Princeton football bests Albany 22–0 in first shutout since 2021

Despite being outgained 288 to 265 yards, having 14 first downs to 16, and possession for 27 compared to 33 minutes, the Princeton Tigers (1–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) came out on top 22–0 over the University at Albany Great Danes (2–3 overall, 1–1 Coastal Athletic Association).

The game saw the Orange and Black face a familiar face in Albany’s quarterback Kai Colón ’26, who played in 2024 for the Tigers and started in 2025. That year of experience was evident as he rushed for 65 yards on the day and passed for an additional 111.

Although Colón had a decent day, a touchdown eluded him as any score eluded the Great Danes. It was Princeton’s first recorded shutout since a 63–0 victory over Stetson in 2021 — a game that included Princeton greats such as Andrei Iosivas ’23 and recent stars like Blake Stenstrom ’24. 

“I wanted to win. That is a bonus, and that’s a cherry on top, but you want to win,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said to The Daily Princetonian about the shutout victory. “We were really disciplined. We struggled with rush lanes early on, and they did a great job scrambling. But once we settled that down, I thought we really played good defense.”

Both teams started the game off slow as Princeton continued last week’s struggles on third down and Albany missed a 40-yard field goal attempt wide left. At quarterback for the Tigers was first-year Wyatt Becker — the first week-one “true freshman” quarterback in Princeton history — who threw for 99 yards on 8-of-13 attempts with no interceptions or touchdowns.

The second quarter saw momentum build for the Tigers as they started their first drive of the quarter with just one prior first down. Princeton marched up the field quickly and ended the drive with a touchdown pass from sophomore backup quarterback Ty Ciongoli to senior tight end Joey Wassler — a first career touchdown for both players.

Up 7–0, Princeton wasted no time recovering the ball. Sophomore defensive lineman Nate Stohl and senior defensive lineman Rocco Marcelino made a huge stop on third down to force the three-and-out by Albany, who then fumbled the punt, with senior defensive back Evan Haynie making the special teams fumble recovery.

Haynie’s recovery pitted the Tigers on the Great Danes’ 19-yard line, allowing for a quick drive starring junior running back Kai Honda as he rushed for 19 yards on two plays to take Princeton’s lead into the double digits, 13–0. A missed hold saw the Tigers fail to convert the extra point. 

Honda would end the game with 110 all-purpose yards, highlighting his threat both in the slot and in the backfield.

“Yes, that was a huge momentum shift,” Honda told the ‘Prince’ about Princeton’s back-to-back scoring drives. “Everybody was really building off of that and that’s just the name of the game. 

“We call it juice. And we had a ton of juice following that through the rest of the game.”

By the end of the half, the Tigers had just 82 passing yards and 25 rushing yards compared to Albany’s 154 total, but their clinical red zone production and lack of turnovers kept them well ahead offensively. On the defensive end, junior defensive back Casey Etienne Jr. secured a pick as he snatched the ball out of the air from Colón’s lob to keep the Great Danes scoreless going into the half.

Princeton’s scoring antics did not end in the first half, however, as Becker led the Tigers 70 yards down the field for their third touchdown of the day to start the third quarter. A 43-yard rocket down the field to senior wide receiver Roman Laurio was a particular highlight and it was Honda once again who rushed for the touchdown in the end — his second of the night.

The offensive line was also key to the Tigers’ success both in the run and passing game. Their tenacity on the split zone, which allowed Honda’s second touchdown, was symptomatic of a wider successful day. The trio of seniors Justin Selbert at right guard, Philip Eichelzer at center, and Barrett Eddlemon at left guard was key for many of the “up the gut” plays the Tigers ran, with senior right tackle Oyintare Porbeni and junior left tackle Andrew Pedersen playing a crucial role protecting the strong and weak sides.

At 19–0, the Tigers went for the two-point conversion to round out the score, but Becker couldn’t find his target on the play.

On Princeton’s next offensive possession, more great work from the offensive line saw Honda pick up 14 more yards to start the drive. The Tigers stuck with their two-tight-end set as they made it to the redzone. 

Princeton thought they had a fourth touchdown of the night, but Wassler was ruled out-of-bounds on his dive into the pylon, while an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty forced the Tigers to kick it from 32 yards out. Senior kicker Esteban Nunez Perez connected on the field goal and took the Tigers to 22–0.

“I think it was just that we needed to settle in,” Eddlemon said to the ‘Prince’ about the Tigers’ scoring drives. “We came out with some jitters, so as soon as we sank back to Earth and realized we need to do what we need to do … and everything else will fall in place, and that’s what we did.” 

From there, the Great Danes struggled more and more, and defensive plays from the Orange and Black dominated the rest of the game. To start the fourth quarter, Etienne Jr. forced an incomplete pass in the endzone for a turnover on downs. On the very next drive, more audacious calls from Albany — and great defense from Princeton — forced the exact same result.

“Week one was definitely a wake up,” Etienne Jr. told the ‘Prince.’ “We came out this week with an emphasis of being dialled in, locked in, and focused for all four quarters, and I think we did a great job of that.”

Princeton’s backups delivered the final nail in the coffin as Albany’s final drive ended in an interception for junior defensive back AJ Schwartz, securing the shutout for the Tigers.

“That gives the offense all the confidence in the world, because we have guys that can produce our offence, our defence is phenomenal,” Honda said to the ‘Prince’ about the shutout. “If we can keep playing great games on both sides, we're going to contend for an Ivy League Championship.”

This week, Princeton faces Columbia (2–0 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) at midday on Saturday. The Lions are coming off two straight overtime victories to start the season, but the Tigers will be hoping to build off last year’s victory and their strong game this past weekend.

“They’re going to be tough,” coach Surace said about Columbia. “The quarterback seems like he’s played forever – I think it’s his fourth game against us. The running back is a senior, and they’ve got a really good young receiving group.”

Alex Beverton-Smith is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’

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