“It’s obviously a big game for both teams,” head coach Roger Hughes said. “It’s difficult to win the league with two losses, and couple that with the fact that it’s become a very heated rivalry. We’re looking forward to getting back on the football field and playing the kind of football we’re capable of playing.”
Key for the Tigers will be the status of senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson, who injured his non-throwing shoulder and was held out of much of the second half of last weekend’s contest against Brown after playing ineffectively with the injury. Freshman signal caller Tommy Wornham and junior defensive back Dan Kopolovich made their debuts as quarterback in Anderson’s absence, but Brown ran away with a 31-10 victory.
The loss was tough for the Tigers to stomach, especially for a defense that surrendered the most points since Princeton’s season-opening loss at The Citadel.
“The loss last week was, frankly, a bad loss for us,” senior nose tackle and tri-captain Matt Koch said.
Hughes said he felt that, among other things, it was a lack of focus that cost the Tigers in the Brown game.
“We don’t feel like we played with the kind of intensity at all times last week that we need to win a game,” he said. “Our emphasis all week is to play with intensity, play as physical as you can [and] make sure that we come out ready to go.”
Hughes added, however, that the Tigers have shown great drive and determination during practice this week in anticipation of the game.
The Tigers will once again be charged with the tough task of stopping an explosive passing game. Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti, who threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s matchup, currently leads the league with 1,504 yards, nine touchdowns and a 61.7 percent completion rate. Six-foot, six-inch wideout Matt Luft has been Pizzotti’s favorite target this season, as the senior currently leads the league with 571 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. Luft will be a great challenge for a secondary that previously struggled to contain a tall receiver in Colgate’s Pat Simonds.
Hughes noted Pizzotti’s abilities as both a passer and scrambler, as well as the receivers’ size advantage as key concerns for Princeton.
“Pizzotti is not going to beat you with his feet but he runs well enough to make you nervous,” Hughes said. “Your secondary can’t come out of coverage when he does break the pocket because if they do they’ve got a guy back behind him. The receivers do a great job of using size advantage. [Pizzotti and Luft] are a great tandem, and they look to each other when the heat’s on.”
The Crimson also boasts an impressive offensive line. With no player shorter than 6’4”, Harvard averages a dominating 6’5”, 290 pounds. Tailbacks Gino Gordon, Cheng Ho and Ben Jenkins form a three-pronged running attack that averages 121.0 yards per game, second only to Princeton’s.
Adjustment from last week shouldn’t be too tough for Princeton, as the Harvard offense is fairly similar to Brown’s, with only a few slight differences.
“I think Harvard goes up top a little more takes a little more time to get the ball out,” defensive line coach Matt Borich said. “It’s gonna be crucial for us to put pressure on him. We definitely need to tip a couple more balls get some hits on.”
“As a defense, I don’t think we’ve really proven ourselves yet and we’re really eager to do that,” Koch said. “We need to go in and take control of the game, create turnovers and give our offense more opportunities to score.”
On the other side of the ball, Princeton will look to its workhorse, junior tailback Jordan Culbreath. Culbreath has been a monster this season, leading the league with 96.2 yards per game, 5.3 yards per carry and four total touchdowns. With the quarterback situation somewhat uncertain, the Tigers will need a bigger day than usual from Culbreath.
Culbreath’s success this season has been no secret, however, and the Crimson will surely be gunning to stop him. Harvard will rely on its skillful secondary, which often locks down receivers one on one without much trouble, to allow for extra run support. Hughes therefore underscored the importance of efficient play out of the quarterback position.
“We’ve gotta be able to throw it effectively,” Hughes said. “When Brian wasn’t as effective at throwing the ball last week, you saw the lack of offensive production. We’ve gotta make sure that whoever’s at quarterback is getting the ball out on time and making the correct reads, and for whatever reason, we didn’t do a good job of getting it to who’s open.”
Struggles to do this in last weekend’s game had the Tigers running extra practice in blitz and third-down situations.
Everything will have to click for Princeton to win.
“This team is still a work in progress, and overall I don’t think we’ve played as a complete team on both sides of the ball, and that’s kind of our goal,” Hughes said.
As it has all season, the Crimson will probably put points on the board. But if the Princeton offense can be efficient on third down, score touchdowns when in the red zone and keep hold of the ball, the home team could be one half of the way to a bonfire.
The motivation is there.
“It’s Harvard-Princeton,” Koch said. “Beyond that, you don’t really need to say much more.”
Now, the Tigers will just need to execute.
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