On Friday night at Princeton Stadium, the Tigers (2–5 overall, 1–3 Ivy League) will face the Dartmouth Big Green (6–1, 3–1 Ivy League). A victory for the Tigers, however unlikely, would shake up the Ivy League standings and open a chance for the team to avoid a losing record for the season.
The last time Princeton finished with a losing record was in 2011 — the second year of head coach Bob Surace’s ’90 tenure. That season, the Tigers ended the season 1–9.
Last week, the Tigers suffered a disappointing fall to Cornell (3–4, 2–2) by a score of 49–35 on Homecoming weekend. The team will be hoping not to repeat the mistakes of last week, and the season thus far, when facing the Big Green. It will be a tall task as Dartmouth has lost just one game all season against Harvard 31–27, while the Tigers have struggled in Ivy play.
Assistant Sports Editor Alex Beverton-Smith ’27, Staff Sports Writer Lily Pampolina ’27, Sports Contributor Joe McGonigle ’27, and Sports Contributor Doug Schwartz ’28 made their predictions for the game.
Princeton 14, Dartmouth 31 — Alex Beverton-Smith, Assistant Sports Editor
It’s been a really tough year for the Tigers, and the game against Cornell epitomized that.
Princeton now ranks dead last in every single offensive category including scoring offense, total yards per game, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, passing yards per game, offensive efficiency, sacks against, first downs per game, third down conversions, fourth down conversions, red zone offense, and time of possession.
The defense took a big hit against Cornell too — conceding 49 points, with 21 in the first quarter alone. Nothing short of a radical overhaul on both sides of the ball will help Princeton win this game. Unfortunately, expect to see similar mistakes found in previous weeks where the Tigers struggle to convert from key positions.
It should be another tough week of football for Princeton with injuries and no momentum, but you can’t ever count the Tigers out. They have an experienced offensive unit, a veteran coach, and the long-term foundations to rally at the end of the season despite all the setbacks.
Princeton 21, Dartmouth 35 — Lily Pampolina, Staff Sports Writer
This Friday, Princeton faces their toughest league opponent of the year. Coming off of two large-margin losses, they do not look prepared to take down Dartmouth.
Dartmouth has been near perfect all season, conceding their first and only game to Harvard just last weekend. Not only will Dartmouth be hungry for a comeback, but they will be determined to secure the top spot in the Ivy League standings. After winning five close battles this season, Dartmouth has proven themselves capable of overcoming deficits and putting points on the board late in the game.
The Tigers will have to focus on stopping Dartmouth’s passing game, one that has helped them to score over 30 points three times this season. Dartmouth boasts a deep wide receiver roster, so Princeton will need to take away their options and force quarterback Jackson Proctor to make decisions under pressure.
On offense, Princeton must be consistent. In last week’s game against Cornell, Princeton scored 21 unanswered points — it was just far too little too late when they were already facing a 35 point deficit. If they want a chance against Dartmouth, they need to come out firing early. Junior quarterback Blaine Hipa has seemed to find his footing with senior wide receiver AJ Barber, but he needs to expand his options. The Tigers will also need to convert on fourth down when they choose to go for it, something that they failed to do last weekend.
The game is not out of Princeton’s hands, but they have a lot of work to do before Friday. With a large number of injured players and an opponent at the top of the league standings, the Tigers will have to battle the hardest they have this season to secure a win.
Princeton 17, Dartmouth 34 — Joe McGonigle, Sports Contributor
Princeton football has disappointed this season and will have a difficult time turning things around this weekend against Dartmouth. Dartmouth is currently tied for first in the Ivy League while the Tigers are currently tied for last. Princeton’s run defense, which gave up 185 yards and four rushing touchdowns to Cornell last week, will have their hands full with Dartmouth running back Q Jones, who currently has the second most rushing yards in the Ivy League. Stopping the run could be a major issue for the Tigers.
Dartmouth’s defense, which only gives up 22.1 points per game, also leads the Ivy league in total sacks with 15. Princeton’s offense has given up the second most sacks across the entire FCS division, surrendering 33 in just seven games.
Both Princeton and Dartmouth have played Columbia and Harvard. Princeton lost to Columbia by 17 and Dartmouth defeated Columbia by three. While both teams lost to Harvard, Princeton lost by 32 and Dartmouth lost by only 4.
Interestingly, the home team has prevailed in each of the last 6 football games between Princeton and Dartmouth. Friday’s game is in Princeton, providing at least a glimmer of hope for the Tigers.
In short, Dartmouth has consistently won on both sides of the ball throughout this season. Princeton has not. While home field advantage should aid the Tigers, Dartmouth should be heavily favored in this matchup.
Princeton 17, Dartmouth 31 — Doug Schwartz, Sports Contributor
Despite coming off a 27–31 loss to Harvard, Dartmouth has been on fire this season, starting the year off 6-0. The Big Green were ranked 22nd in the FCS before their loss to Harvard, due in large part to an explosive offense. Dartmouth has scored over 40 points twice their year and has only scored below 20 once.
Moreover, Dartmouth running back Q Jones has led an effective rushing offense for the Big Green all year, with 590 yards this season. In their win against Columbia two weeks ago, Jones rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown. If the Tigers want to have a shot at stopping the Dartmouth offense, they’ll have to contain the run, something they have struggled to do since their very first game against Lehigh.
Looking at the Tigers, their offense has been inconsistent and lackluster all season. Junior quarterback Blaine Hipa has thrown just 7 touchdowns combined with 12 interceptions, and has been under constant pressure, taking 33 sacks thus far. However, the athletic signal caller has shown flashes of excellence, and he and the rest of the offense will need to channel some of that magic if they hope to topple this powerhouse Dartmouth squad.
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.’
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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