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Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, November 1
Ithaca, N.Y.
1:00 PM
Princeton University
at
Cornell
Justice Musser
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Football Starts Ivy Road Trip At Cornell Saturday
October 31, 2025 | Football
Football Game Notes
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By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
There is a simple mission for Ivy League football teams through the first two months of the season. When the calendar turns to November, make sure you are still alive in the Ivy League race.
Forty years of data would tell you that five teams enter this weekend still alive in the race. Harvard stands atop the league at 3-0 in Ivy play, while Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale and Penn remain in hunting position with matching 2-1 records. Those forty years of data, however, go from 1983-2022, when no team with two losses claimed an Ivy League title.
Forty years, 0 champions. The last two years? Six champions.
As parity has grown in the Ivy League recently, so have the opportunities to overcome stumbles in the title race. Two years ago, Yale overcame a 1-2 start to share the title with Harvard and Dartmouth. Last year, Columbia, Dartmouth and Harvard each had a November stumble but managed to share the championship with matching 5-2 records.
As such, Cornell has entered the 2025 chat.
Led by second-year head coach Dan Swanstrom, the Big Red shook off a season-opening four-game losing streak to win two straight at Schoellkopf Field, including last week's thrilling 30-24 double-overtime win over Brown. The Big Red scored 11 points in the final 3:44 of regulation to force the extra session, and then two overtime touchdown runs by Jordan Triplett gave Cornell its first Ivy win of the season.
"Cornell has steadily improved each week," Princeton head coach Bob Surace said. "Toughness and athleticism have led them on this two-game win streak. They are one of the best defenses in the country in both limiting big plays in the pass game and stopping the run game. They are deep in offensive skill players, led by tight end Ryder Kurtz and dual threat quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, and they have lengthy offensive linemen who play with plenty of physicality."
Cornell will try to extend that win streak to three Saturday when it hosts Princeton at 1 pm (ESPN+), and it will also look for back-to-back wins over Princeton for the first time since 2000-01. The Tigers have won eight of the last 10 meetings over Cornell, but they are anxious to erase the bitter taste from the 49-35 home loss last fall.
Princeton also wants to get back on track following last week's 35-14 loss to 14th-ranked Harvard. The Tigers held a lead deep into the second quarter, but two Crimson scores and a Princeton turnover flipped momentum, and Harvard scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to maintain their undefeated start to the season.
Neither Princeton nor Cornell can do anything about Harvard anymore. Instead, they will turn their attention on each other to try to stay in good position — or even gain ground — in the championship race.
Week 7 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton owns a 66-38-2 advantage over Cornell in a series that dates back to Nov. 14, 1891. While Cornell earned a 49-35 win in Princeton last year, the Tigers have won five in a row at Schoellkopf Field, including a 14-3 victory in 2023. Current Tiger co-captains Marco Scarano and Nasir Hill shared the team lead that day with nine tackles.
Road Warriors • Princeton is 3-3 on the season, but it has been perfect so far on the road. The Tigers posted a 38-28 win at Lafayette in Week 2, and they defeated Brown 40-21 in Providence two weeks ago. The Tigers entered the season having lost six straight road games, including all five last season.
Getting Offensive • Through three Ivy League games, Princeton and Cornell rank 2-3 in total offense. Princeton trails only Harvard with 368 yards per game, while Cornell ranks third with 365.3 yards per game. The passing game has led the way for each, as both teams also rank in the top half of the league in passing offense.
Taking Care of the Ball • Princeton quarterback Kai Colón and Cornell quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio are tied for second in the Ivy League for fewest interceptions (three). Colón, in his first year as a starting quarterback, threw a total of two touchdown passes in his first three games. Since then, he has thrown two touchdown passes in each of his last three games.
Ground Attack • Junior Ethan Clark, who missed last year's Cornell game due to injury, leads Princeton with 310 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving) this season. He has scored at least one touchdown in five of six games this fall, including one on a 51-yard catch last weekend against Harvard.
Record Watch • Freshman Josh Robinson, a three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, 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 more than five catches per game over the last four weeks. He has 23 catches for 274 yards so far this year, and he caught his first touchdown pass in the win over Brown.
Tackling The Issue • Princeton has one of the Ivy League's top tackling duos in Chase Christopher and Marco Scarano. Both players are tied for fifth in the Ivy League with 8.2 tackles per game. Scarano had a team-best nine stops in his first game at Schoellkopf Field, a 14-3 Tiger victory two years ago, while Christopher had seven tackles in the Cornell game last season.
Just For Kicks • Princeton junior Brady Clark continues to rank in the Top 10 nationally in punting. The 2024 All-Ivy standout leads the Ivy League and ranks ninth in the FCS with a 45.7-yard punting average. He has nine punts over 50 yards this season; the rest of the Ivy League has combined for 12 punts over 50 yards.
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.
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 continue a two-week road stretch next Saturday when it plays at Dartmouth (1 pm, ESPN+). The Big Green is the reigning Ivy League co-champion and could grab a share of first place in the league with a win over Harvard this Saturday.
Watch
Live Stats
Listen
Tickets
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
There is a simple mission for Ivy League football teams through the first two months of the season. When the calendar turns to November, make sure you are still alive in the Ivy League race.
Forty years of data would tell you that five teams enter this weekend still alive in the race. Harvard stands atop the league at 3-0 in Ivy play, while Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale and Penn remain in hunting position with matching 2-1 records. Those forty years of data, however, go from 1983-2022, when no team with two losses claimed an Ivy League title.
Forty years, 0 champions. The last two years? Six champions.
As parity has grown in the Ivy League recently, so have the opportunities to overcome stumbles in the title race. Two years ago, Yale overcame a 1-2 start to share the title with Harvard and Dartmouth. Last year, Columbia, Dartmouth and Harvard each had a November stumble but managed to share the championship with matching 5-2 records.
As such, Cornell has entered the 2025 chat.
Led by second-year head coach Dan Swanstrom, the Big Red shook off a season-opening four-game losing streak to win two straight at Schoellkopf Field, including last week's thrilling 30-24 double-overtime win over Brown. The Big Red scored 11 points in the final 3:44 of regulation to force the extra session, and then two overtime touchdown runs by Jordan Triplett gave Cornell its first Ivy win of the season.
"Cornell has steadily improved each week," Princeton head coach Bob Surace said. "Toughness and athleticism have led them on this two-game win streak. They are one of the best defenses in the country in both limiting big plays in the pass game and stopping the run game. They are deep in offensive skill players, led by tight end Ryder Kurtz and dual threat quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, and they have lengthy offensive linemen who play with plenty of physicality."
Cornell will try to extend that win streak to three Saturday when it hosts Princeton at 1 pm (ESPN+), and it will also look for back-to-back wins over Princeton for the first time since 2000-01. The Tigers have won eight of the last 10 meetings over Cornell, but they are anxious to erase the bitter taste from the 49-35 home loss last fall.
Princeton also wants to get back on track following last week's 35-14 loss to 14th-ranked Harvard. The Tigers held a lead deep into the second quarter, but two Crimson scores and a Princeton turnover flipped momentum, and Harvard scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to maintain their undefeated start to the season.
Neither Princeton nor Cornell can do anything about Harvard anymore. Instead, they will turn their attention on each other to try to stay in good position — or even gain ground — in the championship race.
Week 7 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton owns a 66-38-2 advantage over Cornell in a series that dates back to Nov. 14, 1891. While Cornell earned a 49-35 win in Princeton last year, the Tigers have won five in a row at Schoellkopf Field, including a 14-3 victory in 2023. Current Tiger co-captains Marco Scarano and Nasir Hill shared the team lead that day with nine tackles.
Road Warriors • Princeton is 3-3 on the season, but it has been perfect so far on the road. The Tigers posted a 38-28 win at Lafayette in Week 2, and they defeated Brown 40-21 in Providence two weeks ago. The Tigers entered the season having lost six straight road games, including all five last season.
Getting Offensive • Through three Ivy League games, Princeton and Cornell rank 2-3 in total offense. Princeton trails only Harvard with 368 yards per game, while Cornell ranks third with 365.3 yards per game. The passing game has led the way for each, as both teams also rank in the top half of the league in passing offense.
Taking Care of the Ball • Princeton quarterback Kai Colón and Cornell quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio are tied for second in the Ivy League for fewest interceptions (three). Colón, in his first year as a starting quarterback, threw a total of two touchdown passes in his first three games. Since then, he has thrown two touchdown passes in each of his last three games.
Ground Attack • Junior Ethan Clark, who missed last year's Cornell game due to injury, leads Princeton with 310 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving) this season. He has scored at least one touchdown in five of six games this fall, including one on a 51-yard catch last weekend against Harvard.
Record Watch • Freshman Josh Robinson, a three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, 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 more than five catches per game over the last four weeks. He has 23 catches for 274 yards so far this year, and he caught his first touchdown pass in the win over Brown.
Tackling The Issue • Princeton has one of the Ivy League's top tackling duos in Chase Christopher and Marco Scarano. Both players are tied for fifth in the Ivy League with 8.2 tackles per game. Scarano had a team-best nine stops in his first game at Schoellkopf Field, a 14-3 Tiger victory two years ago, while Christopher had seven tackles in the Cornell game last season.
Just For Kicks • Princeton junior Brady Clark continues to rank in the Top 10 nationally in punting. The 2024 All-Ivy standout leads the Ivy League and ranks ninth in the FCS with a 45.7-yard punting average. He has nine punts over 50 yards this season; the rest of the Ivy League has combined for 12 punts over 50 yards.
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.
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 continue a two-week road stretch next Saturday when it plays at Dartmouth (1 pm, ESPN+). The Big Green is the reigning Ivy League co-champion and could grab a share of first place in the league with a win over Harvard this Saturday.
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