Ivy League Football

On the heels of their defeat by the Cornell Big Red, the Princeton Tigers play host to the Penn Quakers this weekend with the Ivy League title at stake. The Quakers, like Princeton, hold a 3-1 Ivy record, but whereas the Tigers are coming off last week’s bitter defeat, Penn won its game on a late field goal by Connor Loftus.

Connor Michelsen will look to rebound from his performance against the Big Red, and receiver Roman Wilson should figure prominently into the Tigers’ offensive plans this week. Wilson has now posted two 100-yard games in a row and currently leads the Ivy League with a 19.9 yards-per-catch average.

Princeton has shown marked improvement this season, but Penn has historically been a difficult opponent. Currently, the Tigers hold the overall edge 63-39-1 over the Quakers, but Penn head coach Al Bagnoli currently sports a 15-5 record against Princeton. More importantly, he is 2-0 in head-to-head meetings against his counterpart, Princeton head coach Bob Surace.

The Quakers' ground attack is powered by RB Jeff Jack (341 yards, two TDs) and QB Billy Ragone (320 yards, two TDs). Ragone has been good this season (100-of-170 for 1,088 yards and eight TDs) with a 119.9 QB efficiency rating. Like Princeton, Penn will also utilize the two-quarterback system, and Andrew Holland (50-of-77 for 550 yards and three TDs) has been a capable backup.

The main targets for Penn’s QBs have been the trio of WR Connor Scott (41 receptions), RB Lyle Marsh (29 receptions) and WR Ryan Mitchell (23 receptions). Both Marsh and Scott have four touchdowns on the season.

But perhaps where Penn holds the most distinct advantage is at placekicker, and this matchup may well come down to the foot of Connor Loftus as the deciding factor in the game. Loftus has been reliable, nearly automatic this season. As evidenced last week, the sophomore kicker can make crucial field goals in the clutch. In addition to the game-winning field goal against Brown last week, Loftus also kicked the late-game three pointer that tied the contest.

For both teams, it is nearly a must-win game. Suffering a second loss in Ivy League play will make it difficult for the loser to overcome the setback, especially with powerhouse Harvard (6-1) continuing to roll.

Game Time: Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1pm in Princeton, N.J. Television: ESPN 3.

In Saturday's Ivy League clash, The Cornell Big Red recovered a Dre Nelson fumble and drove downfield for the go-ahead score with just 50 seconds remaining. Kicker John Wells drilled a 23-yard field goal for Cornell, giving Princeton its first Ivy League loss of the year, 37-35.

The Tigers, who fell to 4-3 this season, went up 35-34 with less than nine minutes remaining when quarterback Quinn Epperly threw a six-yard touchdown strike to senior TE Mark Hayes. Epperly (3-of-5 for 31 yards) also ran for two touchdowns in the game.

But the day belonged to Cornell, and more specifically, quarterback Jeff Mathews, who was 35-of-51 for 525 yards and four touchdowns.

Mathews spread the ball around to six different receivers, with standout performances by Grant Gellatly (12 receptions for 215 yards and one TD) and Luke Tasker (10 receptions for 201 yards and two TDs).

The game appeared to be in hand for the Tigers, who had the lead and the ball and were moving on a sustained drive to drain the remaining life from the contest.

However, when freshman RB Nelson fumbled, it was recovered by Cornell's Tre' Minor with less than three minutes to play. From there, Mathews drove Cornell 66 yards in 11 plays, leading to the Wells field goal.

The Tigers had 549 yards of total offense and were 7-of-11 on third-down conversions. Princeton also out-rushed the Big Red 128 yards to 43. However, the four turnovers committed by the Tigers, especially the Nelson fumble, turned the tide in favor of Cornell.

"We fought hard, we played hard, and we fell a play short,” said Princeton head coach Bob Surace (as quoted by Paul Franklin of The Times on NJ.com). “We felt like a lot of things were heading in our direction at the end of the game.”

Now 4-3 overall, Princeton can still claim the Ivy League title with upcoming games against three conference opponents, namely Penn (Nov. 3), Yale (Nov. 10) and Dartmouth (Nov. 17).

Looking to keep the momentum of a four-game winning streak going, the Princeton Tigers travel to Cornell to face yet another conference rival this week. Princeton is 3-0 in Ivy League play this year.

Cornell's offense has been good this season (25.8 points per game), but unfortunately, they surrender as many points as they score (25.7 points per game). Not coincidentally, they are 3-3 on the year.

Second only to Harvard in passing offense, the Big Red are led by quarterback Jeff Mathews (146-of-243 for 1,771 yards and nine touchdowns), who was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List in July 2012. He was also last season's Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, as well as being honored as first-team All-Ivy in 2011.

Mathews missed the game on Oct. 13 against Monmouth due to a neck injury, but backup QB Chris Amrhein led the Big Red to a victory on the strength of a 523-yard passing performance of his own. Mathews returned last week and threw three interceptions in the 21-14 loss to Brown.

Mathews has a number of targets at his disposal to give the Princeton secondary cause for concern. The most prolific of his receivers is Luke Tasker, whose 52 receptions and five TDs may be reason enough for the Tigers to double-team the senior wide receiver this weekend.

But double-teaming Tasker is likely to leave Mathews no alternative but to throw to Kurt Ondash (41 receptions), Grant Gellatly (36 receptions) or Luke Hagy (26 receptions). Tasker is a double-threat for the Big Red, as he is the team's primary punt returner as well.

Hagy is the team's leading rusher with 200 yards and three touchdowns on the season, but when an offense has a quarterback like Mathews, the running game is something of an afterthought. The next leading rusher is Silas Nacita who has a mere 82 yards for the entire season. Of the Big Red's 2,619 yards of total offense this season, only 304 of them came via the ground.

But Cornell's quarterback isn't the only concern for Princeton this Saturday. In last week's victory over Harvard, Quinn Epperly had to replace the injured Connor Michelsen on the winning drive. Michelsen did not return, leaving Epperly to supply the last-second heroics.

“He was telling us he was ready to come back in just before the final play,” revealed Princeton head coach Bob Surace (as reported by Jay Greenberg on PrincetonTigersFootball.com). Michelsen is expected back against Cornell.

Other injuries for the Tigers include right tackle Kevin Mill (knee) and running back DiAndre Atwater (leg injury), who are expected to miss the game against Cornell. Injured RB Akil Sharp should return to play against the Big Red.

Game Time: Saturday, Oct. 27, 12:30pm, Schoellkopf Field, Ithaca, N.Y.

With Harvard ahead 20-0 at halftime, the 10,823 fans in Princeton Stadium were disheartened, likely believing that their beloved Tigers had met their match against the undefeated powerhouse of the Ivy League. But whatever head coach Bob Surace said to the Tigers at halftime, Princeton came out in the second half and provided an offensive explosion that left the Crimson stunned and sent the Princeton fans home delighted.

After a Quinn Epperly touchdown run and a Nolan Bieck field goal closed the Crimson lead to 20-10 midway through the third quarter, Harvard quarterback Colton Chapple (31-of-45 for 448 yards and five touchdowns) answered with two touchdown passes of his own, putting the Tigers down by the largest margin of the game, 34-10, with just 13:02 left to play.

That is where the 2011 Princeton Tigers would have packed it in. But in 2012, the Tigers have earned their stripes.

Princeton quarterback Connor Michelsen (20-of-33 for 237 yards and three touchdowns) went on a fourth-quarter tear, throwing TD passes to Dre Nelson, Matt Costello and Seth DeValve, cutting the lead to 34-32 as they lined up for the two-point conversion to tie the game. But when the pass to tie the game fell incomplete in the end zone, even the most ardent Tigers fans had to feel that Harvard would somehow survive the game in the remaining 2:27.

But when the Princeton defense held, Harvard was forced to punt, giving the ball back to the Tigers at their own 10-yard line with 1:57 remaining—but with no timeouts. Again, Michelsen moved the team downfield, but as they had reached their own 45-yard line, the starting quarterback left the game with an injury.

Out strode sophomore quarterback Quinn Epperly, who continued to move the team downfield, where the Tigers faced a third down with two yards to go at the Harvard 36. It was at that point that Epperly (4-of-7 for 50 yards and one touchdown) rolled left and heaved a pass downfield to Roman Wilson, who gathered it in for the winning score with just 13 seconds remaining on the clock.

“I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet,” said Wilson after the game (as reported by The Daily Princetonian). "It’s just an incredible feeling looking up and seeing all the fans, all the alumni.”

The 39-34 win snapped the Harvard winning streak and, more importantly, put Princeton into first place in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers are now 4-2 on the season and 3-0 in Ivy League play. Harvard, who had a 14-game winning streak entering the game, fell to 5-1 on the season.

“Princeton deserved to win,” said Harvard head coach Tim Murphy (as reported by The Daily Princetonian). “They became a team they’d not been.”

This season, the Princeton Tigers are playing with a new confidence and appear to have bought into the program laid out by head coach Bob Surace. But, extending back to last season, Harvard has won 14 straight games.

Given the recent history between the two teams, many would mark the upcoming game against Princeton as win No. 15.

In what will be the 105th meeting between the two schools, Princeton currently leads in the series, 52-45-7 historically, but the Tigers have found it difficult to defeat the Crimson in recent years.

Harvard is currently riding a winning streak of five straight against Princeton and have won 14 of the last 16 games against the Tigers.

"We've been on a pretty good run," said Harvard head coach Tim Murphy (as reported by Peter May of the New York Times on NYTimes.com). "As a team, we're focused on what we always do: be successful on and off the field."

Last year's game was a forgettable one for Surace, who saw Harvard throw for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns on their way to a 56-39 win. But this season appears to be different for the Tigers, who are currently riding a three-game winning streak of their own.

Harvard is coming off a 35-7 victory over Bucknell last weekend, while Princeton's home fans delighted in a shutout of Brown, 17-0.

The game will tax the Princeton defense, as Harvard's senior QB Colton Chapple (94-of-141 for 1,371 yards and 13 TDs) is expected to sling the ball around the field this weekend, when he's not busy handing off to dynamic running back Treavor Scales (516 yards and 7 TDs).

Coach Surace calls (as quoted by Jay Greenberg on PrincetonTigersFootball.com)  the senior running back simply, "the best running back I have seen on film."

Princeton has had success this year with a stingy defense and a balanced offensive attack that has gelled with the use of a two-quarterback system. Starter Connor Michelsen has led the aerial attack from the quarterback position, while Quinn Epperly has been more of the runner. Running could be difficult this week against Harvard, which currently ranks No. 1 in rushing defense in the FCS.

"You won't run the ball on us," said DE Zach Hodges (per Peter May of the New York Times). "We won't let that happen."

The league-leading Harvard defense will be without DB Colton Lynch this weekend, due to a rule violation. Lynch was suspended (in accordance with Rule 9, Section 6, Article 2 of the 2011-2012 NCAA Football Rules) for a helmet-to-helmet hit last weekend during the victory over Bucknell.

Game Time: 1pm, Oct. 20, Princeton Stadium, Princeton, N.J. Television:  ESPN3

Six points is all that stands between the Princeton Tigers and being 5-0 on the season. After losing their season-opener 17-14 to Lehigh, and then dropping a 21-20 decision to Georgetown, the Tigers have won three straight and are now in a position to battle for first place in the Ivy League.

The Princeton defense held Brown to 17 yards rushing, collected three turnovers and held the Bears to just 3-of-15 on third down conversions. Despite yielding 225 yards passing, the Tigers' defense shut out the Bears, 19-0, recording the first Princeton shutout since 2005.

Brown quarterback Patrick Donnelly (25-for-50) was intercepted twice and sacked six times by the Princeton pass rush. The Bears had no answer for senior defensive lineman Caraun Reid, who not only made one tackle for a safety, but also recorded 2.5 sacks on the day.

For the third straight week, Connor Michelsen (13-of-22 for 156 yards) and Quinn Epperly (3-of-5 for 30 yards) split time at quarterback, and for the third straight week, the Princeton offense out-gained the opposition in total yards in the game.

Between them, the Princeton quarterbacks spread the ball around to 10 different receivers, none of which had more than two receptions in the contest.

The Tigers' ground attack provided the scoring, with sophomores Will Powers (14 carries for 57 yards) and Spenser Huston finding the end zone during the game. The rushing attack also helped the Tigers control the clock, as Princeton held the ball nearly seven minutes more in the game than the Bears.

Princeton will next play host to 5-0 Harvard on Oct. 20, with first place in the Ivy League on the line.

The Brown Bears go on the road this weekend for an Ivy League showdown with an improving Princeton club that currently sports a two-game winning streak. The Bears, 2-2 on the season, are 0-1 in Ivy League play, having lost to Harvard, 45-31.

The Bears are averaging 27 points per game, powered by a rushing attack led by senior RB Spiro Theodhosi (347 yards, 2 TDs). Theodhosi missed the last two seasons due to injuries, but this year he has also been utilized as a receiver out of the backfield, averaging over 13 yards per catch. Currently, he is the third-leading scorer on the team, and the leader in all-purpose yards.

Overall, the Bears average 141 yards per game on the ground, and 212 through the air. The aerial attack is led by sophomore quarterback Patrick Donnelly, whose performance this season has been exceptional. With a QB efficiency rating of 124.3, Donnelly is 85-of-141 for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.

Donnelly has utilized 12 different receivers, with Tellef Lundevall (22 receptions), Jordan Evans (17 receptions), Jonah Fay (11 receptions) and Mark Kachmer (10 receptions) among his favorite targets. Fay also doubles as the Bears' punt returner, averaging seven yards per return, while Evans is the team's kick-returner, averaging 21 yards per return.

Brown's defense has surrendered just 83 points this season, for an average of 20.8 per game. Junior LB Stephen Zambetti is the team's leading tackler, while DL Luke Miller (three sacks) and DE Michael Yules (two sacks) will be the men looking to chase down Princeton QB Connor Michelsen.

The Bears defeated Princeton 34-0 in 2011 in a game that featured WR Tellef Lundevall catching a touchdown and throwing for another.

But this is a different Princeton team. In 2011, the Tigers ranked sixth in the Ivy League in total defense; they are currently first. In addition, Princeton is second in scoring defense and first in pass defense in 2012.

Princeton leads the all-time series, 51-27, but Brown has won the last five meetings between the two clubs.

When: Saturday, Oct. 13, 12pm

Where: Princeton Stadium.

Watch: NBC Sports Network

The Princeton Tigers amassed 262 yards on the ground on their way to 405 total yards and a solid 35-14 victory over Lafayette on Saturday, Oct. 6.

In his third season as head coach, Bob Surace's team now has as many victories after just four games in 2012 as they had in the previous two seasons combined.

The Leopards, who came into the contest with a 3-1 record, were soundly outplayed in the game and could not muster enough offense for a score until the fourth quarter. By that time, Princeton had a commanding 29-0 lead and were on their way to their second win of the season.

On offense, Princeton rolled up 405 total yards in the contest, 262 of which came on the ground where once again, Akil Sharp led all Tigers' rushers with 60 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.

The Tigers also got 143 yards through the air, where both Connor Michelsen and Quinn Epperly again split the quarterback duties for the second straight week.

Most importantly, Princeton avoided penalties and protected the ball, winning the turnover game by never surrendering possession, while collecting two key interceptions in the game. One of the two interceptions—by DB Phillip Bhaya in the third quarter—was returned 32 yards for a Tigers touchdown. Additionally, the Tigers committed just two penalties in the contest.

After two close, stinging losses to Lehigh and Georgetown, the Tigers appear to have found the missing ingredient in the recipe for winning: sophomore quarterback Quinn Epperly. The success of the young QB, who is a threat to run as well as pass, may have sparked the beginnings of a Princeton quarterback controversy.

Now 2-2 on the season and 1-0 in Ivy League play, The Tigers return home next weekend to host the rival Brown Bears (3-1) on Oct. 13.

After a convincing road victory at Ivy League rival Columbia, the Princeton Tigers next travel to Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. to face a Lafayette team that was just 19 seconds away from being 4-0. The Leopards fell 31-28 to Robert Morris University when Colonials kicker Greg Langer split the uprights from 33 yards away.

"You can never put your finger on why," explained Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani, "but we came out flat."

Much of the Leopards' success this season has come from their ability to capitalize on turnovers. This year, Lafayette is plus nine in the turnover department, with their defensive backfield responsible for much of that prosperity. So far this season, the Leopards have intercepted 11 passes through their first four games.

By comparison, the Tigers could easily have been 3-0 on the season, as their two losses are by a combined total of four points. After two straight seasons with just one win, the Tigers appear to be poised to show the upturn in their performance for which fans—and head coach Bob Surace—have been looking.

While sophomore quarterback Connor Michelsen has shown flashes of maturity, he is only 36-of-71 for 355 yards, without a touchdown pass. Much of the Tigers' success this season is due to a steady but unspectacular rushing game where running backs Akil Sharp (97 yards, 2 TDs) and DiAndre Atwater (143 yards, one TD) currently lead the team.

By far, the turnabout in the Tigers this season is the defense, which has allowed an average of 14.7 points per game. The strength of the Princeton defense has clearly been the run stoppers, which have held opponents to a mere 102 yards per game. In addition, the Tigers average three sacks per game and are the highest ranked defense in the Ivy League.

Game Time: 6:00pm (Eastern Time), October 6; Fisher Stadium, Easton, Pa.

After playing competitive games against Lehigh and Georgetown that resulted in losses, the Princeton Tigers may have been wondering what they needed to do to secure a win. As it turns out, all they needed to do in their Ivy League opener against the Columbia Lions was to return the opening kickoff.

When Anthony Gaffney took the opening kick on his own 6-yard line, the fate of the Lions was sealed as the freshman ran 94 yards to take the Tigers to an early 7-0 lead.

As it turns out, it would be all the Tigers needed.

Columbia would muster but two field goals against a Princeton defense, which held the Lions to just 12 first downs in the game and 39 yards rushing. The Tigers' defense came through when it needed to, holding Columbia to just 3-of-17 on third down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth down. Princeton also intercepted quarterback Sean Brackett twice.

Despite having two turnovers of their own, Princeton rolled up 335 total yards on offense, including DiAndre Atwater's 51 yards rushing on 13 carries.

Princeton may have found the spark it had sorely been missing this season as backup quarterback Quinn Epperly (7-of-10 for 101 yards and 1 TD) saw extensive playing time. In addition to his standout day passing, Epperly also ran six times for 42 yards. Connor Michelsen, who has been the starter in all three games this season, was 11-for-19 on the day with an interception.

Princeton's defense held the opposition without a touchdown in the game, which no Tiger team has done since 2006. With a final score of 33-6, the 27-point margin of victory was the largest for the Tigers since 2005, when they defeated Dartmouth 30-0.

Princeton next travels to Lafayette for a showdown with the 3-0 Leopards on October 6.