Weekend preview: Princeton goes for 7 straight against Columbia

Princeton football (2–0 overall) will take on its first Ivy League opponent this year, facing Columbia (2–0) on Powers Field at Princeton Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 30, with kickoff at 12:30 p.m. When these teams faced each other last year, the Tigers won handily in a 48–13 rout of the opponent, making it six straight wins against the Lions. In last year’s victory, senior quarterback Chad Kanoff threw three touchdown passes and threw for 230 yards on 21 of 25 (84 percent) passing. Senior John Lovett was also instrumental in the contest, adding four more scores. In a period between the second and third quarters of that game, Princeton dominated by scoring touchdowns on seven straight possessions.

After starting this season with wins against both Wagner and Georgetown, Columbia hopes to continue improving from its 0–2 start at this time. Last week against Georgetown, the Lions avenged a 2015 loss by winning 35–14 over the Hoyas. Quarterback Anders Hill passed for four touchdowns, including three in the first half, to put Columbia up 21–0.

The Lions have been built on a balanced offensive attack this year, averaging just under 180 yards in both passing and rushing in their first two games. Much of their success has come at the hands of Hill, who has thrown for 357 yards and five touchdowns this year. Hill has dominated on the ground as well, rushing for 106 yards overall on 4.1 yards per carry.

Princeton, which has held opponents to 63.5 rush yards per game so far this year, hopes to continue its strong defense and contain a mobile quarterback like Hill, making the Columbia offense more one-dimensional. Meanwhile, the Lions will look to put pressure on the Tigers’ secondary, which has given up 321 yards passing per game. Freshman cornerback CJ Wall, who already has two interceptions this season, will be instrumental in stopping Hill’s aerial attack.

Princeton is off to a hot start with wins against San Diego and Lafayette. Kanoff, for his part, has averaged 304 yards passing in the first two games, with a total of six touchdowns. His most popular targets include junior wide receivers Jesper Horsted and Stephen Carlson, who have combined for over 300 yards this season, with five touchdowns. Princeton’s offense also received a boost with the return of junior running back Charlie Volker, who missed the season opener due to a tear in his eye. Volker displayed no sign of weakness last week against Lafayette, his healed vision guiding him for 111 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

The Tigers have a 70–15–1 winning record versus Columbia all time, including the last six meetings.

If you cannot attend this weekend’s game, you can stream it on the Ivy League Network or listen to it on the radio on the Princeton IMG Sports Network on TuneIn Radio or on 103.3 FM.