Football: Culbreath breaks 1,000-yard mark in 28-10 season finale

Junior tailback Jordan Culbreath finished his already successful season with a huge outing, gaining 276 yards on the ground and scoring two touchdowns to help Princeton (4-6 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) defeat Dartmouth (0-10, 0-7) 28-10. Culbreath cemented his place as an elite Ivy back, securing the league rushing title and entering his name in the Princeton record books.

With seven minutes, six seconds left in the first quarter, Culbreath became the seventh back in Princeton history to break the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a single season. It was the eighth time a Tiger has reached 1,000 yards, as Keith Elias ’94 reached quadruple digits twice. Culbreath’s 276-yard performance puts him fourth in Tiger history on the single-season rushing list.

Culbreath appreciated the significance of the feat he accomplished Saturday.

“Before the season I didn’t have any expectations,” Culbreath said. “But as the season went on, it became a goal I was trying to achieve. It’s nice to reach that mark.”

Head coach Roger Hughes was amazed by Culbreath’s performance Saturday as well as his effort throughout the season.

“I don’t think there are enough superlatives in the dictionary,” Hughes said. “He’s got one of the strongest work ethics on this team.”

With Culbreath’s incredible performance, Princeton established the run and got points on the board early, which proved to be the difference in the game.

On Princeton’s first drive, Culbreath dodged Dartmouth defenders and broke tackles en route to a 58-yard touchdown run, his ninth rushing score of the season. The touchdown put the Tigers ahead 7-0 with 13:06 left in the first quarter.

Senior quarterback and tri-captain Brian Anderson threw an interception on Princeton’s next drive, right into the hands of Big Green defensive end Malcolm Freberg, who took the ball all the way down to the 11-yard line. In an effort to tie the score, Dartmouth attempted a fake field goal on fourth down, but the Tiger defense didn’t bite, and the Big Green came up empty handed.

Princeton was able to get some of its younger players involved on offense in the first quarter, including sophomore wide receiver Andrew Kerr, who finished the first half with a team-leading 16 receiving yards, and sophomore fullback Matt Zimmerman, who helped Princeton move the chains on its third drive of the game. The drive was stifled at the 14-yard line on a fourth-and-one attempt, however, when Anderson was sacked for a loss.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Tigers again got some of their younger players in on the action. With a good jump on Dartmouth quarterback Conner Kempe’s pass, freshman defensive back Blake Clemons nabbed the first interception of his Princeton career to set up a score by Anderson. The two-yard keeper put the Tigers ahead 14-0 with 12:53 left in the first half.

At the end of the second quarter, the Big Green threatened to take the ball in for a touchdown. But on a third-down play, senior cornerback Barry Newell nicely broke up a pass from replacement quarterback Alex Jenny, forcing Dartmouth to settle for three. With 1:16 left in the first half, the Big Green got on the board with a 22-yard field goal, making the score 14-3 heading into the locker room.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

After Dartmouth got on the board, Princeton responded with another score of its own. With 10:19 left in the third quarter, the Tigers reached the endzone on a one-yard pass from Anderson to senior tight end Billy Mitchell, extending their lead to 21-3.

The Big Green, however, had not given up yet. On the ensuing kickoff, free safety Peter Pidermann took the ball back 85 yards to bring the score to 21-10.

But fitting with the rest of Saturday’s performance, Culbreath responded to the call when the Tigers needed him, making a five-yard endzone visit with 1:35 left in the third quarter to give Princeton a 28-10 lead that stood until the end of the game.

Culbreath, the clear difference-maker Saturday, deflected some of his success to the offensive line’s physical play.

“The line did a great job [Saturday],” Culbreath said. “I felt like I wasn’t even getting touched.”

On defense, the Tigers halted the Dartmouth rushing attack effectively throughout the game, holding the Big Green to 11 total yards on the ground. Junior linebacker Scott Britton led all Princeton defenders with five tackles and a sack.

Senior defensive end Pete Buchignani noted that the defensive stand the Tigers exhibited Saturday was a fitting way to send the seniors out.

“To go out like this in a game where we played our best for the full 60 minutes is an incredible feeling,” Buchignani said.

Though Anderson did not have a huge day through the air, finishing four of eight for 24 yards, Hughes noted that Anderson has been a huge part of the Tigers’ season.

“Brian Anderson made it fun to coach again,” said Hughes as he started to break down and cry. “He’s a pretty special kid that took the team on his shoulders.”

Princeton finished the game dominating the statistics in every respect, including time of possession. The Tigers held the ball for 39:06 of the game owing in large part to Culbreath’s performance, as he converted first downs and helped Princeton run out the clock at the end of the matchup.

Reflecting on the season, Hughes said he was satisfied with the convincing victory, which should give the Tigers momentum heading into next season.

“I felt like for the first time all season, we physically dominated someone,” Hughes said. “We played with great intensity for the full 60 minutes. I was very proud of our seniors and how they led this team to finish the season right.”