A Harvard vs. Princeton 84 years in the making

For quite a long time, Harvard has had the football team seeing nothing but red. In fact, last year's win in Cambridge, Mass., was the first time that Princeton had defeated Harvard in nine years.

Heading into a game that's been such a huge obstacle for so many years. Princeton will approach this year's matchup a little differently.

"We've beaten them once, [so] it's not impossible," head coach Roger Hughes said. "It's a monkey off our back. We're not intimidated by them."

Indeed, last year's game showcased a Princeton lineup featuring the talented Jay McCareins '06, who lived up to all expectations with a game-changing performance.

In Cambridge, the Tigers fought hard for a 17-10 halftime lead. But when the Crimson took a 24-20 advantage with seven minutes, 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter, it looked like nine years of losing might turn into a decade.

McCareins, however, came to the rescue with an unbelievable kickoff return for a touchdown on the next play, burning four Harvard men who had him surrounded near the sideline on the Crimson 40 to make it all the way to the end zone and score the winning touchdown.

Though Princeton doesn't have McCareins this year, it still has two things that Hughes cited as critical for last year's win: good leadership and solid team cohesion.

"We just have good team chemistry; we're a family working together for one cause," Hughes said after last year's game.

Junior fullback Rob Toresco's words after last weekend's win over Brown echoed that notion.

"We trust the guy next to us," Toresco said. "[That] brotherhood leads to championships."

Whether or not those intangibles will be decisive factors remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the matchup will be close and preparation will be critical, as both coaching staffs have plenty of current tape to work from.

"They've played the same teams we've played, so we'll have a good film analysis knowing what's going on between us guys," Hughes said. "They've played Lafayette and they've played Lehigh, so we'll get those tapes and we'll have a good measure of how good they are position by position."

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Harvard, to be sure, has a few great skill players, most notably running back Clifton Dawson, who should make life difficult for the Tigers. His presence strengthens the upper hand the Crimson has had recently in contests against Princeton.

History on the sideline

Though the Tigers lead the all-time series 50-40-7, Harvard has enjoyed an easy advantage over the last decade. While Hughes is 1-5 against Harvard, Crimson head coach Tim Murphy is 9-3 against the Tigers. Princeton has yet to win a game against Harvard at Princeton Stadium.

Both teams will enter this matchup 5-0 for the season, something that hasn't happened in 84 years.

In 1922, the now-famous Princeton "Team of Destiny" defeated Harvard by a score of 10-3, giving the Crimson their first loss of the season. The Tigers, meanwhile, went on to capture the national championship.

While it's unlikely that Princeton will again vie for a national crown, this weekend's game will have important consequences for the Ivy League championship race.

On Saturday, Princeton will host Harvard as Yale hosts Penn; currently, all four teams are tied for first place in the league.

That four-way tie for first place among those teams will be swiftly whittled down to a two-way tie — with the two winners gaining the upper hand early in the race, having already faced at least one difficult opponent.

Though the Tigers might say they take each game one step at a time, it's hard to ignore the fact that so far, five steps have brought Princeton to 5-0. Thinking further down the line — particularly with the Ivy League title in mind — Saturday's matchup is sure to have critical consequences for every step Princeton takes this fall.