blaine Hipa first made a name for himself in the Yale game last season. He rushed for one touchdown and threw for one touchdown while backing up Blake Stenstrom.

Positive Signs • Junior quarterback Blaine Hipa has shown positive signs over his last two starts; after throwing four touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first five starts, he has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two weeks. He has also completed over 60% of his passes in both games; prior to that, he had not completed over 60% in any of his first five starts.

Marco Polo • Junior Marco Scarano ranks second in the Ivy League with 10 total tackles for loss this season. He has had two apiece in each of the last two weeks, and he has recorded at least one in seven of eight games this season.

The Chase Is On • Sophomore Chase Christopher leads Princeton and ranks seventh in the Ivy League with 58 tackles on the season, including a career-best 12 last weekend against Dartmouth. Teammate Marco Scarano is also in the Ivy League Top 10; he ranks ninth with 56 stops.

Quick Pick • Two of the Ivy League leaders in interceptions will meet this weekend. While Columbia's Hayden McDonald leads the league with four picks on the season, both Princeton's Torian Roberts and Yale's Joshua Tarver are tied for second with three apiece.

Watch Out • Freshman AJ Pigford, a two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week this season, was named to the Stats Perform 2024 Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which honors the FCS Freshman Player of the Year. Pigford has 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the season.

Just For Kicks • Senior kicker Jeffrey Sexton hit the longest field goal kicked by a Princeton Tiger this century when he made a 51-yarder during Princeton's last road game (Harvard). The only other Princeton player to kick one at least 50 yards was Taylor Northrop, who did so during the 2000 season.

Crystal Ball • Princeton will honor its Class of 2025 and close out the season next Saturday at 1 pm with a showdown against Penn on Powers Field.

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