.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Mason Armstead
Football Takes On Dartmouth Friday on ESPNU
November 07, 2024 | Football
Watch
Listen
Live Stats
Tickets
Game Notes
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
The Princeton-Dartmouth rivalry goes back more than 125 years, but the last decade has seen some critical — and highly memorable — showdowns between the two Ivy League rivals. Many of those meetings have resulted in an Ivy League championship.
There were title implications in both 2015 and 2016, when home teams won on the final day of the regular season to clinch a share of the Ivy League championships. The title wasn't on the line in 2017, but the game had one of the craziest endings you will see; Princeton led the game with two seconds left on the clock, but it ended up losing by 10 points.
The Ivy League Game of the Quarter Century was the 2018 battle between #14 Princeton and #20 Dartmouth, a pair of undefeated Ivy powerhouses who met in Princeton Stadium and delivered on a game that more than lived up to the billing. Eventual Bushnell Cup winner John Lovett scored from five yards out with 6:33 remaining and the Princeton defense pitched a shutout over the final 52:10 in a thrilling 14-9 Tiger win.
Yankee Stadium played host to the 2019 meeting during a year-long celebration of the 150th season of college football, and Dartmouth rushed for 225 yards en route to the win and a share of the Ivy League title. The Big Green defeated a nationally ranked Princeton squad at home in 2021, though both teams would go on to share the Ivy League title.
Over the last two years, both teams would claim home wins in games that were decided by a grand total of five points. The Big Green earned the win last year, and that helped it earn a three-way share of the Ivy League title.
Dartmouth is in another three-way tie atop the Ivy League standings this year (along with Columbia and Harvard, which play against each other this weekend), so Friday's nationally televised game (6 pm, ESPNU) will once again have title implications. The Big Green brings the Ivy League's top run offense (177.6 yards/game) and the second-ranked run defense (112.4) yards/game) to Powers Field, where it has not won since 2014.
"Dartmouth is having a great year," head coach Bob Surace said. "They have always been a physical, high effort, intelligent team and this group is as good in those areas as any dominant Dartmouth squad we have faced. I also think they've been outstanding in their special teams. They kick it, cover it and block kicks as well as anyone in the country."
Princeton is looking for a strong close to the 2024 season, which has been besieged by injuries and inconsistency. There is no better way to start that push than by doing so in front of a national audience and at the expense of a team on top of the Ivy standings.
Week 8 Game Notes
History Lesson • This will be the 103rd meeting between Princeton and Dartmouth in a series that dates back to 1897. Dartmouth leads the series 52-46-4 and has won 10 of the last 13 meetings, although Princeton has won the last three played at Princeton Stadium (2016, 2018, 2022).
Close Calls • Each of the last two meetings between Princeton and Dartmouth has been decided by a field goal or less. Princeton earned a 17-14 home win in 2022, while Dartmouth's Owen Zalc converted a 47-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining to help the Big Green post a 23-21 win.
Title Talk • Since 2015, the winner of this game has earned at least a share of the Ivy League championship six of eight times.
Friday Night Lights • Princeton is 11-5 on Friday nights during the 2000s, including a 6-2 mark at home. One of those home wins came three weeks ago when the Tigers used a 19-0 start to knock off Brown 29-17.
Friday Foes • Princeton's last two Friday night losses have both come against Dartmouth, although both were at Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green won 31-7 in 2021 during a season in which both teams would share the Ivy League title, and they won 23-21 last year.
Twice as Nice • Senior wide receiver Luke Colella surpassed a pair of career milestones last weekend against Cornell. He caught his 10th career touchdown pass, which ties him for ninth in program history, and he went over the 1,000-yard mark for career receiving yards. Colella, who caught a 62-yard touchdown pass against Dartmouth last season, currently ranks eighth in the Ivy League with 53.9 receiving yards per game.
Barber Shop • Senior wideout AJ Barber needs three receptions to reach the 100-catch milestone for his career. He had a season-best nine catches for 59 yards last weekend against Cornell.
Catching On • Junior Charley Rossi entered last weekend with one career reception, but he caught four passes for 41 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Cornell.
The Chase Is On • Sophomore Chase Christopher leads Princeton with 46 tackles on the season. He has posted two double-digit tackle performances, including 11 against nationally ranked Mercer.
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 two weeks ago at Harvard. The only other Princeton player to kick one at least 50 yards was Taylor Northrop, who did so during the 2000 season.
Just For Kicks II • Five of the six longest field goals in the Ivy League this season were made by players in Friday's game. Dartmouth's Owen Zalc has converted on field goals of 54, 50 and 48 yards this season, while Jeffrey Sexton has converted from 51 and 44 yards.
Block Party • Matthew Mahoney blocked a punt in the Cornell game last weekend; it was Princeton's first blocked punt since Connor Hulstein blocked a Lehigh punt on Sept. 24, 2022.
Crystal Ball • The second-most-played rivalry in college football will resume next weekend when Princeton travels to New Haven to take on Yale Saturday at noon. This will be the 146th meeting between the two teams, and Yale leads the series 80-55-10.
Listen
Live Stats
Tickets
Game Notes
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
The Princeton-Dartmouth rivalry goes back more than 125 years, but the last decade has seen some critical — and highly memorable — showdowns between the two Ivy League rivals. Many of those meetings have resulted in an Ivy League championship.
There were title implications in both 2015 and 2016, when home teams won on the final day of the regular season to clinch a share of the Ivy League championships. The title wasn't on the line in 2017, but the game had one of the craziest endings you will see; Princeton led the game with two seconds left on the clock, but it ended up losing by 10 points.
The Ivy League Game of the Quarter Century was the 2018 battle between #14 Princeton and #20 Dartmouth, a pair of undefeated Ivy powerhouses who met in Princeton Stadium and delivered on a game that more than lived up to the billing. Eventual Bushnell Cup winner John Lovett scored from five yards out with 6:33 remaining and the Princeton defense pitched a shutout over the final 52:10 in a thrilling 14-9 Tiger win.
Yankee Stadium played host to the 2019 meeting during a year-long celebration of the 150th season of college football, and Dartmouth rushed for 225 yards en route to the win and a share of the Ivy League title. The Big Green defeated a nationally ranked Princeton squad at home in 2021, though both teams would go on to share the Ivy League title.
Over the last two years, both teams would claim home wins in games that were decided by a grand total of five points. The Big Green earned the win last year, and that helped it earn a three-way share of the Ivy League title.
Dartmouth is in another three-way tie atop the Ivy League standings this year (along with Columbia and Harvard, which play against each other this weekend), so Friday's nationally televised game (6 pm, ESPNU) will once again have title implications. The Big Green brings the Ivy League's top run offense (177.6 yards/game) and the second-ranked run defense (112.4) yards/game) to Powers Field, where it has not won since 2014.
"Dartmouth is having a great year," head coach Bob Surace said. "They have always been a physical, high effort, intelligent team and this group is as good in those areas as any dominant Dartmouth squad we have faced. I also think they've been outstanding in their special teams. They kick it, cover it and block kicks as well as anyone in the country."
Princeton is looking for a strong close to the 2024 season, which has been besieged by injuries and inconsistency. There is no better way to start that push than by doing so in front of a national audience and at the expense of a team on top of the Ivy standings.
Week 8 Game Notes
History Lesson • This will be the 103rd meeting between Princeton and Dartmouth in a series that dates back to 1897. Dartmouth leads the series 52-46-4 and has won 10 of the last 13 meetings, although Princeton has won the last three played at Princeton Stadium (2016, 2018, 2022).
Close Calls • Each of the last two meetings between Princeton and Dartmouth has been decided by a field goal or less. Princeton earned a 17-14 home win in 2022, while Dartmouth's Owen Zalc converted a 47-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining to help the Big Green post a 23-21 win.
Title Talk • Since 2015, the winner of this game has earned at least a share of the Ivy League championship six of eight times.
Friday Night Lights • Princeton is 11-5 on Friday nights during the 2000s, including a 6-2 mark at home. One of those home wins came three weeks ago when the Tigers used a 19-0 start to knock off Brown 29-17.
Friday Foes • Princeton's last two Friday night losses have both come against Dartmouth, although both were at Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green won 31-7 in 2021 during a season in which both teams would share the Ivy League title, and they won 23-21 last year.
Twice as Nice • Senior wide receiver Luke Colella surpassed a pair of career milestones last weekend against Cornell. He caught his 10th career touchdown pass, which ties him for ninth in program history, and he went over the 1,000-yard mark for career receiving yards. Colella, who caught a 62-yard touchdown pass against Dartmouth last season, currently ranks eighth in the Ivy League with 53.9 receiving yards per game.
Barber Shop • Senior wideout AJ Barber needs three receptions to reach the 100-catch milestone for his career. He had a season-best nine catches for 59 yards last weekend against Cornell.
Catching On • Junior Charley Rossi entered last weekend with one career reception, but he caught four passes for 41 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Cornell.
The Chase Is On • Sophomore Chase Christopher leads Princeton with 46 tackles on the season. He has posted two double-digit tackle performances, including 11 against nationally ranked Mercer.
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 two weeks ago at Harvard. The only other Princeton player to kick one at least 50 yards was Taylor Northrop, who did so during the 2000 season.
Just For Kicks II • Five of the six longest field goals in the Ivy League this season were made by players in Friday's game. Dartmouth's Owen Zalc has converted on field goals of 54, 50 and 48 yards this season, while Jeffrey Sexton has converted from 51 and 44 yards.
Block Party • Matthew Mahoney blocked a punt in the Cornell game last weekend; it was Princeton's first blocked punt since Connor Hulstein blocked a Lehigh punt on Sept. 24, 2022.
Crystal Ball • The second-most-played rivalry in college football will resume next weekend when Princeton travels to New Haven to take on Yale Saturday at noon. This will be the 146th meeting between the two teams, and Yale leads the series 80-55-10.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K
/ FootballTrench Talk - Episode 3: Joe Harris
Thursday, October 16
Sights and Sounds: Football vs. Columbia (10/3/25)
Tuesday, October 07
First in Football Podcast: Jackson Green
Wednesday, October 01
Sights and Sounds: Football at Lafayette (9/27/25)
Monday, September 29