Tigers stay undefeated

The Tigers extended their undefeated streak to four games Saturday with an impressive win over the visiting Colgate Raiders, 44-22. The last two times Princeton started the season 4-0, in 2006 and 1995, the Tigers went on to win the Ivy League Championship. The Tigers’ victory was marked with a strong offensive showing, as they moved the ball a total of 556 yards, despite missing several notable players on offense to injury.

The Tigers’ strong offensive showing against Colgate featured the most points the Tigers scored against the Raiders since 1988, when head coach Bob Surace ’90 played center on the Princeton squad, making this weekend’s win that much more exciting. Starting junior quarterback Chad Kanoff led the offensive charge, completing 25 of 41 passes for a total of 277 passing yards, along with 41 rushing yards on six carries. With senior running backs DiAndre Atwater and Dré Nelson both injured, junior running back Joe Rhattigan again played a large role in the offensive, totaling 66 yards on 12 carries, while freshman running back Charles Volker also left his mark, rushing 64 yards into the Colgate end zone to score the final touchdown of the game. Senior wide receiver Isaiah Barnes caught a career-high eight passes for a total of 92 yards, while sophomore quarterback John Lovett rushed 14 times, recording 65 yards and a personal best of four touchdowns, with three in the second half. Lovett also caught four passes, totaling 38 yards, and completed two of three passes for 17 yards. The Tigers ran 90 offensive plays in Saturday’s win, more plays than in all but one game last season. The Tigers also went 11-for-15 on third downs.

After Colgate scored a touchdown on the opening drive, the Tiger defense quickly kicked into gear. With just two minutes left in the first quarter and Colgate on Princeton’s five-yard line, senior linebacker Matt Arends blocked a field goal attempt to force a turnover. Junior defensive lineman Henry Schlossberg also blocked a field goal later in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers held the Raiders to only two scores in five attempts in the red zone.

Junior linebacker Rohan Hylton led the Tigers with 11 tackles, while junior defensive back Dorian Williams followed close behind, with 10 tackles. Junior linebacker Birk Olson, senior defensive back Khamal Brown and senior defensive lineman Evan Kappatos each had six tackles. Williams also made a great defensive play in the second half to help the Tigers seal the victory. In the fourth quarter, when the Raiders had pulled within 10 points of the Tigers, 30-20, and had the ball on the Princeton 24-yard-line after recovering a fumble, Colgate managed to get down to the 10-yard-line with a third-and-six to go for a first down. But Williams managed to break up the third-down pass before Schlossberg blocked the fourth-down field goal attempt.

The Tigers will be looking to carry their success and momentum thus far into upcoming Ivy League play, and the Tigers will next face off against Brown in Providence on Oct. 17.