Crimson, Quakers tops again in Ivies

In addition to games against Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate, Princeton will face all seven other Ivy schools on the gridiron in a battle for the conference title that so narrowly eluded them in 2005. Here's a closer look at the Tigers' league foes.

COLUMBIA

2005: Princeton 43, Columbia 3

Despite losing six of their seven Ivy games last season by at least 30 points — and dropping the seventh as well for a winless conference showing — the Lions are confident that this season will be different. Hoping to bring Columbia the winning attitude it has so sorely lacked will be first-year head coach Norries Wilson.

Though last year's contest was a blowout for Princeton, with the Tigers combining for 324 rushing yards, games in the previous two years were both decided on the final plays of each game. In last year's matchup, senior running back Cleo Kirkland notched 130 yards rushing on his way to two touchdowns, and he looks to match last year's breakout performance with another this season.

On the Columbia side of personnel matters, the Lions have yet to choose a starting quarterback. Craig Horman and Chris Allison are currently vying for the position. Defensive end Phillip Mitchell and Adam Brekke will lead the Lions' 3-3-5 defense, which places emphasis on filling gaps and speed.

The Lions will open their season against league champion Harvard this Saturday. BROWN

2005: Princeton 31, Brown 34

Though the Princeton-Brown rivalry is ages old, there will be one new feature about the game this year: It will be the first Friday night game in the history of the Ivy League. The Tigers, though, hope to not repeat history in their contest against the Bears: Despite a valiant effort by senior quarterback Jeff Terrell, who scored three touchdowns and 247 yards in their last meeting, Princeton fell in a 31-34 defeat.

That defeat, though, came largely at the hands of Bears running back Nick Hartigan, who graduated last year and signed with the New York Jets. Brown, however, will return no fewer than five All-Ivy League selections, including linebacker Zak DeOssie, who will surely present a challenge for the Tigers' deep receiver corps. DeOssie is a nationally recognized defensive master: last season, he posted 45 solo tackles.

Meanwhile, quarterback and former All-Ivy selection Joe DiGiacomo will return to lead the Bears in the air and connect with fellow All-Ivy receiver Lonnie Hill, who averaged 17.1 yards per catch last season. On the ground, running back Derrick Knight averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the shadow of Hartigan last year and will help lead the Bears' offense. HARVARD

2005: Princeton 34, Harvard 31

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Any fan of Princeton football knows that last year's dramatic victory against Harvard up in Cambridge, Mass., was a watershed moment for the school's program. The Tigers look to turn what was once a streak against them into one in their favor in this year's home matchup.

This season, however, Princeton will be without Jay McCareins '06, who returned a kick in the final minutes of play to seal Princeton's victory, while the Crimson still have a powerful weapon in Clifton Dawson, perhaps the league's most feared running back.

Last year, Dawson put up 203 yards against the Tigers, and Princeton will have to find ways to stop him if they are to land another victory against the perennially strong Crimson football team. Quarterback Chris Pizzotti missed all of last season due to injury, but is expected to be a capable weapon on offense. He'll be looking to connect with a receiver corps that includes Alex Breaux and Matt Lagace. The two played in 10 and eight games last season, respectively, and were significant parts of the Crimson offense that the Tigers will look to stop.

Harvard, though, has had its share of off-season woes as co-captain and All-Ivy first-team linebacker Matt Thomas was kicked off the team after being arrested for assault and battery against his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, second-leading league passer and quarterback Liam O'Hagan was suspended for five games for violating team rules. CORNELL

2005: Princeton 20, Cornell 17 (OT)

The Tigers hope to turn what was a crazy overtime field-goal victory last year into a solid defeat of the Big Red this season. Cornell actually outdistanced the Tigers in total yards in last year's contest, 317 to 308, won the possession game and took the lead late in the game despite Princeton's early 14-0 lead in the second quarter. But a drive by the Tigers tied the game with a field goal by Derek Javarone '06. Following an interception by the Tigers, Javarone snatched the victory for Princeton with another field goal in extra time.

Though it is coming off a decent 6-4 season, Cornell has had to replace four All-Ivy selections this year but returns seven offensive starters. In particular, running back Luke Siwula; his 1,086 yards last season placed him at 10th all-time for Cornell and earned him an All-Ivy selection. Quarterback Nathan Ford is new this year, but he will be protected by four returning starters on the offensive line including, All-Ivy selections Ted Sonnenberg and Eric Miller. PENN

2005: Princeton 30, Penn 13

It took strong special teams play last year for Princeton to end a nine-year losing streak to the seemingly benign Quakers. And for whatever reason, Penn brought out the best in Terrell, who passed for 193 yards en route to a convincing 30-13 victory.

This year, the team has been picked to finish second in the league, and with good reason. Second team All-Ivy running back Joe Sandberg will carry the ball often for Penn, and Nick Cisler will take over at fullback. Co-captain offensive lineman Sean Estrada, an All-Ivy honorable mention, will protect the backfield, along with second-team All-Ivy selection Marko Grzan.

With such decorated starters returning as well as a host of other talented linemen, the team's offensive line is sure to be all but impenetrable. And not to be forgotten, punter Anthony Melillo was second in average punt distance behind the Tigers' Colin McDonough and led the Ivy League in net punting yards last season.

On defense, All-Ivy selection Scott Williams will lead the Quakers' attempts to stifle opponents. Last season, he recorded two interceptions and 45 tackles, six of them against the Tigers. YALE

2005: Princeton 14, Yale 21

It took no fewer than seven turnovers, including five interceptions by Terrell, for Princeton to squander a 14-point halftime lead and end up losing to the Bulldogs and, with that loss, hopes of winning the Ivy League title. The defeat still holds a searing place in the minds of the Tigers, who will look to avenge the heartbreaking loss with a road victory against Yale this year.

However, Yale's four-game winning streak against Princeton is the Tigers' longest of any league rival, and Princeton has not scored a touchdown at the Yale Bowl in the last two contests played there.

Offensive tackle Ed McCarthy, another All-Ivy selection, has made 29 straight starts with the Bulldogs and may be the best offensive lineman in this season's Ivy League. Running back Mike McLeod, last year's league Rookie of the Year, will return to lead Yale on the ground. He was fourth in the league in all-purpose yards with a total of 689 rushing yards (3.6 per carry), and also handled kick-returning duties for the Bulldogs. As Yale has graduated Jeff Mroz, who led league quarterbacks in total passing yards, the Bulldogs are picked to finish fifth in the league this year. DARTMOUTH

2005: Princeton 30, Dartmouth 0

Coming off the heels of the stinging defeat against Yale, Princeton opened up last year for a 30-point shutout of the Big Green in Hanover to claim the 1917 Sawhorse Dollar for which the game is played annually. It was the Tigers' first shutout since 1999.

This year, the sometimes-hapless Dartmouth squad returns 16 starters and brings in 33 freshmen. Two quarterbacks, Mike Fritz and Tom Bennewitz, will take snaps for Dartmouth as they try to replace last year's Josh Cohen. In the secondary, strong safety Ian Wilson will lead the way after checking in as the league's fourth-leading tackler in 2005.

The team's leading receiver, Ryan Fuselier, and the team's leading running back, Jason Bash, will both return to help drive Dartmouth's offense. Bash picked up Dartmouth's offense ably after moving from the linebacker position. Fuselier was a second-team All-Ivy selection and gives the team's new quarterbacks a tall target in the aeriel attack.