Princeton vs. Penn Basketball Preview
When the Princeton Tigers travel down to Philadelphia on Monday night, they will face off against the Penn Quakers for the 225th time in history. This storied rivalry now enters its 109th year, and the Tigers will look to do something they have never done: win four straight games at the Palestra. No class of Tigers has ever graduated with four road wins against Penn, but the seniors on this Tigers’ team are poised to make their own history. Doug Davis, Patrick Saunders and John Comfort, the three seniors for the Princeton squad, have never lost at the Palestra.
While this game certainly never lacks importance for Princeton and Penn, there is an odd feeling this time around. The Ivy League title does not hinge on this game. Neither of these two teams are the prohibitive favorites to win the league. That distinction clearly belongs to Harvard, ranked in the top 25 for the first team in its program history. This may seem odd considering Princeton and Penn have traditionally dominated the Ancient Eight on the hardwood.
Since official league competition began in 1956, Princeton and Penn have combined for 51 Ivy titles (Princeton leads Penn, 26-25). Only eight years have seen neither team hold at least a share of the Ivy League crown (1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1986, 1988, 2008-2010).
Until last year, Harvard had been the only team without a title in men’s basketball. They won a share of the title last year with Princeton, and this year, the Crimson look poised to win their first outright Ivy League title. If they can do so, they will appear in the NCAA tournament for only the second time in school history, the last one coming in 1946.
However, Penn and Princeton may be the Crimson’s greatest tests in league play. Currently, Penn sits at 2-0 in the Ivy League, the only other undefeated team besides 4-0 Harvard. The Quakers need to keep pace with the Crimson, and wins at home are a must for any title challenger.
As for the Tigers, Princeton sits at 1-1 in the Ivy League having split a road trip to New York, losing to Cornell 67-59 and defeating Columbia 62-58. Currently, the Tigers sit in 4th place behind Harvard (4-0), Penn (2-0) and Yale (3-1).
The Tigers opened their Ivy League slate on the road, and they will continue their travels on the intersession break after finals. The trip to Philadelphia is their third straight game away from home. Next weekend, the Tigers will travel for the Providence-New Haven road trip to face Brown and Yale. After 5 road games, the Tigers will finally have their Ivy home opener on February 10th vs. Dartmouth. These Ivy League road challenges come on the heels of a non-conference schedule that featured 7 straight road games from December 7th to January 1st. The Tigers went 5-2 in those contests including wins over Rutgers and Florida State.
Tip-off is at 7pm on Monday, January 30th. Pre-game coverage will start at 6:45pm. Doug Newton and Alec Slatky will be on the call for wprb.com’s coverage of Princeton Tiger basketball.
Keys to the Game
3-point shooting: The Tigers are 2-5 when the team fails to shoot better than 30% from beyond the arc. As a team, Princeton shoots 34.7% on three-pointers, which is seventh in the conference. However, they average 21 attempts per game, third-most in the Ivy League. The Tigers need to pick their spots from distance, and be as efficient as possible from the perimeter. Douglas Davis at 39.8% and sophomore point guard T.J. Bray with an impressive 43.6% lead the way for the Tigers shooting from deep.
Third scoring option: All season, the Tigers have searched for a third scorer to help out Ian Hummer and Douglas Davis. Last season, the Tigers had four scorers averaging double digits, but two of those (Kareem Maddox and Dan Mavraides) were seniors who graduated. Early in the season, Will Barrett was a prime choice to step up and fill the scoring void, but a foot injury in the Lafayette game back in November has sidelined the junior. He has since withdrawn from Princeton for the year, and he will return next season.
Hummer and Davis average 17.3 and 13.7 points respectively, making up nearly half of the Tigers’ scoring this season. Point guard T.J. Bray has averaged 7.2 points per game, but in the first two Ivy League games, the sophomore scored 12 points in each contest. He is the Tigers’ leading 3-point shooter in terms of percentage made. Another perimeter scorer should really open the floor for Ian Hummer to work in the low post.
Turnovers: As much as the Tigers need T.J. Bray to provide a third scoring presence, they need him to be stellar at the point guard position. Empty possessions made the difference between a loss to Cornell and a win at Columbia. In the win against the Lions, Princeton made only six turnovers all game. Versus the Big Red, however, the Tigers were careless with the ball, amounting to 13 turnovers. As a team, the Tigers average 13.2 turnovers a game. They only force 12.8 turnovers per game, putting them at 5th in the league in terms of turnover margin.
Stopping Zack Rosen: The senior guard from New Jersey is having another fantastic season for the Penn Quakers. 1st-team All-Ivy in his sophomore and junior years, Rosen is on pace for another selection in 2011. He is 2nd in the league in scoring at 18.3 points per game, and he is 1st in the league in assists at 6.2 per game. Despite being asked to do a lot for the Quakers, Rosen is still very efficient with the ball in his hands with the 3rd-best assist-turnover ratio in the conference. He shoots 47% from the field, 42% on three-pointers, and 90% on free throws. On top of that, he does while this averaging 38.2 minutes played per game, by far the most in the league.
It will interesting to see if Princeton coach Mitch Henderson ’98 decides to have T.J. Bray or Douglas Davis match up against Rosen. Either way, the Tigers will have to focus a lot of energy on stopping the star point guard and make other Quaker players beat them.
Prediction Time:
Last year, the Tigers needed a win at Penn to make it into the playoff game against Harvard. This time the road meeting comes at the beginning of the season, but it still feels like a must win. Falling to 1-2 would be devastating for the Tigers’ championship hopes, especially with Harvard cruising so far. The Tigers have should have a rebounding edge, and freshman Denton Koon has come on lately as a spark plug off the bench for Princeton. Penn is rightly favored to win a close matchup, but if Douglas Davis can match Rosen’s scoring output, the Tigers will take advantage of their better matchups at other positions, particularly with Ian Hummer and Denton Koon. Add in a couple T.J. Bray 3-pointers, and the Tigers win 65-61.
Cornell-Princeton Recap
It was a tough day for the Princeton Tigers, who fell to the Cornell Big Red in Ithaca, 21-19. A spirited comeback for the men in Orange and Black, who were down 21-6 midway through the 4th quarter, fell just short, as a last-minute red-zone interception sealed the victory for Cornell.
Quick Hits
-Unfortunately for Princeton, the difference in the game ended up being a missed extra point by reliable Patrick Jacob. That miss left the Tigers down 7-6, and a failed two-point conversion with a few minutes remaining allowed the kicker to be haunted. Though Coach Surace said there were “no excuses,” he still clearly has complete confidence in Jacob’s leg.
-The game was about as even as football games can get. Princeton had 25 first downs to Cornell’s 24, 403 total yards to 410, and 3 touchdowns each. Though both teams were the doormats of the Ivy League coming into today, it was still very entertaining.
-Andrew Dixon filled in admirably for still-injured Tommy Wornham, and has really seemed to mature over the past few games. He finished 19-38 for 215 yards with 2 TD and 1 costly INT. But overall, the decision making was on point, and he threw balls away when he needed to. The main blemish throughout the game was his inability to throw the deep ball, misfiring on more than a half-dozen bombs before connecting on a brilliant pass to Trey Peacock for a 92 yard score that brought the game to within 2. The final interception was not his best throw, and Dixon looked despondent after the postgame handshakes, but Peacock got tangled up with Fenton’s legs, and stumbled away from the ball. Coach Surace took some blame away from him, saying the interception was “not all his fault” and describing how tough it is to throw that ball into man-to-man coverage under pressure.
-Trey Peacock once again proved why he’s one of the best receivers in the FCS. He had a physical battle with impressive Cornell cornerback Emani Fenton, and though he was bottled up for most of the game, still demonstrated that big-play capability. Not one of his best days this season, but when 7 for 136 with 2 TD is not one of your best days, that’s pretty telling.
-The rushing game for Princeton really stood out, and was a nice balanced attack. Matt Zimmerman rushed 11 times for 76 yards, Jordan Culbreath had 7 carries for 54 yards, and freshman Brian Mills rushed 10 for 35 and a score. The effectiveness really came outside the tackles on sweeps, though – the interior offensive lineman definitely lost the battle today.
-The Cornell passing game was absolutely dominant for the first half and the first 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter, but the defense really stepped up afterwards and allowed Princeton to mount a comeback. Granted, the edge on the day would have to go to Jeff Mathews, the Cornell quarterback, and his receiving corps. But the adjustments made by Coach Surace proved to be effective.
-Jon Olofsson, the middle linebacker for Princeton, had a superb day, finishing with 15 tackles. Olofsson has performed well filling the shoes of All-America linebacker Steven Cody so far this season. Coach Surace described Olofsson as a guy with “toughness,” praising his work ethic and saying that he would love to have “11 Jon Olofssons” on his defense.
-The rush defense was better, but not great, today. The defensive line was defeated in nearly every single battle, and even when they did get containment, the offensive line was able to plow forward for a few yards. Grant Gellatly ran 22 times for 97 yards, and his backup Booker-Tandy went 6 for 35. Though the numbers aren’t gaudy, Cornell Coach Austin said it was their “best day rushing the football,” and Mathews said it was the offensive line’s “best game,” in both run and pass blocking.
-The kickoff coverage for Princeton was abysmal, allowing 4 returns for 112 yards, and none less than 24. In a game where field position proved to be crucial, letting Cornell pin the Tigers deep did not help matters one bit. To his credit, Coach Surace took full responsibility, and said that although the special teams are a little “thinned out” by injuries, and most of the players on coverage were not there at the beginning of the season, “I have to do a better job.”
Looking Ahead
-Princeton will host rival Penn, and the Quakers are reigning Ivy champs. Seems like a mismatch, but these Tigers have shown resiliency despite their winless Ivy record. Coach Surace said that after the past week of midterms, this coming week – where Princeton students are on fall break – will revert to “Camp Mode.” He doesn’t want to “beat [the players] up physically,” especially with the mounting injury total – Jordan Culbreath exited the game with an undisclosed injury in the 3rd quarter – but will be amping up the meetings and time commitment. It should be a battle next weekend, and that game can be found on WPRB 103.3 FM, as well as WPRB.com.
Cornell-Princeton Live Blog, 2nd Half
3rd Quarter
As I was finishing up my halftime report, there was a lot of action, and not in the Tigers favor. The sequence was as follows:
-8 play, 64-yard TOUCHDOWN drive for the Big Red, capped off with a short pass to Luke Tasker for the score. Princeton’s pass defense continues to be exploitable, and Mathews is taking advantage.
-A 3 and out for the Tigers, with a nice punt by Joe Cloud.
-A promising drive stalls for the Big Red, and they are forced to punt to the Tiger 10 yard line.
-On the first play of the drive, Dixon drops back to pass and is sacked by Cody Roberts, and Kevin Marchand, the defensive end, records his first career touchdown by returning a fumble recovery 2 yards to paydirt.
-Once again, Princeton goes 3 and out, all plays passes.
I’ll resume the actual LIVE blog right now, with 5:39 left in the 3rd quarter.
4:58 – Grant Bellatly finds a big hole between the center and right guard, and sprints upfield for an impressive first down to the Cornell 45. Nice reads by Bellatly.
4:31 – Princeton stops the sweep for Nick-Booker Tandy, the backup tailback, but Cornell still gains 4 yards as a result of the offensive line’s push.
3:40 – A rarity: the tight end, Ryan Houska, lines up as quarterback and keeps it for 4 yards.
3:20 – A free play for Cornell after Princeton jumps offside, and they take advantage, with Booker-Tandy finding a hole on the right side of the line for a 21-yard gain to the Princeton 26.
2:20 – An amusing play on 2nd down: Mathews’s pass is batted down at the line of scrimmage right back into Mathews’s chest, and he gains a few yards on the play.
1:50 – Brad Greenway’s 42-yard kick is wide right, and Princeton starts a drive on their own 26. They really need to capitalize now, since it’s a 2 score game, but the way the Cornell offense is moving the ball, it probably won’t stay that way for long.
1:00 – Connor Kelley is in at quarterback, and two consecutive handoffs to Culbreath and Matt Zimmerman gain only 3 yards.
0:35 – Kelley evades some pressure, but his pass intended for Trey Peacock is batted down at the line of scrimmage, and Princeton is forced to punt once again. Cornell starts on the 29 yard line.
0:20 – Cornell starts the drive, and ends the quarter, with a quick slant to Shane Savage for a first down. Sometimes, a poorly-performing pass defense is the result of missed tackles, but that’s not the case here – the receivers are just wide open.
4th Quarter
13:21 – After moving the ball well, Cornell is forced to punt after a Blake Clemens pass deflection. Roman Wilson calls for a fair catch on the 11 yard line.
12:11 – Another 3 and out, this time ending on another incomplete deep ball to Trey Peacock. Dixon can’t seem to place ball in the right place for his tall receivers to go up for jump balls. Cloud’s punt is returned to Princeton’s 41 yard line, but there is a flag for holding against Cornell, so they start the drive on their own 49 yard line.
11:49 – Three consecutive incompletions for Jeff Mathews, and I’m puzzled by Cornell head coach Kent Austin’s decision to throw the ball for a couple of reasons. Despite the success of the pass offense, Princeton’s tendency has been to weaken on the defensive line in the second half when the offense cannot sustain drives – that is certainly the case today. Grant Gellatly has looked impressive in the second half, and he could certainly provide some closing power. There’s plenty of time left in the game, but it’s time to start thinking about the clock.
10:45 – A couple successful running plays for the Tigers. First, a 2o yard run to the left by Matt Zimmerman, and then a QB keeper with Andrew Dixon for a first down to Cornell’s 49 yard line.
9:54 – Shane Wilkinson catches a quick screen from Dixon and sprints to the first down marker, giving the Tigers a fresh set of downs on Cornell’s 39.
9:20 – Yet another incomplete deep attempt from Dixon, this time to Andrew Kerr running a fly pattern down the right sideline. The ball is well overthrown, and Dixon can’t find a happy medium on those long pass patterns.
8:50 – Matt Zimmerman breaks a tackle on 2nd down and bursts ahead for a first on the 24 yard line.
8:18 – After a quick screen to Peacock for a few yards, Dixon keeps the ball again and shows some agility, sprinting left for a first down at Cornell’s 12.
8:09 – On a fade pattern to Peacock, Dixon overthrows the ball but Cornell safety Jaiye Falusi is called for pass interference, and Princeton has a first down on the 2.
8:04 – A dive right up the middle with Brian Mills gets into the end zone for a Princeton TOUCHDOWN. The offensive line won that battle, and Mills just had to fall over the goal line. Patrick Jacob kicks the extra point to make it 21-13. I hate going for 1 there, but I’ll address that in the postgame report, because I don’t want to get on my soapbox now.
7:56 – Rashad Campbell returns the kickoff from Patrick Jacob all the way out to the 43 yard line of Cornell. It’s a one score game now, and I’d expect to see Austin much less cavalier in calling plays.
7:12 – Two running plays – one to Nick Booker-Tandy, one a keeper by the TE Houska – gain 8 yards, and Cornell has a big 3rd down play on Princeton’s 48 yard line.
6:30 – Houska takes the keeper again but he is absolutely rocked by Jon Olofsson for a loss. Roman Wilson receives the punt on Princeton’s 8 yard line, and the upcoming drive is essentially the game.
5:58 – WOW! Dixon FINALLY completes a deep ball, with Peacock beating his defender straight through the middle of the field, making a nice over the shoulder catch, breaking a tackle, and sprinting ahead for the TOUCHDOWN. A 1 play, 92 yard drive for the Tigers, and momentum is shifting their way.
5:58 – On the 2 point conversion attempt, Andrew Dixon has all kinds of time, but the coverage is tight, and he has no choice but to lob it up near the cornerback Emani Fenton, who juggles the ball and drops it. Cornell 21, Princeton 19.
5:52 – Another solid return for Cornell, with Anthony Ambrosi catching Jacob’s kick at the 15 and bringing it back out to the Cornell 39.
5:39 – A clutch play by the Big Red, as Mathews finds an open Shane Savage on a post pattern for a 30-yard gain out to Princeton’s 31. Momentum is on Cornell’s side right now, but they really could use a touchdown.
3:53 – Grant Gellatly gets a key 3rd down conversion, catching a pass in the flat and running upfield to the Cornell 14 yard line. Princeton absolutely has to have a stop here – a touchdown would presumably put them down 9, and with this amount of time, a comeback would be unlikely.
3:08 – After Princeton hurts themselves with an offsides penalty on 1st down, Cornell hurts themselves in a BIG (Red) way. Luke Tasker catches a pass on the 2 yard line, and while attempting to push into the endzone, fumbles the ball. Tim Kingsbury recovers the fumble on the 8 yard line. Princeton has plenty of time to try for a game-winning drive.
2:10 – 2 consecutive first down completions to the tight end Harry Flaherty, and Princeton has a first down on the 35 yard line.
1:42 – Matt Zimmerman breaks a bunch of tackles, and bursts ahead to the Princeton 44 yard line. After an incompletion, it’s 3rd and 1.
1:27 – Brian Mills carries for a first down. Princeton has all of its time outs.
1:07 – I won’t say it was a blunder, but Cornell coach Austin inexplicably called a timeout after Harry Flaherty was tackled in bounds for no gain. Princeton is on its 47 yard line.
0:59 – Matt Zimmerman takes the handoff and bursts ahead for another first down at Cornell’s 41 yard line. Princeton still has all of its timeouts.
0:48 – Andrew Dixon rolls out to his left and quickly gets rid of the ball out of bounds. 2nd and 10 on Cornell’s 41.
0:42 – Pass complete to Harry Flaherty running a curl route right in the middle of the field, Princeton is now at Cornell’s 28 yard line! A very exciting end to this game right here.
0:29 – After a 3 yard rush by Matt Zimmerman, Princeton finally takes its first timeout. It’s 2nd and 7 on the 24. Patrick Jacob’s long field goal this season is 43 yards, so this is within his range. However, the wind is against him.
0:23 – A game-ending mistake by Andrew Dixon, as Trey Peacock had single coverage running down the left sideline, but the pass was underthrown and is intercepted by Emani Fenton for a touchback. That should just about do it.
0:00 – Jeff Mathews takes a knee and the game is over. The Cornell Big Red are victorious, 21-19.
Princeton-Cornell Live Blog – 1st half
Hi folks, I’m here up in Gorges Ithaca, where the Tigers and Big Red are set to start a 12:30 gridiron matchup. I’ll be providing some updates and observations as they happen.
1st quarter
15:00 – Peacock attempts a Frank Wycheck-esque lateral on the kickoff return, that doesn’t work out at all, and is stuffed at the 16 yard line.
14:40 – Peacock quickly gains a first down on a running play. Andrew Dixon starts at quarterback for the second straight week.
13:38 – Connor Kelley gains a first down on a 3rd down running play, going in motion from left to right. First down on the 44.
13:26 – A bomb on first down intended for Isaac Serwanga is broken up by cornerback Emani Fenton, first long pass from Dixon, and it was well thrown.
12:56 – Trey Peacock drops a 3rd down pass, and Princeton brings in Joe Cloud to punt, which he does to the 21 yard line.
12:02 – Cornell gets a quick first down on 2nd and 1 with a sweep to the tailback Grant Gellatly.
11:40 – Another first down, this time an 11 yard pass to Gellatly.
10:15 – Quarterback Jeff Mathews completes a first down pass to Shane Savage on a left sideline out.
9:00 – On 2nd and 10, Mathews escapes a sure 8-yard loss sack to complete a 2 yard pass to WR Luke Tasker.
7:40 – on 4th and 1, a powerful run right up the middle for a first down. One of the keys to the game for Princeton is finding a good rush defense, and so far they haven’t been tested to much on this first drive, but we’ll have to see if that continues.
7:13 – A 1st down pass from Mathews is tipped and INTERCEPTED by Dan Fitzsimmons on the 19, who runs it to the 29. Big momentum shift for Princeton.
6:38 – Princeton trying to sustain this drive, as they get a couple breaks. A 2nd down pass to Trey Peacock is complete, and the defender misses a tackle, allowing him to sprint close to the marker. A roughing the passer play gives Princeton a 1st down.
5:47 – Princeton’s second long pass on the day is once again a go-route to Serwanga down the right sideline. He gets a way with a push-off, but doesn’t come down with the ball.
5:32 – After near-fumble by Dixon that is ruled an incomplete pass, Otavio Fleury punts to the 15 yard line.
5:20 – On 1st down, Gellatly gains 4 on a sweep to the right. Nice open-field tackle by Weston Palmer to prevent a bigger gain.
4:17 – Cornell really relying on the running back Bellatly, both on short passes and runs. This time he takes a handoff to the outside, the offensive line throws some nice blocks, and it’s a 1st down for the Big Red at the Cornell 36.
3:13 – A perfect pass from Mathews to a wide open Shane Savage on an out-route on the right sideline. Princeton defensive tackle Matt Boyer is shaken up on the play, but walks off on his own.
2:50 – Luke Tasker runs a curl route on the left sideline, and makes a couple of nice moves to push forward for a 1st down for Cornell on Princeton’s 34 yard line.
1:30 – Mathews completes a long pass to Ryan Houska, the tight end, to Princeton’s 5 yard line. 1st and goal for the Big Red.
0:05 – Mathews throws a quick slant to WR Kurt Ondash for a TOUCHDOWN, and the extra point makes it 7-0 Cornell. That first drive was 11 plays, covered 85 yards, and took off 5:27 of the clock. The rushing defense that has plagued Princeton this year wasn’t the problem that drive; Mathews had all day to throw the ball, and the receivers had wide open spaces.
0:00 – Peacock returns the kickoff to the 26 yard line, and Princeton gets set to start off the 2nd quarter.
2nd quarter
14:55 – Connor Kelley in at quarterback, quickly hands off to Jordan Culbreath up the middle for a gain of 1.
14:23 – Kelley still in, Zimmerman gets the carry and gains only a few yards up the middle. Offensive line not generating any push.
13:38 – Kelley drops back to throw, but doesn’t see anyone open, and runs up the middle for a gain of 5 yards, setting Princeton up with a 4th and 1.
13:26 – A costly mistake for the Big Red, as Cornell has 12 men on the field during the punt formation, 1st down for Princeton.
13:03 – Dixon back in the game at quarterback, throws a long pass to Peacock down the left sideline, which he can’t come up with. I thought there should have been a flag for some jersey holding, but the zebras did not agree.
12:58 – Culbreath takes a sweep to the right and gains 11 yards for the first down. Culbreath generating a lot of power with his legs there.
12:33 – On 2nd and 10, Culbreath repeats the play from a few seconds earlier, and takes a handoff outside the right tackle for a gain of 11. 1st down on the Cornell 35. Princeton takes their first timeout.
12:20 – Yet another deep pass from Dixon, this time intended for Kerr streaking through the middle of the field, but he’s blanketed by double coverage, and it falls incomplete.
12:05 – Brian mills takes a draw up the middle, from shotgun formation, for another quick 1st down on the ground for Princeton.
11:25 – Dixon goes play-action, and has Isaac Serwanga wide open, but is hit as he throws, and the pass falls well short.
11:20 – Kelley in as quarterback, and is promptly intercepted by strong safety Michael Hernandez on the 5 yard line. The pass was intended for Andrew Kerr running a fly pattern, but Hernandez just stepped in front of him. First down, Cornell.
10:05 – After a quick first down, Princeton’s pass defense is stout, with Blake Clemons breaking up a pass on the left sideline, and then shutting down a screen for a few yards.
9:20 – Grant Bellatly catches a pass in the flat, and shimmies just enough to get to the marker. First down Cornell on their own 28.
8:13 – Mathews drops back, and has all kinds of time, but the coverage is good, and he sprints up the middle for a first down. The containment has to be better for the Tigers – with only a 3 man rush, there should be a linebacker or two in position to stop a quarterback run up the middle, but Mathews has plenty of room.
7:17 – Following a false start penalty and a timeout by Cornell, Mathews’s pass intended for Luke Tasker running an 8-yard out-route on the left sideline is well wide.
7:08 – The first real hurry for the Tiger defensive line, as a blitz allows the linemen to get containment and force Mathews to throw the ball away.
6:52 – Cornell goes to Bellatly again, this time with a pass over the middle, but Andrew Starks is right there, and Cornell is forced to punt.
6:26 – A nice punt from Drew Alston, and Roman Wilson brings it out to the 23 yard line of Princeton.
6:19 – A quick bubble screen to the left for Andrew Kerr, and the Tigers achieve a quick 1st down.
5:30 – On 2nd down, Culbreath takes a handoff to the outside and gets another 1st down sprinting down the right sideline.
4:56 – After a stuffed Brian Mills blast up the middle, Dixon rolls out and tries to find Andrew Kerr sprinting down the right sideline, but the pass is broken up by Emani Fenton.
4:30 – A screen to Trey Peacock goes absolutely nowhere, and Princeton is forced to punt.
4:20 – It’s a beauty from Joe Cloud, and is downed at the 7-yard line. First down Cornell.
3:55 – A sweep for Bellatly is stuffed by a whole host of linemen and linebackers, and Matt Landry records the tackle.
3:37 – Oh boy, Mathews misses a wide open Bellatly over the middle for what would have been an easy first down and likely more. Again the pass defense is nowhere to be found, but the Tigers are bailed out.
3:25 – A pass for Alex Johnson down the right sideline is well covered, and Blake Clemens records the breakup.
3:10 – After a punt, Roman Wilson returns to the 41 of Cornell.
2:50 – A couple fantastic plays for Princeton. Culbreath rushes right for a gain of 8, and then a WR screen actually works for Princeton on the right side, and it’s a first down.
2:08 – The same sequence again for Princeton. Brian Mills runs right for 7, and then a quick pass for Andrew Kerr gains a few yards for a 1st down.
1:24 – On 2nd down, Dixon makes a fantastic play, evades a sack, and finds Peacock in the end zone on a post route, beating double coverage and recording a 16 yard TOUCHDOWN for Princeton. Patrick Jacob misses the extra point wide left, though – we’ll see if that mistake comes back to haunt the Tigers. Jacob has been pretty reliable so far this season, so this seems to be an anomaly.
1:17 – Cornell starts a drive with about a minute plus left on the clock at their own 27 yard line. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cornell come out aggressively, as Princeton’s pass defense has been lackluster so far this year.
1:01 – I was incorrect. Cornell starts the drive with a quick 2 yard pass to the left sideline, and then a run up the middle for 3 yards by Bellatly.
0:25 – There may be time left yet. Mathews converts the 3rd down with a pass to Shane Savage along the left sideline. They’re at their own 40 yard line, so with 60 yards to go in 25 seconds, it seems like it might be too tough to score a touchdown. The Big Red use their final timeout for some reason which I cannot fathom, and now they are left with 60 yards and no timeouts – looks like they’ll be willing to take it into the half up 7-6.
0:00 – They do exactly that, with a handoff up the middle to Bellatly that runs out the clock.
HALFTIME – Cornell 7, Princeton 6