.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Nasir Hill
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Football Makes Trip To Brown Saturday
October 17, 2025 | Football
Football Game Notes
Watch
Live Stats
Listen
Tickets
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
Brown head coach James Perry knows what it feels like when a program is in the midst of a turnaround. He was the offensive coordinator at Princeton during the incredible 2013 season, when the Tigers were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league and shocked the field to win the Ivy League title. That Princeton team raced out of the gates, putting up at least 50 points in four of their first six wins to establish themselves as a true threat in the Ivy League.
2013 is a fitting season to look back on, because it had also been the last time Brown opened its season with a 3-1 record prior to this fall. Perry guided Brown to its biggest win in generations two weeks ago when the Bears shocked #8 Rhode Island 28-21. Not only was that Brown's first win over a ranked opponent since 2009, but it was their first win over a Top-10 team since 1981.
"Brown is playing outstanding football, especially in that Rhode Island win," Princeton head coach Bob Surace said. "They are playing outstanding on offense, and have been very balanced both in the run and pass game. They are a physical defense, and have combined creating turnovers with minimizing explosive plays as well as anyone in the country."
There is deserved optimism in Providence these days, but there is also a catch to Brown's 3-1 start. That lone loss came in its Ivy League opener against Harvard, meaning the Bears are playing with minimal margin for error the rest of the season.
That brings us to Princeton, which didn't win its game against a ranked opponent (#19 Mercer) last Saturday, but the Tigers did win their Ivy League opener against Columbia two weeks ago. It is early — really, REALLY early — but only three teams are unbeaten in league play so far: Harvard, which followed its Brown victory with a win over Cornell, and Penn, which beat Dartmouth two weeks ago.
Princeton won its only road game of the season thus far, a 38-28 Week 2 win at Lafayette, but a win this weekend would feel much sweeter. Upperclassmen on the roster will remember the sour taste from their last trip to Providence, which ended with a Hail Mary touchdown in the final minute to force overtime, and a blocked extra point in that added session that cost Princeton a win.
Two teams with positive feelings will meet at Brown this weekend (Saturday, 12 pm, ESPN+), but only one will feel extremely good heading into the second half of the 2025 season.
Week 5 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton holds a 61-29 lead over Brown in a series that dates back to October 29, 1896. The home team has won the last three meetings, including a 29-17 win for Princeton last year. Princeton is 3-3 in its last six games at Brown, including two wins during Ivy League championship seasons (2013, 2021).
Two Much • From 2012-2022, Princeton opened Ivy League play 2-0 eight times, and it went on to win the Ivy League title in four of those seasons. The Tigers didn't start 2-0 in either of the last two seasons, thanks to road losses to Brown (2023) and Columbia (2024).
Point, Counterpoint • Brown and Princeton both rank in the top half of the Ivy League in scoring offenses. Brown ranks third in the league and is averaging 27.5 points per game, while Princeton is fourth and averages 26.0 points per game.
Grounded • The duo of Blaine Hipa and Ethan Clark helped lead a rushing attack that gained 215 yards in the win over Brown last weekend. Clark had a game-best 14 rushes 73 yards, while Hipa rushed 10 times for 21 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Catching On • Fifteen different Princeton players have caught at least one pass this season, and 14 of them have less than 10 catches on the season. Princeton's leading receiver through four weeks is Josh Robinson, who has caught 10 passes in the last two weeks.
Marco Polo • Senior co-captain Marco Scarano, who ranks seventh in the Ivy League with 8.8 tackles per game this season, made 14 stops in the win over Brown last season. Scarano, who had five tackles and a forced fumble against Brown in 2023, has had two double-digit tackle performances this season; he had a career-best 18 in the season opener against San Diego.
Tackling The Issue • Two of the Ivy League's top four tacklers will be on the field in Providence this Saturday. Princeton's Chase Christopher ranks third in the league with 9.5 stops per game, while Brown's Miles Brophy ranks fourth with 9.3 stops per game.
Young and Ready • The Ivy League Rookie of the Week has come from Princeton in each of the last three weeks. Freshman wide receiver Josh Robinson has won it each of the last two weeks, including after he caught six passes for 60 yards against a Top-20 opponent in Mercer. Freshman defensive lineman Nate Stohl earned Princeton's first Ivy League individual honor of the season when he was named Rookie of the Week after recording four tackles in the Week 2 road win at Lafayette.
Justice For All • Senior offensive lineman Justice Musser was selected as a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, the top scholar-athlete/citizen honor in the FCS. Musser started a non-profit organization called the Ironwood Foundation. He plans to host an event in March in Damascus, Virginia to help the town raise money for its trail restoration that was destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
Coaching Tree • Princeton head coach Bob Surace will face two of his former offensive coordinators over the next two weeks. James Perry served as the Princeton offensive coordinator for seven seasons and helped the Tigers win the 2013 and 2016 Ivy League titles. Next week, the Tigers face Harvard and its new head coach Andrew Aurich '06, who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach, including offensive coordinator in 2019, and helped win three Ivy League titles.
Coach 'Em Up • Head coach Bob Surace is now in his 15th season as the Princeton head coach Saturday, the longest run of consecutive seasons for any head coach in program history (Hall of Famer Bill Roper coached 17 years over three different stints). He has the second-most wins in program history (83). He is currently six behind Roper for the all-time program lead, and his four Ivy League titles match the Princeton record set by Hall of Famer Dick Colman. Surace, who also coached a year at Western Connecticut, earned his 100th win as head coach in the Week 2 victory over Lafayette.
The Constant • Senior Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Steve Verbit is in his 40th season at Princeton. Throughout his time at Princeton, Verbit has coached everything from multiple NFL players (Mike Catapano '13 and Caraun Reid '14) to his son Matt Verbit '05. He has been on the coaching staff for eight of Princeton's 13 Ivy League championship teams.
Looking Ahead • Ivy League frontrunner and preseason favorite Harvard, led by Princeton alumni Andrew Aurich '06, will head to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium for a noon showdown on Saturday, Oct. 25. Princeton had won six in a row in this series entering last year, but the Crimson posted a 45-13 win en route to an Ivy League title.
Watch
Live Stats
Listen
Tickets
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
Brown head coach James Perry knows what it feels like when a program is in the midst of a turnaround. He was the offensive coordinator at Princeton during the incredible 2013 season, when the Tigers were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league and shocked the field to win the Ivy League title. That Princeton team raced out of the gates, putting up at least 50 points in four of their first six wins to establish themselves as a true threat in the Ivy League.
2013 is a fitting season to look back on, because it had also been the last time Brown opened its season with a 3-1 record prior to this fall. Perry guided Brown to its biggest win in generations two weeks ago when the Bears shocked #8 Rhode Island 28-21. Not only was that Brown's first win over a ranked opponent since 2009, but it was their first win over a Top-10 team since 1981.
"Brown is playing outstanding football, especially in that Rhode Island win," Princeton head coach Bob Surace said. "They are playing outstanding on offense, and have been very balanced both in the run and pass game. They are a physical defense, and have combined creating turnovers with minimizing explosive plays as well as anyone in the country."
There is deserved optimism in Providence these days, but there is also a catch to Brown's 3-1 start. That lone loss came in its Ivy League opener against Harvard, meaning the Bears are playing with minimal margin for error the rest of the season.
That brings us to Princeton, which didn't win its game against a ranked opponent (#19 Mercer) last Saturday, but the Tigers did win their Ivy League opener against Columbia two weeks ago. It is early — really, REALLY early — but only three teams are unbeaten in league play so far: Harvard, which followed its Brown victory with a win over Cornell, and Penn, which beat Dartmouth two weeks ago.
Princeton won its only road game of the season thus far, a 38-28 Week 2 win at Lafayette, but a win this weekend would feel much sweeter. Upperclassmen on the roster will remember the sour taste from their last trip to Providence, which ended with a Hail Mary touchdown in the final minute to force overtime, and a blocked extra point in that added session that cost Princeton a win.
Two teams with positive feelings will meet at Brown this weekend (Saturday, 12 pm, ESPN+), but only one will feel extremely good heading into the second half of the 2025 season.
Week 5 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton holds a 61-29 lead over Brown in a series that dates back to October 29, 1896. The home team has won the last three meetings, including a 29-17 win for Princeton last year. Princeton is 3-3 in its last six games at Brown, including two wins during Ivy League championship seasons (2013, 2021).
Two Much • From 2012-2022, Princeton opened Ivy League play 2-0 eight times, and it went on to win the Ivy League title in four of those seasons. The Tigers didn't start 2-0 in either of the last two seasons, thanks to road losses to Brown (2023) and Columbia (2024).
Point, Counterpoint • Brown and Princeton both rank in the top half of the Ivy League in scoring offenses. Brown ranks third in the league and is averaging 27.5 points per game, while Princeton is fourth and averages 26.0 points per game.
Grounded • The duo of Blaine Hipa and Ethan Clark helped lead a rushing attack that gained 215 yards in the win over Brown last weekend. Clark had a game-best 14 rushes 73 yards, while Hipa rushed 10 times for 21 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Catching On • Fifteen different Princeton players have caught at least one pass this season, and 14 of them have less than 10 catches on the season. Princeton's leading receiver through four weeks is Josh Robinson, who has caught 10 passes in the last two weeks.
Marco Polo • Senior co-captain Marco Scarano, who ranks seventh in the Ivy League with 8.8 tackles per game this season, made 14 stops in the win over Brown last season. Scarano, who had five tackles and a forced fumble against Brown in 2023, has had two double-digit tackle performances this season; he had a career-best 18 in the season opener against San Diego.
Tackling The Issue • Two of the Ivy League's top four tacklers will be on the field in Providence this Saturday. Princeton's Chase Christopher ranks third in the league with 9.5 stops per game, while Brown's Miles Brophy ranks fourth with 9.3 stops per game.
Young and Ready • The Ivy League Rookie of the Week has come from Princeton in each of the last three weeks. Freshman wide receiver Josh Robinson has won it each of the last two weeks, including after he caught six passes for 60 yards against a Top-20 opponent in Mercer. Freshman defensive lineman Nate Stohl earned Princeton's first Ivy League individual honor of the season when he was named Rookie of the Week after recording four tackles in the Week 2 road win at Lafayette.
Justice For All • Senior offensive lineman Justice Musser was selected as a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, the top scholar-athlete/citizen honor in the FCS. Musser started a non-profit organization called the Ironwood Foundation. He plans to host an event in March in Damascus, Virginia to help the town raise money for its trail restoration that was destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
Coaching Tree • Princeton head coach Bob Surace will face two of his former offensive coordinators over the next two weeks. James Perry served as the Princeton offensive coordinator for seven seasons and helped the Tigers win the 2013 and 2016 Ivy League titles. Next week, the Tigers face Harvard and its new head coach Andrew Aurich '06, who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach, including offensive coordinator in 2019, and helped win three Ivy League titles.
Coach 'Em Up • Head coach Bob Surace is now in his 15th season as the Princeton head coach Saturday, the longest run of consecutive seasons for any head coach in program history (Hall of Famer Bill Roper coached 17 years over three different stints). He has the second-most wins in program history (83). He is currently six behind Roper for the all-time program lead, and his four Ivy League titles match the Princeton record set by Hall of Famer Dick Colman. Surace, who also coached a year at Western Connecticut, earned his 100th win as head coach in the Week 2 victory over Lafayette.
The Constant • Senior Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Steve Verbit is in his 40th season at Princeton. Throughout his time at Princeton, Verbit has coached everything from multiple NFL players (Mike Catapano '13 and Caraun Reid '14) to his son Matt Verbit '05. He has been on the coaching staff for eight of Princeton's 13 Ivy League championship teams.
Looking Ahead • Ivy League frontrunner and preseason favorite Harvard, led by Princeton alumni Andrew Aurich '06, will head to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium for a noon showdown on Saturday, Oct. 25. Princeton had won six in a row in this series entering last year, but the Crimson posted a 45-13 win en route to an Ivy League title.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ 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