After last week’s discouraging loss to Lehigh, Princeton football was faced with questions about their ability to beat quality opponents.
“I feel like the confidence never really left us,” junior defensive back Tahj Owens told The Daily Princetonian.
After this week’s commanding win against Howard, confidence won’t be going anywhere.
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, Princeton football (1–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) took on the Howard Bison (2–3 overall, 0–0 MEAC) in the first-ever matchup between the two programs. Princeton was without their week one starting quarterback, junior quarterback Blaine Hipa. Hipa, who was injured in last Saturday’s game, was not cleared to play on Saturday until after practice on Thursday.
“All our top three quarterbacks get a ton of reps [in practice],” Princeton head coach Bob Surace ’90 told the ‘Prince.’ “I wasn’t going to play Hipa without practice.”
With Hipa’s injury, senior quarterback Blaine McAllister found out that he would officially be the starting quarterback on Friday, the day before the game.
“In practice, I’d been taking the first team reps, so I was mentally preparing the whole time,” McAllister told the ‘Prince.’ “But I mean, to finally get that confirmation was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life.”
Princeton’s offense got off to a quick start, largely because of McAllister’s running ability, and marched into Howard territory in four plays. Soon after, a hard count forced Howard to jump offsides, giving Princeton a free play. Penalties would become a recurring theme for Howard throughout the game. McAllister capitalized on Howard’s mistake, connecting with senior wide receiver Luke Colella on a perfectly placed 37-yard deep touchdown throw to give Princeton a 7–0 lead.
“Threw the ball up to [Luke Colella], and I knew he was gonna come down with it,” McAllister told the ‘Prince.’ “That was my first completion ever. It was that touchdown.”
After the opening drive, Princeton’s defense forced a punt. The punt, kicked by Howard quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, pinned the Princeton offense at their own one-yard line. After an incompletion on third down, Princeton gave the ball back to Howard with an impressive punt by sophomore punter Brady Clark. Clark, who was an Honorable Mention All-Ivy League player in 2023, punted this one a whopping 70 yards, giving Howard possession back on their own 25.
Howard’s offense stalled on first and second downs. On third, Tolbert stepped back to pass and fired one over the head of his intended receiver and right into the hands of senior defensive back Mason Armstead. Armstead’s 30-yard return brought the Tiger offense to the 15-yard line. After an incomplete pass intended for the end zone on third down, Princeton settled for a short field goal to extend the lead to 10–0.
Both teams traded punts on their next two possessions. Howard’s next offensive drive was stalled by a one-yard tackle for a loss by sophomore defensive lineman Rocco Marcelino. Princeton’s offense was also unable to move the ball much and punted once again. Again, Clark pinned Howard deep in their own territory with another good punt. Princeton’s defense then came up with a defensive stop on third and short, forcing Howard to punt from their own 41-yard line.
The snap, however, flew over the head of Howard’s punter Jaydon Green. Green then kicked the ball out the back of the endzone, intending to give up a safety that would have given Princeton two more points. Instead, the officials threw an illegal batting flag on Green for kicking the ball, a relatively rare type of penalty. Instead of giving up the safety, because of the penalty, Princeton’s offense now had possession deep inside the red zone on Howard’s 5-yard line. After two short runs, McAllister ran for his second touchdown of the game, extending the Princeton lead to 17–0.
“I think if you asked anyone at the start of the day today, I don’t think they would have said that I would have been a good runner,” McAllister joked. “But it worked out well today.”
Princeton’s defense continued to hold strong, forcing yet another Howard punt and completing the first-half shutout. A series of penalties alongside a 9-yard completion to senior wide receiver AJ Barber moved the Tiger offense down the field. They eventually settled for a 41-yard field goal scored by senior kicker Jeffrey Sexton, bringing the halftime lead up to 20–0.
The defense continued its dominance early in the third quarter, forcing another three-and-out. A strong punt return by senior running back John Volker brought the ball back into Howard territory. A Howard sack and a fumbled handoff ended Princeton’s offensive drive, but Sexton was again able to convert from deep, nailing a 44-yard field goal, giving Princeton a commanding 23–0 lead.
Now down by 23, Howard’s offense finally showed signs of life. Howard running back Eden James carried four times for 26 yards and Tolbert completed two passes to wide receiver Se’Quan Osborne, bringing the Bison into the red zone. On a direct snap, wide receiver Kasey Hawthorne punched it in with a two-yard touchdown run for Howard’s first points of the game, bringing the score to 23–7.
In response, McAllister completed a 14-yard pass to sophomore tight end Jack Comeau but Princeton’s offensive drive ultimately stalled just short of Howard's territory. Clark once again punted the ball back to Howard who took over at their own 15-yard line.
After consecutive short plays and incompletions forced by Princeton’s defense, a questionable roughing the passer call on third down handed Howard 15 yards and a fresh set of downs. From there, Howard’s Jarett Hunter ran the ball for a first down and Tolbert found Hawthorne on consecutive big pass plays. A 9-yard run by Howard’s Eden James moved the chains for first and goal from the two-yard line. Tolbert then capitalized with a rushing touchdown.
With the score now 23–13, Howard’s offense lined up for the two-point conversion instead of the extra point, an attempt to bring the game within one score. Tolbert’s throw toward the front corner of the endzone was undercut by junior defensive back Tahj Owens to maintain the two-score lead.
“We knew we had to make a statement,” said Owens. “I think that everyone knew that we couldn’t take our foot off the gas pedal.”
Princeton’s rushing offense took over to seal the game. Volker broke off into a 22-yard run bringing Princeton deep into Howard’s territory. Two plays later, junior running back Dareion Murphy dashed through the middle and past the Howard secondary, scoring Princeton’s third touchdown of the game.
“I thought we ran the ball well, the O-line was controlling the line of scrimmage, doing a phenomenal job for us. I mean, they really brought that game home for us,” said McAllister.
After a second down sack by senior defensive lineman Collin Taylor, a failed fourth down conversion by Howard brought out the Princeton offense to take a knee, confirming a satisfying win for Princeton in their home opener.
Princeton greatly improved in several areas after last week’s disappointing loss to Lehigh. For one, Princeton's special teams raked in points for the Tigers. Sexton and Massick converted on all three of their field goal attempts, and Clark consistently pinned Howard deep in their own territory, averaging 47.2 yards per punt. Princeton’s kick and punt returns were strong as well.
“Coach Surace always talks about the biggest jump that a team will make is from week one to week two. And I felt like we made that jump,” said McAllister.
Princeton’s linebackers also handled Howard’s strong running game, showing significant improvement after last week’s loss where the Tigers gave up four touchdowns to opposing backs.
“I thought our discipline was terrific,” said Surace. “The first game was sloppy, bad snaps, missed assignments … [Today] we were more efficient.”
Next week, the Tigers will open Ivy League play against Columbia (1–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) who are coming off a loss to Georgetown.
“Now it’s a whole other level,” said Surace. “It’s a whole other emotion.”
Joe McGonigle is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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