Updated: Wild win in Cambridge

The football team needed a touchdown to win. As Princeton was losing to Harvard at the tail end of a wild game, junior quarterback Quinn Epperly looked for senior receiver Roman Wilson in the corner of the end zone, and as Wilson came down, he sealed an improbable victory.

If that sounds more like the end of last year’s Princeton-Harvard game than a recap of this year’s, that is because the end of this year’s game was eerily similar. Epperly hit Wilson in the end zone at the end of the third overtime to send the Tigers (5-1 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) past the Crimson (5-1, 2-1) in Cambridge.

“Roman was actually my second option,” Epperly explained. “[He] just made one heck of a play.”

The lead changed hands a number of times before Wilson’s catch made it 51-48. Princeton and Harvard came in undefeated in league play, and each played like the league leader, putting on a show for a big home crowd and a sizable Princeton showing at Harvard Stadium.

Starring in that show was Epperly. With fellow junior quarterback Connor Michelsen sidelined with an injury, Epperly played every down at quarterback for the first time in his career. He did not disappoint, completing a school record of 37 passes and setting a Princeton record for most touchdown passes in a single game with six.

Princeton’s offense struck early with a pair of touchdowns, a short pass from Epperly to junior receiver Connor Kelley and an impressive leaping catch by senior tight end Des Smith.

Epperly hit eight different receivers over the course of the game, which lasted three hours and 59 minutes. Junior wide receiver Seth DeValve led the receiving corps with 87 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Wilson added 76 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.

Harvard stormed back with a 33-yard pass from quarterback Conner Hempel to receiver Ricky Zorn and a 60-yard run by running back Paul Stanton Jr. Those quick strikes, combined with Princeton’s failed attempt at a two-point conversion after its first score, had Harvard sitting pretty until Epperly hit Kelley for another touchdown with just over three minutes to go in the half.

This time, the Tigers succeeded in converting for two, and they went into the locker room tied after Stanton found the end zone again just before the end of the half.

Throughout the first half and throughout the day, Princeton’s defense caused problems for Hempel. Senior nose tackle Caraun Reid wreaked havoc on the Crimson offensive line, giving Hempel very little time and forcing him into tough situations, many of which he escaped with remarkable skill.

“He was unbelievable,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said. “You think you had him sacked, and he either threw it away or ran for positive yardage.

Junior linebacker Mike Zeuli gave the Crimson headaches as well, racking up 13 tackles and two sacks for a combined loss of 19 yards.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“We gotta credit a lot of this game to our D-line,” sophomore strong safety Matt Arends said. “They stepped up big time. They allowed us to really feel comfortable in the secondary.”

That secondary finished the day with two interceptions, one by senior defensive back Phillip Bhaya and one by sophomore defensive back John Hill. Arends broke up two passes and recorded six tackles.

Princeton came close to pulling away at the beginning of the third quarter, as its defense held the Crimson to a three-and-out—aided by a sack from junior linebacker Garrett Leicht. Epperly led the offense down the field quickly and beat significant defensive pressure to hit junior receiver Matt Costello just inside the end zone for six.

The defenses held as both teams shot themselves in the feet with penalties—a touchdown run by sophomore tailback Di Andre Atwater was called back on a chop block, and Harvard jumped offsides repeatedly—until the Crimson knotted it up again at the end of the quarter.

Harvard had the momentum, especially after Epperly fumbled the ball away in the fourth quarter. The ensuing drive looked promising for the Crimson but less so after starting center David Leopard left with a leg injury. Already seeing plenty of Princeton’s defensive line, Hempel found himself under even more pressure once an inexperienced center came in and the snaps started sailing high. The possession ended with a Hempel fumble, caused by senior defensive lineman Matt Landry.

Less than a minute later, Epperly found DeValve in the end zone. Harvard played catch-up from that point on, however, with star defensive end Zach Hodges and his defense finally starting to break up Epperly’s rhythm. After several minutes of sloppy play by both sides filled with fumbles, penalties and punts, the Crimson broke through just in time with a touchdown with just under three minutes to play.

The Tigers were then unable to get a first down on the ensuing drive, giving the Crimson the ball at its own 32 with1:42left in the game.

Despite a sack by freshman defensive back Dorian Williams, one of seven times Hempel was sacked on the day, the Crimson drove into Tiger territory with time running down. The Crimson felt the loss of starting kicker David Mothander, out for the season with an injury, when backup kicker Andrew Flescher missed a 50-yard attempt that would have put the team up with 12 seconds left. As his kick sailed left, the game went into overtime.

Harvard wide receiver Seitu Smith, who played more onSaturdaythan at any other point in the season, wasted no time in breaking through the Princeton defense, opening overtime with a huge run that set up an easy Harvard score. The Tigers were on the verge of defeat, facing third and six from the nine and needing a touchdown, when Epperly handed the ball off to Atwater, who pitched it back to Wilson on the double reverse. The receiver ran for the end zone, diving over the pylon to tie the game.

“I just ran around the end—Quinn blocked,” Wilson said. “I just had the easy job. I had to run.”

“Quinn gets all the credit for running, catching and throwing,” Surace said. “But his blocks today … were just magnificent.”

Again, the Crimson defense was on the verge of winning the game in the second overtime, as Epperly had nothing going, and the Tigers had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Nolan Bieck. Hempel almost found Cameron Brate in the end zone on the ensuing drive, but the pass was broken up by sophomore cornerback Anthony Gaffney on a play in which either player could have come down with the ball. Brate, an All-Ivy tight end, did not have a reception all day.

The Crimson then settled for a field goal, a 39-yarder by Flescher, and did the same on the opening drive of the third overtime. The stage was then set for the winning touchdown, as Epperly hit Costello at the seven and found Wilson for the win two plays later.

All told, the Tigers put up 520 yards, 321 of which came from Epperly’s arm. Surace and offensive coordinator James Perry mixed up their plays and continued to use players in unconventional ways to outsmart the defense.

“It’s a really fun offense to play,” Epperly said. “Coach Perry really comes up with some creative things. I think we’re finally starting to hit our stride.”

The win snapped Harvard’s 15-game home winning streak and put the Tigers in a tie for the top spot in the Ivy League with Penn, which handily defeated Yale to remain undefeated onSaturday. It was also the first time Harvard lost an Ivy League home game since 2009.

Surace and his players were quick to point out that beating Harvard was not the final goal of the season. Surace pointed to last season, when the Tigers found themselves in the driver’s seat but could not stay in control, losing key games down the stretch and failing to win the league.

“You control your destiny,” he said. “We were in the same position last year—maybe even a little better.”

The Tigers will take on Cornell at homenext Saturdaybefore heading to Penn onNov. 9for a game that will go a long way toward deciding the Ivy League championship.