Football Battles No. 14/17 Harvard Saturday

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By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com

For the 11th time this century, Harvard and Princeton will meet on the gridiron this weekend with matching 2-0 Ivy League records. Outside of a narrow window between 2007-2011, every player who has worn the Orange and Black for at least three seasons has felt the excitement of this week.

Jalen Travis, who has played every game this season on the offensive line for the upstart Indianapolis Colts, felt it in both 2021 and 2022. John Lovett, the only two-time first-team All-American for Princeton this century, felt it in 2016. Andrew Aurich, now roaming the opposing sideline as head coach of the 14th-ranked Harvard Crimson, felt it in 2004.

It isn't a right for Princeton players to compete in a game of this magnitude. It is earned, and the Tigers took care of business against both Columbia and Brown to earn the opportunity they will get Saturday at noon (ESPN+) on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. The Tigers and Crimson join only Penn as the unbeaten Ivy League teams entering the weekend, so it's possible that the winner will have sole possession of first place by the end of the weekend.

Harvard earned the right to play in this game as well. The Crimson, which earned a share of the 2024 Ivy League title and entered this fall as the preseason favorite, have been spectacular throughout the first half of this season. They have scored at least 30 points in every game this season, and they have allowed 10 or fewer in four of five. The only opponent to crack the 10-point mark was Holy Cross, which trailed 59-10 at that point in the game.

"Harvard has played outstanding football this year, and it shows in the national respect they are getting," said head coach Bob Surace, who has coached in seven of these unbeaten Harvard-Princeton showdowns. "We've played a challenging schedule with four opponents already who were either ranked or receiving votes, and Harvard is the highest-ranked of any of them. Statistically, they rank in the Top 10 in almost every category, and the video backs that up. It will be a big challenge, and we are excited to take it on."

This game doesn't guarantee anything. In fact, history says it is still a coin flip afterwards. Princeton has gone 6-4 in these matchups this century; the Tigers have won three Ivy League titles in the six years they won, and the Crimson have won two Ivy League titles in the four seasons they won.

Saturday, however, is not about the Ivy League title. Positioning in the league is a factor, and both teams would rather have control of its destiny as opposed to rooting for results in other places, but this game doesn't even need that.

It's Harvard. It's Princeton. That will always be enough.

Week 6 Game Notes

History Lesson • Princeton owns a 60-49-7 advantage over Harvard in a series that dates back to April 28, 1877. The Tigers have won six of the last seven in this rivalry, but Harvard ended a six-game skid last season with a 45-13 home win.

Home Sweet Home • Princeton has won three straight home games against Harvard, including two in a row against ranked Crimson teams. Princeton beat #17 Harvard 21-14 in 2023, and it beat #16 Harvard 18-16 in five overtimes in 2023.

Rank and File • Since the Associated Press started doing weekly College Football polls in 1936, Princeton has gone 15-54 against nationally ranked competition. However, since 2018, the Tigers have gone 4-3 against ranked opponents, including the 2021 and 2023 wins over Harvard. In the 2000s, Princeton has eight wins against ranked teams, and four have been against Harvard (2012 and 2013 are the other two).

Getting Defensive • Through two Ivy League games this season, the only teams that are allowing fewer than 20 points per game are Harvard (8.5) and Princeton (15.5). Harvard and Princeton are also the only teams to rank in the top half of all four defensive categories (scoring, total, rushing, passing) among Ivy League games.

Passing Fancy • The two starting quarterback who have thrown the fewest interceptions through five games this season are Kai Colón (Princeton) and Jaden Craig (Harvard). Colón threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Brown last weekend.

Third Time's A Charm • Princeton freshman wide receiver Josh Robinson has won each of the last three Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards, and he ranks in the Top 10 in both receptions and receiving yards this season. The only Princeton players who have won more Rookie of the Week honors are Chuck Dibilio (6, 2011) and Ryan Butler (5, 2022).

Record Watch • Robinson is on pace to break Matt Costello's 14-year freshman records for single-season receptions (29) and single-season receiving yards (341). After catching only one pass in each of the first two games, Robinson is averaging six catches per game over the last three weeks. He caught eight passes for 91 yards and his first career touchdown in the win at Brown last weekend.

Ground Attack • Junior Ethan Clark set a career high with 120 rushing yards in the win at Brown. Clark, who has scored in both Ivy League wins this season, ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 49.8 rushing yards per game. Harvard's DJ Gordon is just off Clark's pace; he averages 48.6 per game.

Tackling The Issue • Princeton has one of the Ivy League's top tackling duos in Chase Christopher and Marco Scarano. Christopher ranks fifth in the Ivy League with 8.4 tackles per game, while Scarano ranks seventh with 8.0 tackles per game. Scarano is also tied for second in the Ivy League in passes defended (8).

Just For Kicks • Princeton has gotten exceptional play from its kicking game this season. Junior Brady Clark leads the Ivy League and ranks seventh nationally with a 46.3-yard punting average. Classmate Esteban Nunez Perez is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals this season, including two against Brown last week.

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 faced one of his former offensive coordinators last weekend in James Perry, and he'll face another this Saturday in Andrew Aurich '06. Aurich spent seven seasons on Surace's staff, including during the 2013, 2016 and 2018 Ivy League seasons. Aurich was also an offensive lineman for Princeton from 2002-2005. Following 12 seasons in the home locker room of his alma mater, Saturday will be Aurich's first in the opposing locker room.

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 (84). He is currently five 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 • Princeton will begin a stretch of three road games over four weeks when it heads to Ithaca, N.Y., to face Cornell Saturday at 1 pm. The Big Red snapped a five-game losing streak to Princeton last season with a 49-35 win on Powers Field.

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Chase Christopher

Brady Clark

Ethan Clark

Justice Musser

Esteban Nunez Perez

Josh Robinson

Marco Scarano

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