Over Homecoming weekend, alumni trekked back to Old Nassau to witness Princeton football (2–5 overall, 1–3 Ivy League) fall to yet another Ivy League opponent, the Cornell Big Red (3–4, 2–2), by a score of 49–35 — their first loss to the Big Red since 2017. In what has been nothing but a disappointing season so far, the Tigers were unable to shake the negative momentum from their decisive loss to Harvard in Cambridge a week ago.
The game was poised to be a head-on battle between the strengths of the two teams — the Tigers’ conventionally strong defense and the Big Red’s explosive offense. Princeton’s offense, led by junior quarterback Blaine Hipa, who has struggled this season, entered the game as an unknown, with the Tiger faithfuls hoping for a mid-season turnaround.
The game began with the Big Red converting their first set of downs with a play-action pass and a quick rush. Cornell running back Ean Pope then split the Tiger defense, running for 16 yards to put the team past midfield and into Princeton’s half. Cornell continued to drive down the field, gaining two consecutive first downs passing down the right side. In the red zone, Cornell ran through the Tiger defense, with quarterback Jameson Wang finishing the drive with an eight-yard scramble to give the Big Red an early 7–0 lead.
Princeton’s first drive of the game saw little movement. After a four-yard pass to senior wide receiver AJ Barber, Princeton began to rush to no avail. On fourth down and one, on their own 34 yard line, a Hipa pass fell incomplete, giving the ball back to Cornell deep in Tiger territory — a mishap that plagued the Tigers throughout the game.
“We’ve been great at [fourth and one] all year, and when we threw the pass, it got deflected. It was a great play by them. It was just a tough one [for us],” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 told the ‘Prince.’
Picking the ball up at Princeton’s 34 yard line, Cornell took no time to enter the red zone, starting the drive with a deep pass down the middle for a 29 yard gain to the Tigers’ five yard line. On second and goal, Cornell scored their second touchdown of the game off of a four yard pass to lead 14–0.
Cornell continued their offensive pressure each of the next two times they received the ball, finding their way into the end zone twice more. The high-powered Big Red offense found success in their passing game, exploiting gaps in the Tigers’ secondary defense for a 28–0 lead in the second quarter.
On their fourth drive of the game, Princeton started to break through. Hipa and Barber connected several times to move the team all the way to their opponents’ 12-yard line, with help from Cornell’s penalties. After a dropped pass to Barber on second and goal, Hipa took matters into his own hands and rushed the ball ten yards for a touchdown, handing Princeton their first points of the game. The Tigers then trailed 28–7.
Capitalizing on their newfound momentum, Princeton had their first defensive stop following the touchdown. The Tigers forced the Big Red to stay in their own half, allowing only one first down and breaking up several sideline passes, forcing a punt. A lengthy punt return and late hit penalty gave the Tigers the starting field position in Cornell’s half. A couple plays later, on third and goal, junior running back Dareion Murphy ran for the three-yard touchdown, bringing the score within two touchdowns at 28–14.
Two plays into their ensuing drive after a Cornell pick, Princeton fumbled, losing critical momentum. Cornell capitalized on their starting field position — as they had throughout the game — scoring another touchdown to make the score 35–14 at the half.
Princeton received the ball in the second half and ended the drive with a punt, not able to overcome a sack after several successful passes. From here, Cornell went on to score another touchdown. The second Tiger drive of the half saw another failed fourth down try, leading to the Big Red’s final touchdown and a 49–14 point Tiger deficit.
To the Tigers’ credit, Princeton would not end the game on a low note. On their next drive, Hipa converted a long fourth and seven with his legs, then launched a long ball to senior receiver Matthew Mahoney for a 30-yard gain. A touchdown to senior receiver Luke Colella brought the score to 49–21.
Colella’s touchdown reception marked a milestone of 1,000 receiving yards in his collegiate career. Currently, Colella is on pace to either match or exceed his total reception yardage from last season at 620 yards, as well as last year’s six reception touchdowns.
After forcing a Cornell fourth down, Mahoney broke through the Big Red’s punt protection unit and got a hand on the ball, allowing sophomore wide receiver Roman Laurio to recover the ball with great field position. The Tigers made good on the opportunity, with a touchdown reception by junior wide receiver Charley Rossi.
Rossi went on to score another touchdown during Princeton’s last possession, finalizing the 49–35 Cornell win.
“We got off to a bad start,” Surace said to the ‘Prince.’ “Our guys have been fighting all year and I tell them I appreciate them. They’re doing the best they can.”
The Tigers will take on another Ivy League opponent this Friday at Powers Field, with kickoff against Dartmouth (6–1 overall, 3–1 Ivy League) at 6 p.m.
“Dartmouth’s a great team, they’re doing well this year, but you know, we’re going to take it like any other opponent,” Hipa told the ‘Prince.’ “It’ll start tomorrow, watch the film and see what we have to fix and get better throughout the week, then come out here on Friday night trying to get another win.”
Lily Pampolina is a staff Sports writer and a staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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