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Ten years ago, Bob Surace and James Perry were trying to navigate a new path together.
It had been seven years since Princeton football put together a winning record, much less an Ivy League championship season. Surace was in his fourth season as head coach, while Perry was a first-time offensive coordinator who held almost every major Ivy League career passing record.
Little was expected of Princeton, which was picked to finish in the bottom half of the 2013 Ivy preseason poll. Instead, the Tigers put together a record-setting offense and stunned the league en route to its first of four Ivy League titles over the next decade.
The two friends will be on opposite sidelines this weekend, as Perry returned to his alma mater with plans of rebuilding the Brown Bears into an annual Ivy League title contender. That is exactly what Surace has done at his alma mater, as Princeton has either finished first or one game out in each of the last four years.
Neither program will claim an Ivy title this weekend — there are still five games to go — but both would take an important step with a win. If Princeton wins, it would set up an undefeated showdown with nationally ranked Harvard next Saturday on Powers Field. A Brown victory would keep the Bears one game behind the Crimson, who they lost to in Harvard’s closest game of the season.
It’s nothing but Ivy League games from here on out, and both teams are looking to start that sprint victoriously.
Week 5 Game Notes
History Lesson • Princeton holds a 60-28 lead over Brown in a series that dates back to October 29, 1896. The Tigers have won each of the last six games in the series, including a 35-19 home win last year. Princeton holds a 22-13 all-time edge in games played in Providence.
Getting Defensive • The Princeton defense leads the Ivy League in several major statistical categories: total defense (211.8 yds/gm), rushing defense (66.3 yds/gm), passing defense (145.5 yds/gm) and opponent first downs (12.3 per game). As a team, Princeton is only allowing 11.8 points per game, second best in the both the national and the Ivy League (Columbia).
National Recognition • Both the Princeton total defense and rushing defense also lead all of FCS football. William & Mary ranks second in total defense (242.7 yds/gm), while Youngstown State ranks second in rushing defense (75.8 yds/gm).
Best of the Best • The Princeton defense will face its toughest test of the season this weekend, as Brown leads the Ivy League in total offense (444.8 yds/gm) and passing offense (346.6 yds/gm). While Princeton has not allowed a team to score more than 16 points yet this season, Brown has not scored fewer than 29 points in any of its first four games.
Wizard of Oz • Senior linebacker and co-captain Ozzie Nicholas leads the Ivy League with 43 tackles this season (10.8 per game). He had 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks last weekend in a narrow 12-9 loss to Lafayette.
Johnson & Johnson • Another senior linebacker and co-captain, Liam Johnson, was a dominant force in the 35-19 Princeton victory over Brown last season. Johnson, who would go on to win the 2022 Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 15 tackles, including two for losses, and a sack in the home victory; 10 of Johnson’s tackles were solo stops.
Sack Exchange • Princeton sophomore Bakari Edwards ranks second in the Ivy League with four sacks this season. The Tigers have four players in the Ivy League Top 10 in sacks: Ozzie Nicholas has 2.5, while both Nicholas Sanker and Sekou Roland have two apiece.
Barber Shop Quartet • Junior wide receiver AJ Barber had a career effort last weekend against Lafayette. He caught seven passes for 156 yards, including a long reception of 57 yards; after catching only five passes for 28 yards in his first two games this season, Barber had 10 catches for 212 yards in the last two.
Cool Hand Luke • Barber and senior Luke Colella have turned into Princeton’s 1-2 punch at receiver this season. Colella leads the Tigers in both receptions (23) and touchdown catches (two) in 2022; he had seven catches for 53 yards in Princeton’s comeback win over Columbia two weeks ago.
Throwing It Down • Senior quarterback Blake Stenstrom, who threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns in Princeton’s 2022 win over Brown, is completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 212.8 yards this season. He has thrown for 3,637 yards in his career, 10th most in his Princeton career. He could move up on that chart this weekend:
6th – Tommy Wornham, 4,012 (Stenstrom needs 375)
7th – Connor Michelsen, 3.926 (289)
8th – Quinn Epperly, 3,857 (220)
9th – Ronald Beible, 3,662 (25).
Wornham, Michelsen and Epperly were all Princeton quarterbacks while James Perry was offensive coordinator at Princeton.
Driven To Greatness • Princeton’s last offensive possession in an Ivy League game was one few will forget. Needing to go the length of the field to take the lead in a Friday night showdown against Columbia, Princeton drove 20 plays for 81 yards in 10:01 to score the go-ahead touchdown in a 10-7 victory over Columbia. Princeton’s longest drive all of last season was a 14-play, 8:19 drive in the 37-10 win over Harvard.
Scouting Brown • Not surprisingly, James Perry has put together an explosive offense at his alma mater. Quarterback Jake Wilcox leads the Ivy League with 1,381 passing yards and eight touchdowns this season, while receiver Wes Rockett leads the Ivy League in both catches (32) and receiving yards (510). Defensively, both Treyvon Hobbs and Cooper DeVeau rank among the Ivy League in passes defended.
Brown’s 2-2 record is more impressive when you look at its schedule. Both of the Bears’ losses have come to nationally ranked teams, including a 34-31 loss to Harvard, which is undefeated and currently ranked 18th. Last week, Brown lost 34-30 at Rhode Island, which is currently ranked 22nd in the FCS poll.
2023-10-13 13:27:39
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