After six undefeated matches, Princeton Football (2–4 overall, 1–2 Ivy League) fell against the Harvard Crimson (5–1, 2–1) for the first time since 2016 on Saturday. With the win, the Crimson managed to remain undefeated at home, while snatching away a bonfire celebration from the Princeton community.
The matchup was characterized by missed opportunities for the Tigers. From a dropped pick-six opportunity to stalled drives to blown coverage, it was not a quality game for the Tigers.
“We got to be better at the things that we made mistakes at,” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 told The Daily Princetonian postgame. “It’s collective, and we got to figure it out soon.”
On their first drive of the game, the Tigers couldn’t get much going. The offense tried to establish the ground game, but aside from a nice run by senior wide receiver AJ Barber, the Harvard defense held strong. On the other side of the ball, the Crimson had no problem driving down the field as Princeton’s secondary couldn’t contain the pass. With a little over 7:30 left to play in the first, Harvard’s Kaedyn Odermann hauled in a high ball on the sideline, keeping his left foot in bounds to put Harvard up 7–0.
Princeton’s second drive was another quick three-and-out, as the Tigers were unable to find any success moving the ball. It was a trend that continued for the rest of the game.
“We got down and got a little out of rhythm,” coach Surace explained. Without being able to establish the run, the offense was forced to move to the pass, which has been a challenge for the Tigers all year. “We struggled to get the ball down the field. They have really good pass rushers, and that hurt us,” Surace added.
All players from the team declined to comment following the conclusion of the game, according to University communications.
The hurt was evident, as Harvard recorded a season-high five sacks against Princeton.
Sophomore defensive back Torian Roberts nearly came away with a tip drill interception on Harvard’s following drive, but couldn’t hold on to the ball. The play was just one of several missed opportunities for Princeton throughout the day.
“It was one of those ifs and buts that don’t matter, but we nearly had a pick-six, a 14 point boomerang,” coach Surace stated. “It’s the guy who’s caught it every time for us this year. Some days, the sun didn’t come up.”
The Crimson responded with several big plays, including a nearly 50-yard bomb from Harvard’s quarterback Jaden Craig, setting up a redzone score to put Harvard ahead 14–0.
“They played by far the best they played [this season],” coach Surace told the ‘Prince.’ “Their quarterback — I said it during the week — he’s a Bushnell Cup candidate, and he played his best game. Some of those throws he made, you tip your cap to him.”
On their third drive of the game, Princeton finally got their offense going. After a 16-yard completion to senior wide receiver Luke Colella with 3:40 to go in the first, Princeton continued to move the chains with effective runs from junior quarterback Blaine Hipa and junior running back Dareion Murphy.
With around a minute left in first, Hipa found Colella again for a beautifully thrown over-the-shoulder pass, putting the Tigers on the three-yard line. Following the 27-yard completion, Hipa ran hard to the right, fighting through contact to make the score 14–7.
The Tigers’ defense stepped up in a big way to start the second quarter. After a low snap, Princeton’s defensive line put pressure on Craig, forcing a difficult pass to the sideline that was intercepted by senior defensive back Payton Tally. The takeaway was one of just a handful of positive plays for the Tigers all day, as Princeton took over with the ball with 13:38 to play in the second. Unfortunately, Harvard’s defense held strong, and the Tigers couldn’t find their offensive rhythm, forcing a three-and-out.
Throughout the game, the Crimson were able to move down the field with a strong passing attack, including plenty of strikes to the sidelines, something the Tigers struggled to defend. This drive was no different, and it culminated in tight end Seamus Gilmartin’s second touchdown reception of the game with a little under 10 minutes to play in the first half, putting Harvard up 21–7.
When asked about the defensive struggles, Surace gave credit to the Harvard system and star wideout Scott Woods II. “6 [Woods II], he’s done it all year with that, and if you bite on it, the next play is a fake and go. And if you go too wide, they’re going to run the ball up the middle. So, it’s a really nice package which they have, and 6 makes it work.”
On the following possession, on a third and nine, Hipa rolled out of the pocket and tried to force a deep pass into triple coverage, ultimately leading to a Harvard interception. Although the Crimson were once again able to move down the field, the Princeton defense prevented a touchdown. Sophomore cornerback Evan Haynie forced an incompletion on a third and 10 endzone shot, leading to a 37-yard Harvard field goal that extended the Crimson lead to 17.
With just under three minutes to go in the half, Hipa found senior wide receiver Jalen Geer for a 15–yard strike downfield, giving the Princeton offense some life. From there, the Tigers continued to move the chains, including a fourth–and–one conversion by Volker with just 44 seconds to go. However, Princeton couldn’t find the endzone after a few offensive missteps, including a sack on Hipa on third down for a big loss. The Tigers were forced to settle for a field goal heading into half, making the score 24–10.
Princeton’s defense started off the second half strong. On second–and–four with a little more than 13 minutes to play in the third, the Tigers put serious pressure on Craig. The Harvard quarterback tripped on his own feet, and first-year linebacker AJ Pigford was credited for the sack. Princeton then held strong on third, forcing a Harvard punt.
On their first drive of the second half, the Tigers’ offense stalled once again despite some initial momentum. The drive contained several nice plays, including another Volker fourth–and–one conversion and a great first down rush for Hipa to put Princeton on Harvard’s 24–yard line.
Unfortunately, Hipa took back-to-back sacks on second and third down, causing the Tigers to bring out the field goal unit. Despite the windy day, senior kicker Jeffrey Sexton nailed a career best 51-yard field goal to make the score 24–13 with 5:57 to go in the quarter. This was the first time a Princeton kicker had made at least a 50-yard field goal since a 50-yard field goal by Taylor Northrop ’02 in September 2000 against Lehigh.
On their second drive of the half, the Crimson offense corrected some of the mistakes they made coming out of halftime, marching down the field slowly and methodically. On the final play of the quarter, Princeton stopped a Harvard WR screen pass to Woods II, forcing a fourth down and a chance to stop the onslaught. Nevertheless, the Harvard offense was just too hot, and they responded with a first down strike on fourth and five. A few plays later, the Crimson scored a rushing touchdown, taking a 31–13 lead and quashing any hope of a comeback.
The rest of the game was dominated by Harvard. After a quick three-and-out by Princeton, Harvard scored easily on a 39-yard dime with 11:26 left in the fourth and again on a one-yard rush with 3:12 to go. Princeton had no answer, ultimately dropping the game 45–13.
Princeton will look to right the ship against a struggling Cornell team (2–4, 1–2) at home next Saturday.
Doug Schwartz is a Sports contributor and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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