Princeton football (1–2 overall, 0–1 Ivy League) comes into their next matchup off of a hard fall to Columbia (2–1 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) 34–17. In their final non-conference matchup against the Mercer Bears (5–0 overall, 3–0 Southern), the Tigers will be in for a tough challenge against the No. 8 ranked school in the FCS.
A disappointing second half last Saturday saw Princeton fumble away from initial 10–6 lead at the half, with the Lions outscoring the Tigers by 21 points in the final 30 minutes. Across the board, it was a poor performance — and with time running out, this is the last game for the Tigers to get their act together before conference play — and the fight for the Ivy title — resumes.
Assistant Sports Editor Alex Beverton-Smith ’27, Staff Sports Writer Lily Pampolina ’27, and Sports Contributors Joe McGonigle ’27 and Doug Schwartz ’28 made their predictions for the game.
Princeton 10, Mercer 24 — Alex Beverton-Smith, Assistant Sports Editor
Mercer enters this matchup 5–0, and in three of those matchups, the Bears have held opponents to just three points or less. Fundamentally, the Bears are strong on both sides of the ball and are ranked No. 8 for a reason. With minimal mistakes and many weapons, Mercer comes into this game with plenty of momentum.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have not been able to build a strong basis to start their season on. Their only win came against a much weaker Howard team, where they won 34–13, while they lost to Lehigh and Columbia, breaking win streaks that date back to 2018 against each side.
The real challenge for Princeton will be to see if they can clean up their own mistakes on and off the ball. While this game will most likely not be a win for the Tigers, it can be used as a valuable opportunity to sort out their defensive scheme — particularly at linebacker — to get some more valuable snaps for junior QB Blaine Hipa, and to start getting their two main wide receivers, seniors Luke Colella and AJ Barber, involved more on the field.
Princeton 21, Mercer 20 — Lily Pampolina, Staff Sports Writer
To get a win this week, Princeton is going to need to find their rhythm — and undefeated Mercer will not make it easy.
In last week’s loss to Columbia, the Tigers seemed to lose their composure in the second half due to a variety of defensive injuries and key offensive changes. Before Saturday, the Tigers will have to fix this instability.
Coming off of an injury in the Tiger’s first game, Blaine Hipa returned against Columbia and had several successful drives down the field. The running game for the Tigers was strong, with senior runnerback John Volker scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game and converting several first downs afterward. This weekend, however, Volker will see his toughest defense yet. Mercer has allowed an average of only 13.7 rushing yards per game this season and leads the Southern Conference in tackles for loss. To succeed against the Bears, the Princeton offense will have to rely on their passing game yet again. To score against Mercer, Hipa must work on finishing the drive and finding his senior wide receivers Luke Collela and AJ Barber.
On the defensive side of the ball, Princeton must absolutely work on ending the drive. Throughout the season, the Tigers have been consistent in forcing third and fourth downs, yet have conceded conversions through penalties and missed tackles at the last second. To limit the Mercer offense, Princeton must stay disciplined and commit to getting off the field.
This is the Tigers’ toughest game of the season, and there is a lot that needs to be fixed before Saturday. If Hipa can improve his accuracy and connect with his receivers, Princeton will have their best chance at handing Mercer its first loss.
Princeton 9, Mercer 17 — Joe McGonigle, Sports Contributor
Princeton football is headed down to Macon, Ga., for their matchup against the Mercer Bears. After last week’s loss away at Columbia in which Princeton was outscored 28–7 in the second half, the Tigers will look to rebound in what should be a tough road game.
Mercer currently sits atop the Southern Conference in the FCS and is off to its best start in program history. Last week, Mercer was ranked eighth overall in the most recent FCS rankings, also a new record for the program. For reference, no Ivy League team is ranked within the top 25. With a turnover ratio of +12 and a defense that has only allowed over 10 points once, Mercer will come into this game with plenty of confidence.
Princeton seemed to regress last week, especially on offense. After a convincing win against Howard two weeks ago, the offensive struggles returned against Columbia, throwing for only 164 yards and getting two interceptions. Mercer’s defense leads the Southern Conference with 15 sacks, 41 tackles for loss, and nine interceptions throughout five games. Princeton’s offense, on the other hand, leads the Ivy League in interceptions thrown and has the second least points scored per game.
In short, Mercer is on paper the best team Princeton has played thus far. Given the recent struggles on both sides of the ball against weaker opponents than Mercer, Princeton is in a rough spot and is expected to lose.
Princeton 24, Mercer 21 — Doug Schwartz, Sports Contributor
After a disappointing loss to Columbia last week, Princeton looks to right the ship against a talented and undefeated Mercer squad. The Bears are hot right now and are aiming to tack on a sixth straight win to keep their season perfect. Princeton, on the other hand, is hoping to recalibrate for the rest of the year.
For the Tigers to find success, they have to be careful with the ball. Against Columbia, Princeton turned the ball over three times, with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Combine those wasted possessions with four punts and it’s clear to see why the offense had a hard time putting points on the board. However, with Hipa back in the pocket for a second straight week, the Tigers might be able to build some chemistry and consistency to beef up a passing game that has struggled to find its footing thus far.
If Princeton wants to beat Mercer, they’re going to have to slow down the Bears’ passing game. Mercer’s D.J. Smith has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards on the season and is putting the ball where it needs to be — as seen with his 77.89 completion percentage. The Tigers’ defense is going to have to trust their secondary to slow Mercer down and give their offense a chance to keep them in the game.
Alex Beverton-Smith is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Lily Pampolina is a staff Sports writer and a staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Joe McGonigle is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Douglas Schwartz is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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