On one side of Franklin Field it was sunbaked and calm, somewhere above 60 degrees. On the other side it was shadowed and windy, somewhere below 40. The temperature gradient carried over to the football teams, too.
Five lost fumbles cost Princeton (2-6 overall, 2-3 Ivy League) dearly as it was icy cold in a 37-7 loss to flaming hot Penn (8-0, 5-0) on the Quakers' homecoming Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
With Harvard and Yale losing Saturday, the win clinched at least a share of the second-straight league title for Penn, which has the nation's second-longest winning streak at 14 games.
The Tigers, which had put together three consecutive solid games prior to the game against Penn, returned to their early season sluggishness on the Ivy League's biggest stage. On the first drive, Princeton managed negative yardage and was forced to punt after just three plays.
A quick start
Penn wasted no time quelling the faint murmurs of "upset" from the press box. From the Tiger 39-yard line, Quaker quarterback Mike Mitchell handed off to his star running back Sam Mathews, who took three hard steps toward the line before pitching the ball back. Mitchell then found wide receiver Dan Castles, who had snuck behind his defender and was headed for the corner, for the touchdown.
With the catch, Castles moved into fourth all-time on Penn's touchdown reception list with 13.
After another Tiger three-and-out, the Quakers brought their offense back onto the field. Mitchell and Mathews led the squad downfield again, but the Princeton defense held in the red zone and forced a field goal to keep the lead to just 10-0.
Still, the Tigers sensed they were still in the game.
"We'd seen Penn get big leads and then relinquish them," Princeton head coach Roger Hughes said. "We thought when we got down early that we'd be able to fight our way back into the game."
Reverting to form
But then the blunders returned. The Tigers turned the ball over on the next drive when senior fullback Tim Bowden caught a pass on the right side before fumbling going for extra yardage deep in his territory.
A quick Quaker march ended in a three-yard touchdown scamper by Mathews, making it 17-0.
The Tigers got a huge play on the next possession when junior quarterback Matt Verbit found junior wide receiver B.J. Szymanski streaking down the left side of the field for a 58-yard completion. Szymanski had a step on his defender and caught an accurate throw from Verbit in stride with his arms extended.
But the momentum soon died. Verbit fumbled later in the drive, leading to a 29-yard field goal for the Quakers, extending the lead to 20-0 early in the second.
"Every time we got something going," Verbit said, "we would shoot ourselves in the foot."
Penn added another field goal, then benefited from another Princeton error just before halftime when the ensuing kickoff bounced around amidst the Tiger return team and the Quakers jumped on it. Mitchell then found Castles in one-on-one coverage on the right side a few plays later, and threw his team into halftime ahead 30-0.
Luckily for the Tigers, things did calm down in the second half. Junior tailback Jon Veach capped an efficient third-quarter drive with a three-yard touchdown to get the zeroes off the Princeton half of the scoreboard, but the rally would end there.
Mathews accentuated the win when he ran untouched up the middle for a five-yard score early in the fourth quarter. In total, Mathews ran 36 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
Three receivers were over 100 yards for the game. Senior Blair Morrison (121 yards) and Szymanski (119) pulled the trick for the Tigers, and Joe Phillips had 117 receiving yards for Penn.
Verbit finished 19-for-29 for 273 yards and two scores, but the team managed just 54 rushing yards.
"When you're playing a team of this caliber, you have to hope some breaks go your way, and obviously with five turnovers in the first half that's very difficult," Hughes said. "They took advantage of everything we gave them."
It was a cold ride home from Philadelphia, but the Tigers are coming home with a chance to warm up.
"We certainly need to learn from this, and we can't fold our tent," Hughes said. "Next week I'm stepping on the field and I expect to win a game."
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.