For the last time this year, Princeton football (2–7 overall, 1–5 Ivy League) will march out onto the field on Saturday in their home Senior Day matchup against the Penn Quakers (4–5, 2–4). Princeton is playing purely for pride — this game will have no impact on the Ivy League standings or their final position in the league: last.
Coming off of a four-game losing streak including competitive matchups against Dartmouth (7–2, 4–2) and last week’s fixture against Yale (6–3, 3–3), the Tigers hope to end the season on a high note with a win.
Penn has also had a tough season, with their only conference wins coming against Brown (3–6, 2–4) — perhaps as hapless as the Tigers — and an incredible 67–49 victory over Cornell (4–5, 3–3) two weeks ago. A win for the Tigers would leave them with an identical conference record to Penn and put them both in last place, while a loss would cement the Tigers as the sole 8th-place finishers.
Assistant Sports Editor Alex Beverton-Smith ’27, Staff Sports Writer Lily Pampolina ’27, Sports Contributor Doug Schwartz ’28, and Sports Contributor Joe McGonigle ’27 made their predictions for the game.
Princeton 28, Penn 21 — Alex Beverton-Smith, Assistant Sports Editor
If the Tigers play as well as they have in the past two weeks and continue this upward trajectory, they should come out victorious against the Quakers. Offensively, they showed up against Yale with over 400 total yards. On Saturday, matching up against the worst team in the league in yards allowed per game, the Tigers could have another high-yardage outing.
The defense has usually been the stronger side of the ball for Princeton, but missing some key stops against Yale took them out of the game late into the second half. Nevertheless, with a week of training and serious film-watching, they should be back to their usual form come Saturday.
The Tigers will hope to utilize more of sophomore running back Ethan Clark and senior wide receivers Luke Colella and AJ Barber on the offensive side of the ball. Despite several injuries, improving run defense and staying caught up in pass coverage will be vital for a successful defensive night.
All in all, Princeton should come out with a win against a shaky Penn side. This would at least give fans a positive end to an underwhelming campaign for the Tigers.
Princeton 28, Penn 24 — Lily Pampolina, Staff Sports Writer
Princeton enters their final game sitting at the bottom of the Ivy League standings riding a four-game losing streak. This weekend they have a chance to put aside these disappointing showings and close the season with a much-needed win.
Last weekend against Yale, the Tigers finally began to break through in the running game. Clark put two touchdowns on the board for Princeton, and he will have the chance to do it again against a Penn defense that gave up three rushing touchdowns against Harvard last week. The Tigers need consistency, something they haven’t quite been able to find in the passing game this year. If they can establish the run game early, they will give themselves their best shot of competing against the Quakers.
Penn has struggled in the Ivy League, winning only two of their six matchups. Despite this, quarterback Liam O’Brien has had 11 passing touchdowns in the past three games. The Quakers are not afraid to take risks and launch balls downfield, so the Tigers’ secondary defense must be prepared in coverage. Princeton will need to avoid penalties and prevent big offensive gains to stop Penn from putting points on the board.
This is Princeton’s opportunity to put aside the drawbacks of this season and get a win at home. Though three wins is nothing to brag about, it is still a goal worth setting.
Princeton 28, Penn 24 — Doug Schwartz, Sports Contributor
Princeton has won seven of their last 10 matchups against their red-and-blue rival from Philadelphia. However, if they want to improve that record, they’re going to need big plays on both sides of the ball from a squad that has consistently come up short.
For most of the season, Princeton’s offense has looked uncoordinated and stagnant. However, last week in their loss against the Bulldogs, the Tigers finally appeared to have put it together. Junior quarterback Blaine Hipa threw for 267 yards, and Barber pulled in seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. If the Tigers’ offense can continue this momentum, they have a very good chance of beating a Penn team that allows nearly 28 points per game.
However, without strong defensive play, Princeton will struggle to capture a victory. The Quakers have scored 257 points on the year compared to just 196 from the Tigers, thanks in large part to their 1000-yard rusher Malachi Hosley. Stopping the ground game has been a struggle for the defense all year, so if Princeton wants to end their season on a high note, they’re going to need to flip the script and tackle efficiently and effectively.
Princeton 17, Penn 24 — Joe McGonigle, Sports Contributor
Little has gone right for the Princeton football team this year. With the Ivy League title well out of reach, the Tigers will look to carry momentum into next year in this week’s rivalry matchup against Penn.
Penn’s run game will likely be the Tigers’ biggest hurdle. Penn running back Hosley, who was named First Team All-Ivy last year, has been excellent this season. He currently leads the Ivy League in both rushing yards (1070) and rushing touchdowns (nine) through nine games. Princeton has had trouble defending the run game all year. The Tigers currently have the second-worst run defense in yards allowed per game and have given up the most rushing touchdowns (24) in the Ivy League.
Despite their struggles, Princeton’s offense will get to face the Ivy League’s worst pass defense on Saturday. While Princeton has struggled to throw the ball without turning it over all season, Hipa should be able to move the ball through the air in a favorable matchup. Penn’s defense also has the fewest interceptions in the Ivy League, which is another good sign for Hipa, who leads the Ivy League in interceptions thrown.
While Princeton’s passing game should benefit from this week's matchup, the Tigers have been unable to figure out how to stop the run all season, and I do not see much changing in this tough matchup.
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.’
Doug Schwartz is a Sports contributor and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Joe McGonigle is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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