Football Finishes 2025 Season At Penn Saturday

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By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com

Bob Surace has experienced plenty in his 15 years as head coach of the Princeton football team, but the last three weeks has created a new one for him. He would rather make it a one-and-done moment, but it does say something about the trajectory of the program.

Princeton concludes its 2025 season Saturday against Penn on Franklin Field (ESPN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia), and it will look to end a four-game losing streak and send its senior class off with a final victory. Following a Week 6 loss to Harvard that got away from Princeton in the fourth quarter, the Tigers have lost three straight 3-point games, including two on the road and one to a Yale team that will play for an Ivy League title Saturday.

In each of those three games, Princeton outgained its opponent, including a 408-289 advantage at Dartmouth. Even if you add in the Harvard loss, Princeton has gained 1,403 yards in the past four weeks, and it has allowed only 1,367. Its defense, which has shot up the Ivy League rankings over the last month, has allowed fewer yards than the week earlier in each of the last three games.

Yes, you win games with points, not yards. But this is a massive shift from last year, when Princeton was outgained in every game it lost AND two games it won.

Surace will point to the culture and leadership from his senior class as a major reason for the one-year improvement, and he would like nothing more than to experience one last locker room celebration with that group.

"The Seniors have been wonderful to coach," Surace said. "It's emotional when you get near the end of their football journey, especially because we've seen them grow so much in this experience. They have meant so much to our program, and personally, they have meant so much to me and my family. I look forward to following all their future life success."

The immediate success he is looking for won't be easy against a Penn Quakers team that nearly pulled off a shocker last weekend at Harvard. The Crimson needed a last-second 55-yard field goal to hold off Penn, which is looking for its first win over Princeton since 2022 on Saturday.

"Penn has a very strong team and is coming off a heartbreaker in the game of the year in our league," Surace said. "They have great offensive balance with one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the last decade and the two leading receivers in the conference. They are always a sound, physical defense and linebacker John Lista personifies this mentality as one of their leaders."

One of the great local rivalries in the Ivy League continues this weekend, and Surace wants nothing more than to see his team's improvement translate from the field to the scoreboard one final time.

Week 10 Game Notes
History Lesson • This will be the 116th meeting between Princeton and Penn in a series that dates back to Nov. 1, 1876. Princeton, which earned a 20-17 home win last year, owns a 71-43-1 advantage in the series and has won eight of the last 11 meetings.

History Lesson II • Franklin Field, which opened on Oct. 1 1895, is the oldest venue in college football. Princeton first played Penn there on Oct. 17, 1936 and posted a 7-0 win. Over the next 89 years, the Tigers have earned a 22-20-1 record over Penn at Franklin Field, including wins in each of the last three meetings there.

Getting Defensive • Princeton's defense has jumped up the Ivy League rankings over the last three weeks. In league play, the Tigers have the Ivy's top-ranked passing defense (175.3 yards per game) and the third-ranked total defense (342.0 yards/game). Over the last three weeks, Princeton has allowed only 297.3 yards per game.

Make Your Pick • Junior Torian Roberts is tied for the league lead with three interceptions in Ivy League games. Roberts had two interceptions last weekend against Yale, including one he tipped to himself in the end zone to stop a red zone drive.

Conversion Chart • Princeton has allowed the second fewest first downs in Ivy League play this season (18.2). Over the last two weeks, the Tigers have allowed a total of 25 first downs; they got 26 first downs against Dartmouth alone.

Record Breaker • Josh Robinson broke Matt Costello's 14-year Princeton freshman single-season records for both receptions and receiving yards during the Dartmouth game. After catching seven passes for 113 yards last weekend, he currently has 41 catches for 501 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He ranks fifth in the Ivy League in receptions in league games (33), while Penn's Jared Richardson ranks second in league games and first overall (68 catches for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns for the full season).

I'm Honored • Josh Robinson is climbing another historical chart. He became one of only six Ivy League players to win the Rookie of the Week award five times following his performance at Dartmouth. He could become the fourth Ivy League player (including Princeton's Chuck Dibilio in 2011) to win the award six times if he earns it after this weekend.

Ground Attack • Two of the Ivy League's leading rushers will be on display this weekend, though they will come at different positions. Princeton junior running back Ethan Clark ranks sixth in the league with 62 rushing yards per game, while Penn quarterback Liam O'Brien ranks seventh in the league with 57.4 yards per game.

Just For Kicks • Junior punter Brady Clark continues to lead the Ivy League with a 44.3-yard average per kick. Clark, a former All-Ivy punter, ranks 10th nationally and has an Ivy-best 10 punts over 50 yards.

Coach 'Em Up • Head coach Bob Surace concludes his 15th season as the Princeton head coach this weekend, 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.

Thank You, Stacie! • Princeton Football Business Operations & Alumni Liaison Stacie Traube, who has spent 42 seasons at Old Nassau, including 37 with the football program, will retire at the end of the academic year. She has been a part of eight of the program's 13 Ivy League titles, and she has worked closely with head coach Bob Surace since he took over the program in 2010.

"Stacie has been the "rock" of Princeton Football for nearly 40 years," Surace said. "I am so grateful to know her when I was a student, as an alum and she has steered me in the right direction so often the last 16 years as head coach. She has made an enormous impact on thousands that make up our program, and the entire Princeton Football family thanks her everything and wishes her a happy retirement."

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Brady Clark

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